NOAA's National Ocean Service

An official website of the United States government.
Here's how you know we're official.

Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure websites use HTTPS

A small lock or https:// means you’ve safely connected to a .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Inflation Reduction Act: Climate-Ready Coasts and Communities

The Inflation Reduction Act is a historic, federal government-wide investment that furthers NOAA’s efforts to build a Climate-Ready Nation. As part of this investment, NOAA will work with a variety of partners in coastal and Great Lakes communities to develop and support durable, local capacity to adapt to climate change impacts, while growing economies, protecting fisheries, addressing environmental justice, and developing a climate-ready workforce.

inflation reduction act

An oiled rock along the Mississippi River shoreline near New Orleans, Louisiana, following an April 2018 fuel oil spill.

Weird Facts About Oil and Oil Spills

When it comes to oil spills and their impacts on marine environments, water and oil don’t mix. In this episode, we chat with an oil spill response expert, Doug Helton, regional operations supervisor for NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, Emergency Response Division, and discuss some weird facts about oil and oil contamination.

Oil Spill Facts

Coastal habitats such as this salt marsh in the Gulf provide us with countless benefits, from nursery grounds for fish to protection from storms. (NOAA Fisheries)

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Climate-Ready Coasts

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a transformational opportunity to make an impact against the climate crisis across the country through multiple funding opportunities. As part of this law, $1.467 billion is being invested to help coastal communities build the future they want to see. Investing in high-impact natural infrastructure projects that build coastal resilience, create jobs, store carbon, and restore habitat.

bipartisan infrastructure law

Teachers measuring wind speed and direction for a weather station school program activity. Credit: California State Parks

Empowering Educators through Living Laboratories

The Teachers on the Estuary program offers educators a way to access hands-on learning experiences at the Tijuana River Research Reserve. The program showcases the effectiveness of the national reserve system in enhancing local experiences while simultaneously reducing education expenses at the state and community levels, all by taking learning out of the abstract and into the outdoors.

A group of four images (top to bottom): an image of the Visual Lab at University of New Hampshire/Joint Hydrographic Center, an uncrewed surface vessel during survey operations, a digital terrain map of the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor, NH., and an image of an autonomous underwater vehicle being deployed. (Image credit: NOAA and University of New Hampshire/Joint Hydrographic Center)

New Ocean Mapping Center

NOAA and the University of New Hampshire are expanding a 24-year ocean and Great Lakes mapping partnership through the creation of a new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping. The partnership will help build a workforce ready to tackle the mapping challenges of the future, and further our understanding of our changing ocean and coasts.

The rusty remnants of a Totten Beacon (foreground) located near American Shoal lighthouse. Photo credit: M. Lawrence.

The Florida Keys: Dive into History

In this podcast episode, we're heading to the Florida Keys, the only place in the continental United States with shallow water coral reefs. We're joined by Brenda Altmeier, maritime heritage coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, to tell us the story of the Florida Keys through maritime history.

Hypothetical oil spill simulation in Haro Strait, WA

NOS releases modeling strategy

The NOS Modeling Advisory Board has released a five-year strategy to improve prediction of risks to coastal and Great Lakes communities facing the physical and economic threats posed by climate change. As part of this strategy, NOS will work with partners across NOAA, other federal agencies, academia, industry, nonprofits, and local, state, and tribal governments to advance models that will meet the public’s need for reliable predictions of coastal conditions.