National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce

NOAA's National Ocean Service

One more inch of water in a port means larger ships can enter, bringing millions of dollars worth of additional cargo.
And, carrying more goods in one trip means fewer total trips to ship the same amount of stuff. That’s good for the safety of our waterways, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for your wallet. In this graphic, see about how much cargo a ship can carry -- and what it's worth -- with one more inch of depth in a port.

An Inch of Water. What's it worth? See how deeper ports = larger ships, millions of dollars worth of additional cargo.

Ocean Etiquette: Promoting responsible encounters with marine wildlife and their natural habitats.

Wildlife viewing is a popular recreation activity, but it is important to know how to interact with ocean wildlife so that you can make the right decisions. Irresponsible human behavior can disturb animals, destroy important habitats, and even result in injury to animals and people. NOAA Fisheries and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries developed the Ocean Etiquette program to promote ocean stewardship and minimize impacts to marine life and habitats. Take a minute to review our marine wildlife viewing guidelines.

The hydrophone: an underwater device that measures ocean sounds from all directions.

TIDES AND CURRENTS

Real-time current data now helping Miami seaport to safely bring in ships.

TIDES AND CURRENTS

graphic showing locations of Pacific garbage patches

Hear how gyres "take out our trash" in our latest podcast episode.

OCEAN DATA

SPRING 2018
National High Tide Outlook

The rising and falling of the sea is a phenomenon upon which we can always depend. Tides are the regular rise and fall of the sea surface caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun and their position relative to the earth. There are some factors that cause the tides to be higher than what is "normally" seen from day to day. This bulletin tells you when you may experience higher than normal high tides for the period of time between March and May 2018.

OCEAN TODAY VIDEOS
The Ocean We Love

As we celebrate the Earth in April, don't overlook what covers the largest part of the planet. It's where all life began, and it's still full of life today: the ocean. This month, NOAA's Ocean Today brings you some of their favorite video collections to help you understand why the ocean is so important and what we need to do to protect it. Tune in to Ocean Today's latest "Full Moon" video collection to watch!

On Nov. 18, 1929, a magnitude 7.4 Mw earthquake occurred 155 miles south of Newfoundland along the southern edge of the Grand Banks, Canada. This illustration, called a Tsunami Time Travel Map, shows the arrival times of tsunami waves.

What is a tsunami?
Tsunami Awareness Month

Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave.

2018
International Year of the Reef

Did you know that coral reefs support more species than any other marine environment and rival rainforests in their biodiversity? 2018 is the third International Year of the Reef—a platform to highlight the importance of coral reefs. Covering less than one percent of the planet, reefs are the home to 25 percent of marine species and supply food to millions of people. They are also vital to our ocean economy, providing billions of dollars in services, such coastal protection, jobs, tourism and more.