The word “plankton” comes from the Greek for “drifter” or “wanderer.” An organism is considered plankton if it is carried by tides and currents, and cannot swim well enough to move against these forces. Some plankton drift this way for their entire life cycle. Others are only classified as plankton when they are young, but they eventually grow large enough to swim against the currents.
Explore NOAA activities and resources for children: videos, group activities, origami, outdoor and tabletop challenges, and a bunch of other projects that are fun, entertaining, and educational.
I initially planned this message to tie together NOAA’s 50th anniversary, Women’s History Month, and lessons I’ve learned throughout my career. Now, as I settle into my home office for the foreseeable future, our world is being turned upside down by COVID-19. The coming weeks and months will be difficult if not scarring for our nation. Continue Reading
Ten years ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the tragic loss of human life and an unprecedented impact to the Gulf’s coastal resources and the people who depend on them. This month, NOS's Office of Response and Restoration looks back at our country’s largest marine oil spill, what’s happened since then, and how we’re better prepared for future spills.
Immerse yourself in the ocean and your national marine sanctuaries without getting wet. Explore virtual reality voyages that use 360-degree images to highlight the amazing habitats, animals, and cultural resources found in each national marine sanctuary. Select which sanctuary you want to visit, scroll through the gallery, and click on a panorama to start your dive!
Throughout 2020, NOAA is celebrating 50 years of science, service and stewardship. Since its inception on October 3, 1970, NOAA has become one of the world’s premier science agencies with a mission that spans from the surface of the sun to the floor of the ocean. See where we’ve been and where we’re going at www.noaa.gov/50-years.
There are some factors that cause the tides to be higher than what is "normally" seen from day to day. View our bulletin to see when you may experience higher than normal high tides for the period of time between March and May 2020.
The National Geodetic Survey has been measuring land to determine points on the ground and the angles, distances, and heights between them since the 1800s. To do this accurately, you have to understand the force of gravity. We talk with a NOAA geodesist to understand what gravity is, why and how it changes, and what it means for NOAA.
The world's coastal ecosystems — coastal salt marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows — are incredibly efficient at capturing and storing large quantities of carbon. These types of habitat are known as carbon sinks and contain large stores of carbon accumulated over hundreds to thousands of years. Get to know coastal blue carbon.
Money does not grow on trees, but it could be growing in our coastal salt marshes and sea grass beds. At Waquoit Bay Research Reserve in Massachusetts, researchers are studyng the connections between coastal wetlands, carbon dioxide uptake and storage, and the global carbon trading economy.
Scientists at NGS are working on a 15-year-long project to make accurate height measurement better, faster, and cheaper. This project is called the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum, or GRAV-D for short. When it’s done in in 2022, you will be able to get accurate heights to within about an inch for most locations around the nation.
Nurdles are small plastic pellets that are causing a big problem. But citizen scientists are fighting back. Learn how the Nurdle Patrol is taking on these problematic pellets, and how you can get involved in our latest episode of the NOAA Ocean podcast.
Did you know that there are about 120 World War II-era aircraft lying at the bottom of Lake Michigan? NOAA's Office of Coast Survey and the U.S. Navy partnered up to survey and preserve this piece of history. See what they found.
