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From the Desk of the Assistant Administrator

The nation's ocean and coastal agency: Supporting coastal communities, promoting a robust economy, and protecting coastal and marine ecosystems.

19 April

Response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge Incident

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf discusses the efforts provided by National Ocean Service’s Mission Essential Function offices in support of Francis Scott Key Bridge response and recovery efforts.

28 February

Twenty Five Years of Response and Restoration

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf celebrates the 25th anniversary of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration.

5 February

Improving Elevations for the Nation

In this video message, NOS Deputy Assistant Administrator Rachael Dempsey shares how recent advancements in the GRAV-D project will help reduce risk for coastal communities through better flood predictions and better support emergency evacuation planning.

25 January

2023 NOAA Restoration Settlements

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares the news that NOAA and partners helped recover over $92 million from polluters to restore seven waterways in six states following oil spill and industrial pollution incidents in 2023.


2023

30 October

New National Ocean Service Strategic Plan

I am delighted to announce the release of the NOS Strategic Plan for 2024-2028! Just today, we released a new Strategic Plan landing page and special video message. Implementation of the plan will streamline our priorities in response to our nation’s growing need for ocean and coastal products and services and leverage and connect broad expertise across our program offices.

24 August

New Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook Now Available

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares a major advancement in NOAA’s capability to predict high tide flooding that is available for public use. Learn more about the Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook.

27 July

High-Resolution Coastal Land Cover Data Will Be Available

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares that over the next year, new coastal land cover data will be available throughout the coastal zone, and at a resolution, or level of detail, we’ve never been able to provide before.

2 February

Over $114 million recovered from polluters to restore waterways

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf shares how in 2022 NOAA and our partners recovered over $114 million dollars to restore 6 polluted U.S. waterways.


2022

15 December

Disaster Preparedness Program: Five Year Anniversary

The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration's Disaster Preparedness Program recently celebrated five years of helping NOS, our partners, and coastal communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from both human-caused and natural events. In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf marks this milestone and shares her thoughts about this program.

14 October

NOS Hurricane Ian Activities

In the midst of great need, the National Ocean Service answered the call to service as Hurricane Ian battered the Florida mainland and portions of Georgia and the Carolinas. This message provides an overview of recent activities in support of response and recovery to this storm.

12 October

Great Lakes Hydrographic Survey Cruise Missions

In this video message, Rear Adm. Benjamin Evans, director, Office of Coast Survey, and John Armor, director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, are proud to share with you a video message about how the recent mapping missions in the Great Lakes supports critical updates to NOAA’s nautical charts, and provides modern data to the scientific and benthic mapping communities.

4 October

RICHARD Cruise Combines Mapping, Charting, and Coral Surveys

This September marked the completion of the five-month expedition to the Mariana Islands on the NOAA ship Rainier. NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf is proud to share a video message about this cruise. This innovative NOAA mission combined very different and historically siloed projects – mapping and charting in conjunction with coral reef ecosystem surveying.

8 September

Center of Population

Once every ten years, NOAA and the U.S. Census Bureau team up to capture snapshots of how our nation's population is changing over time. Learn about this special partnership — and our new "center of population" — in this video message from NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf.

8 August

National Marine Sanctuaries Stamps Issuance

To celebrate 50 years of ocean and coastal conservation, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf is excited to share that the U.S. Postal Service and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries teamed up to showcase our nation’s underwater treasures with 16 new Forever® stamps.

22 June

National Ocean Month

Every June, our country observes National Ocean Month. Here at NOS, we celebrate throughout the month on our website and social media channels by sharing videos, facts, trivia, and more! Our virtual celebration highlights the critical role our ocean plays, the relationship we share with it, and the steps we can take to protect and conserve it. Whether you live along a coast, on a farm, in a city, or on top of a mountain, this amazing body of water is a part of your life.

24 March

Supporting our Geospatially Enabled World

It is my honor to write to you today about National Surveyors Week and the unique and valuable service that NOS's National Geodetic Survey provides to our geospatially enabled world.

20 January

Over $130 Million to Restore 10 Polluted Waterways Across the Country

In 2021, NOAA and our partners recovered over 130 million dollars to restore 10 polluted waterways in six states. We did this by first conducting scientific and economic studies to evaluate the impacts of pollution on these waterways. We then reached legal agreements with those responsible for the pollution to pay for the restoration projects in these areas.


2021

18 November

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week

This month NGS released the Beta NGS Map, a GIS that provides access to multiple datasets. From historical maps to the latest data visualization techniques, there’s plenty to celebrate for Geography Awareness Week.

28 October

Looking Back, Looking Forward

In October, NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad and I had the honor of participating in the Oceans of Knowledge 2021: Climate Change and the Ocean conference, which took place at the Institute of Physics in London, England. The conference was designed to set the stage for COP26, and gave international representatives from government, academia, and the private sector the chance to discuss climate change and sustainable use of the ocean and ocean resources, the role of the ocean in natural and engineered climate mitigation, and rising sea levels and coastal vulnerability.

17 September

36th International Coastal Cleanup

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf celebrates the 36th year of the International Coastal Cleanup, which is hosted by NOS’s partner, The Ocean Conservancy. In it she shares information about this incredible event, and explains how you can get involved and make a difference.

29 July

Celebrating 30 Years of PORTSⓇ

This July, CO-OPS celebrates 30 years of PORTS. PORTS provides vessel operators with quality controlled real-time status of environmental parameters — including water levels, currents, waves, salinity, bridge clearance (air gap), winds, air and water temperature, and visibility — to enable the best safety of life and property decisions.

08 June

World Ocean Day Video Message

In this video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf celebrates World Ocean Day and National Ocean Month; notes NOAA's participation in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and Capitol Hill Ocean Week; and discusses how NOS is contributing to diversity, inclusion, and environmental justice.

03 May

Public Service Recognition Week

In this Public Service Recognition Week (May 2-8, 2021) video message, NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf celebrates the National Ocean Service, its employees, and the work that NOS does to serve our nation.

22 April

Earth Day and Environmental Justice

Happy Earth Day! The theme this year is "Restore our Earth.” One of the ways we can “Restore our Earth” for all its inhabitants is by prioritizing environmental justice. Environmental justice is also a critical part of our response to climate change and a major priority for this administration and for NOAA. I shared my thoughts on Earth Day and on our environmental justice initiatives in this new video message.

25 March

National Surveyors Week

It is hard to overstate the larger-than-life presence NGS has in the surveying profession. Early in my career, I learned the many benefits to be gained by tying my surveys to the NGS National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). Here I want to focus on two related aspects of the NSRS that impacted my work as a surveyor and are undergoing changes today: the State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) and the foot (not the body part, but the unit of measure).

11 February

The Science We Need for the Ocean We Want

The health of our world ocean is in danger. A changing climate, increasing world population, and a variety of environmental stressors threaten to further harm the ocean that we love. But there is hope. The United Nations (U.N.) has proclaimed a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, to be held from 2021 to 2030. The effort aims to improve ocean health while creating better conditions for the sustainable development of our ocean and coasts throughout the world.

07 January

2021 Annual Report Released, Digital Coast Act

This week, we celebrate the outstanding accomplishments across NOS in the newly released Fiscal Year 2020 Year in Review. Also of note, on December 18, 2020, the Digital Coast Act was enacted after being signed by the President, which is a cause for celebration throughout NOS.