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The Arctic: Ocean & Coasts

Explore our curated list of topics to better understand how National Ocean Service programs and activities support the environment, our blue economy, human health, and coastal communities.

The Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum, or GRAV-D, crew with the plane affectionately named Miss Piggy.

Accurate Positioning Data for Alaska and the Arctic

NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) plays a leading role in advancing the modernization of critical geospatial data and mapping products for Alaska, with projects that will have major positive impacts.
A photo of the coast in Alaska

Arctic Disaster Prep and Response

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration experts focus on preventing, preparing for, and responding to oil and chemical spills in the Arctic — and work with partners to restore areas damaged by pollution.
trash removal in Alaska

Marine Debris in Alaska

The NOAA Marine Debris Program works with a variety of partners to research, remove, and prevent debris in this region. The program funds projects in Alaska that have removed hundreds of tons of debris from shorelines.
Imagery showing an area around Homer, Alaska and close to the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Revolutionary Land Cover Data for Alaska

A two-phase effort funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is underway to provide high-resolution land cover data for the nation’s coastal zones. This is particularly important for Alaska, which has never before had widespread high-resolution land cover data available.
A photo of the coast in Alaska

Alaska Tides and Currents

NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) provides local water levels, tide and current predictions, and other oceanographic and meteorological conditions for areas throughout coastal Alaska.
Kasitsna Bay

Kasitsna Bay Laboratory

This lab, part of the Marine Spatial Ecology division at NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), conducts research on coastal impacts of climate change, ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and oil spills.
A map of the area covered by the SeaScape Alaska project

SeaScape Alaska

Working toward a common goal to fully map the U.S. waters off Alaska, the campaign is a collaboration among federal, tribal, state, and non-governmental partners with a wide range of interests and dependencies on mapping data across coastal and ocean waters.
Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Kachemak National Estuarine Research Reserve

Kachemak National Estuarine Research Reserve is located 150 miles south of Anchorage, on the western coast of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. It's the largest reserve in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), and features more than 320 miles of shoreline.
View of the Environmental Data Server (EDS) map

Alaska Nautical Charts

NOAA's Office of Coast Survey provides navigation products and services that ensure safe and efficient maritime commerce on America's oceans and coastal waters. Explore current-year Alaska-based projects to survey areas throughout the Arctic.