Maritime Commerce in a Changing Climate

Precision Marine Navigation

Precision marine navigation is the ability of a vessel to safely and efficiently navigate within U.S. waters, operating in close proximity to the seafloor, narrow channels, or other hazards. NOAA’s Precision Marine Navigation Program envisions a one-stop-shop for marine navigation data, integrating forecasts, real-time observations, warnings and advisories, and high-resolution bathymetry. This program, once fully operational, will seamlessly integrate high-resolution bathymetry, high-accuracy positioning, and shoreline data with forecast data of water levels, currents, waves, and weather information. All of this data will be integrated into maritime electronic charting systems and other decision support tools so it is easy to access. As a result, mariners will be better equipped to make critical navigation decisions because the collective value of these datasets is even more powerful when they are integrated. Mariners operating in both U.S. coastal waters and the Great Lakes will use this additional foundational data and real-time observations to optimize their routes and safely maneuver their approach to and within congested ports and harbor areas. For example, by taking advantage of a strong current, a ship can operate well below its maximum speed while traveling just as efficiently. It has been shown that a speed reduction of just 10% may result in a 19% reduction in total average emissions. Accurate water level forecasts and updated high-resolution bathymetry can also reduce the need for lightering and the environmental risk associated with the transfer of toxic materials, decrease the time a vessel is docked, and cut down on port congestion. Real-time observations can help to ensure that a ship avoids a grounding, an accident, or serious weather hazards while in transit.

Coming Soon

• An operational, nationwide Precision Marine Navigation program. The rollout of a one-stop-shop for marine navigation data is a complicated process that will take many years to complete. To date, NOS has released prototype high-resolution bathymetry for the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the harbors of New York and New Jersey, Boston, Charleston, and Savannah, as well as prototype surface currents for navigation systems supported by Operational Forecast Systems.

Physical Oceanographic Real Time System (PORTS®)

NOAA's Physical Oceanographic Real Time System, or PORTS®, is a valuable decision support tool from the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). PORTS improves the safety and efficiency of maritime commerce and coastal resource management, providing mariners with a concentration of real-time oceanographic and meteorological observations in and around busy seaports. This data is critical for decision-making while transiting to and from terminal/pier destinations. PORTS covers seaports with 89% of tonnage (import/exports) and 91% of value of ship-borne international trade. Exponential program growth is driven by ever larger vessels, the oil and gas industry, and national security interests. A concentration of real-time observations from PORTS allows for additional real-time data for mariners, port authorities, and terminal operators operating in a given area. The reliability of PORTS data makes possible improved safety decisions, maritime commerce efficiency, environmental protection/planning assistance, and coastal forecasts — all vital in keeping maritime commerce flowing as seamlessly as possible in and out of seaports in any types of conditions. Most NOAA PORTS provide data for multiple seaport complexes within the same system (for example, multiple seaports benefit from NOAA’s San Francisco Bay PORTS). As new PORTS come online and existing PORTS are improved, NOAA experts are planning and accounting for impacts from sea level rise and increased storm activity. PORTS real-time observations will be a key component of NOAA Precision Marine Navigation service delivery.

Coming Soon

• Additional PORTS. CO-OPS is currently working to expand existing PORTS systems in Jacksonville, Florida; Lower Mississippi River, Louisiana, Mobile Bay, Alabama [a Congressionally-directed Community Funded Project]; Upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland; Lower Columbia River, Oregon; and Port Everglades, Florida. In addition, CO-OPS is working to establish two brand new systems in Pearl Harbor-Honolulu, Hawaii, and Seattle, Washington.

Electronic Navigational Charts (NOAA ENC®) modernization

The Office of Coast Survey is undergoing a multi-year effort to improve its Electronic Navigational Chart suite for the maritime community. Overall, this effort will enhance navigation data available to mariners and improve chart coverage for smaller coastal communities and large ports. It also sets the stage for the transition of ENC data to a revised international specification that is due to be operational by 2026. This modernization process will allow for shorter turnaround times in updating ENCs as new bathymetry, shoreline, and other information becomes available — increasingly essential as climate and extreme weather events alter shorelines and bathymetry. By creating new larger-scale and smaller-footprint products, Coast Survey aims to streamline the application of updates, providing information faster to the maritime community. Smaller footprints for ENCs are also able to better display restricted areas, dangers to navigation, and offshore wind lease areas in much greater detail, which will enhance the safe operation of vessels.

Coming Soon

• 7,200 new and revised Electronic Navigational Charts. Coast Survey is working to vastly improve nationwide coverage by creating 7,200 new ENCs, which involves recompiling bathymetric and shoreline data where applicable. Many of the new ENCs will be more detailed and larger in scale.

Annual and monthly high tide flooding outlooks

In 2023, CO-OPS launched new and improved high tide flooding outlooks. These outlooks provide coastal communities and seaports around the nation with the information they need to prepare over the short- and long-term for potential flooding and impacts to their infrastructure. As relative sea levels rise, high tide flooding is occurring more frequently — even on sunny days. High tide flooding creates short-term impacts like road and business closures, as well as overflowing storm drains. Over the long term, recurrent high tide flooding causes more severe impacts, like damage to below-ground infrastructure and degraded wetlands. For our nation's maritime industries and communities, high tide flooding can inundate seaports and recurrent flooding events could compromise the longevity of port infrastructure. CO-OPS is now working to get the word out to key stakeholders who may not be aware of NOAA's new monthly and annual reports. A key area of outreach is to seaports — ideally ones with NOAA PORTS or in locations experiencing or predicted to experience frequent coastal flooding. For these places, CO-OPS experts are targetting communications to share how these ports can use this information for both short- and long-term coastal inundation planning. Additionally, CO-OPS is expanding efforts to communicate climate impacts to seaports and maritime communities through existing and planned high tide flooding communications messaging and products. Ports also rely on other transportation networks (roads and rail) to transport cargo that are similarly vulnerable to high tide flooding impacts. Understanding the risks to these other transportation networks is an important part of ensuring a port’s resilience.

Coming Soon

• Improving spatial coverage for high tide flooding data and products. CO-OPS provides water level observations, tide predictions, and other data products via a national network of coastal tide gauges called the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON). However, communities that exist in between these tide gauges do not have access to the same oceanographic information for their specific location. NOAA experts are now reanalyzing 40 years of water level observations through hydrodynamic modeling to deliver historical water level information between our tide gauges. Through this project, CO-OPS will be able to simulate water level observations at more locations along the coast, delivering enhanced historical information to more equitably serve stakeholders and communities across the nation regardless of their proximity to a NOAA tide gauge. The Atlantic and Gulf Coast reanalysis are currently underway, with the Pacific region following next. The next step in this research will be to use Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to prototype an outlook for high tide flooding information every 500 meters along the coast. This will demonstrate how NOAA could use the reanalysis to provide not just historical water level information but also provide projections into the future, helping communities better prepare for short- and long-term flooding risks and potential climate change impacts. Infrastructure in seaports is particularly at risk due to coastal flooding. The results of this research will help the maritime community to better assess that risk once the models are complete and the data is incorporated into existing NOAA products.

• Improving the National Water Level Observation Network. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has offered CO-OPS an opportunity to recapitalize critical parts of the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON), expand modeling coverage and skill assessment capabilities, and create new seasonal to annual coastal flood risk prediction capabilities. Some examples of what CO-OPS has done with this funding include rebuilding both the Charleston, South Carolina and Beaufort, North Carolina, NWLON stations along with collocating high resolution live webcams at both stations for a smarter 'real-time' NWLON; installing Microwave Water Level sensor technology at 15 NWLON stations; and developing a Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook in a nine-month sprint (released in August 2023). In FY24, CO-OPS expects to support the following additional activities: rebuild failing infrastructure at two NWLON stations; install Microwave Water Level Sensors at nine additional CO-OPS stations; work jointly with the Office of Coast Survey and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System to begin the development of a secure, shared cyberinfrastructure that supports the quality control of observations for data assimilation in coastal models; support hydrodynamic modeling development led by partners at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory on the new Lake Ontario forecast system that can be coupled with the National Water Model; continue to accelerate the 2002-2020 National Tidal Datum Epoch update to ensure nationally consistent tidal datums and to maintain accuracy of sea level trends; and working to prototype and test methods for producing Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlooks at more locations along the coast — beginning with pilot regions in the Atlantic.

Hydrographic survey and data collection

The Office of Coast Survey acquires and processes the nation's bathymetry and is the authoritative source for all offshore depth data within the 3.6 million square nautical mile area extending from the coastline out to the limits of the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone. Hydrographic survey projects are planned and executed each survey season within Coast Survey for NOAA ships, hydrographic survey contractors, and Coast Survey's own navigation response teams. These surveys provide high-quality bathymetric data that serves many uses beyond nautical charting. The areas planned for each survey are carefully selected based on analytical tools and feedback from local maritime communities and serve to increase safety and efficiency in U.S. waters. Additionally, the National Bathymetric Source (NBS) program provides critical bathymetric data for new NOS operational numerical oceanographic forecast modeling systems. These real-time modeling systems provide short-term forecast guidance of water levels, currents, water temperature, and salinity to mariners. Within Coast Survey, NBS modeling products are used in operational storm surge and tide forecast modeling systems, such as the Global Surge and Tide Operational Forecast System 2-D and Three-Dimensional Component for the Atlantic Basin for the U.S. East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Puerto Rico. These forecast systems are used by local port operators to adjust port operations as necessary during major water events and plan for long-term adjustments for sustainable port operations.

Coming Soon

• Surveying glacial fjords in Southeast Alaska. Coast Survey is coordinating on several requests to survey glacial fjords in southeast Alaska due to rapid glacial retreat. This is an ongoing issue which is revisited annually. To date, surveys include Columbia Glacier, College Fjord, Glacier Bay, Alaska.

• Improving hydrodynamic modeling with coast survey data. In 2023, the Office of Coast Survey supported several surveys using navigation response teams, NOAA survey vessels, and contract hydrographic survey efforts in the rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Once the data is processed and validated, these surveys will be used to update NOS charts and products, while also providing forecasters at NOAA’s National Water Center with bathymetric data for critical hydrodynamic modeling necessary to understand timing and impact of rapid river stage increases and decreases, the duration of high water, inundation, or drought. To support the National Water Center, NOAA’s Coast Survey Development Lab established a cloud-based community development platform and developed a next generation real-time, probabilistic storm surge forecast for areas prone to flooding and inundation.