News Highlights

There's a lot going on at NOAA's National Ocean Service.

two images of bilby towers, one showing two peoplE sitting on one high up in the air
What is a Bilby tower?

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and its predecessor organizations have been using geodesy to map the U.S. shoreline, determine land boundaries, and improve transportation and navigation safety for over two centuries. While satellite technology is used today, surveying used to be a much more difficult earthbound endeavor.

geodesy
coastal flooding in South Carolina
Spring High Tide Bulletin

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.

tides and currents
Researchers found that this marsh is 'unhappy' even though it appears to be vibrant and healthy. Persistent marshes all share common traits.
Happy and Unhappy Marshes

Researchers recently published a study that examines the secret to marsh happiness: “happy” marshes share similar characteristics, whereas “unhappy” marshes deteriorate in diverse ways. By understanding how marshes can deteriorate so differently, coastal managers can make wiser conservation decisions.

#EstuaryLove
a collage of small images showing scenes of NOS activities during fiscal year 2019
Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Report

From the designation of a new national marine sanctuary to new agreements to restore natural resources damaged from pollution to the collection of emergency response aerial imagery, 2019 was a busy year. Read about our accomplishments from last year in our annual report.

news
Imagery of the Western Lake Erie harmful algal bloom from September 26, 2017. The scum shown here near downtown Toledo stretched all the way to Lake Ontario. This photo is from Landsat-8 (a NASA/USGS satellite).
Can we clean up, stop, or end harmful algal blooms?

Many people ask, “Why not just clean up the algae?” Unfortunately, the answer is not so simple. However, there are ways to lessen the effects of these events.

ocean fact

The Top 40

Looking for a recent story? Here are our latest 40 posts.

  1. What is a bilby tower?
    30 Mar 2020
  2. Spring High Tide Bulletin
    2 Mar 2020
  3. Exploring the Secrets of Marsh Happiness
    18 Feb 2020
  4. National Ocean Service Annual Report
    8 Jan 2020
  5. Winter High Tide Bulletin
    5 Dec 2019
  6. Corals Week 2019
    2 Dec 2019
  7. Native American Heritage Month
    5 Nov 2019
  8. Tracking Marine Animals Worldwide (on the World Wide Web!)
    28 Oct 2019
  9. A Tale of Two Feet
    7 Oct 2019
  10. NOAA 2020 Tide Tables are Available
    3 Oct 2019
  11. National Estuaries Week Gets Active
    12 Sep 2019
  12. Harmful Algal Blooms: Regional Information
    12 Sep 2019
  13. Fall 2019 High Tide Bulletin
    9 Sep 2019
  14. Hurricane Dorian Damage Assessment Imagery
    9 Sep 2019
  15. NOAA Responds to Ongoing Outbreak of Coral Disease in Florida
    18 Jul 2019
  16. Assessing Barry's Damage to Coastal Communities from the Air
    17 Jul 2019
  17. NOAA report: Growth in U.S. Ocean Economic Sectors Continues to Outpace Overall Economy
    18 Jun 2019
  18. Summer 2019 High Tide Bulletin
    18 Jun 2019
  19. A Boatload of Nautical Products
    20 May 2019
  20. Skincare Chemicals and Coral Reefs
    13 May 2019
  21. Ocean Tourism and Recreation
    10 May 2019
  22. NOAA Science Helps Restore Coastal Places
    17 Apr 2019
  23. Citizen Science
    11 Apr 2019
  24. Protecting Our Ocean — and Our Bottom Line
    25 Mar 2019
  25. Reaching New Heights
    20 Mar 2019
  26. Making Waves: Notable Women in Ocean Science
    13 Mar 2019
  27. NOAA's Role in Dealing with Oil and Chemical Spills
    12 Mar 2019
  28. Spring 2019 High Tide Bulletin
    6 Mar 2019
  29. NOS Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report
    7 Feb 2019
  30. Winter High Tide Bulletin
    6 Dec 2018
  31. Corals Week 2018
    3 Dec 2018
  32. How do we make nautical charts?
    26 Nov 2018
  33. 2018 Pacific Expeditions: Corals and Clean-Up
    14 Nov 2018
  34. NOAA 2019 Tide Tables are Available
    8 Nov 2018
  35. Nature’s Power to Heal and Teach
    7 Nov 2018
  36. Top Five: Weird Ocean Phenomena
    24 Oct 2018
  37. NOAA Expands Coastal Opportunities for People with Disabilities
    15 Oct 2018
  38. Hurricane Michael: NOAA Damage Assessment Aerial Imagery
    12 Oct 2018
  39. A Guide to Plastic in the Ocean
    20 Sep 2018
  40. Hurricane Florence: NOAA Damage Assessment Aerial Imagery
    18 Sep 2018
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