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The NOAA Ocean Podcast

Connect with ocean experts and explore topics from corals to coastal science with our audio podcast.


Listen to episodes of the new NOAA Ocean podcast here—and subscribe to us in your favorite podcatcher so you never miss an episode. Just search for "NOAA Ocean."

The rusty remnants of a Totten Beacon located near American Shoal lighthouse. Photo credit: M. Lawrence.
The Florida Keys: Dive into History

In this episode, we're heading to the Florida Keys, the only place in the continental United States with shallow water coral reefs. We're joined by Brenda Altmeier, maritime heritage coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, to tell us the story of the Florida Keys through maritime history.

Parrotfish contribute to the development of sand by grinding the calcium carbonate of coral reefs as they graze on algae and dead coral, excreting the inedible material as sand.
Digging into the Science of Sand

In this podcast, we dig into the science behind sand: how it’s formed, the benefits it provides ecosystems, and the protection it offers coastal communities. Dr. Matt Kendall, a marine biologist with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, joins us.

A rip current using a harmless green dye.
Rip Currents: Preparedness and Prevention

Rip currents pose a threat to those that spend time in the ocean or Great Lakes. In this episode, Dr. Gregory Dusek, senior scientist with NOAA’s National Ocean Service, talks with us about rip currents, NOAA’s national rip current forecast model, and ways to protect yourself and others from this public safety risk.

Gliders can collect data about a wide variety of conditions, including water temperature, pressure, and salinity.
Gliders: Versatile Vehicles for Underwater Observation

Gliders are autonomous, uncrewed, underwater vehicles that collect data — providing scientists with a more complete picture of what is happening in the ocean and the Great Lakes. In this episode, we dive deep with Kathleen Bailey, glider program manager with NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, to learn more about these versatile vehicles.

scientists collect a sediment core in a salt marsh on Deal Island.
USACE: Foundational Research on Rebalancing with Blue Carbon

In this episode, we present a podcast from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers called Engineering With Nature®. The show features a panel of experts discussing their research on how blue carbon is helping to address climate change.

All Episodes

Looking for a recent podcast? Start here.

  1. The Florida Keys: Dive into History
    07 Septembe
  2. Digging into the Science of Sand
    31 July 202
  3. Rip Currents: Preparedness and Prevention
    28 June 202
  4. Gliders: Versatile Vehicles for Underwater Observation
    31 May 2023
  5. USACE: Foundational Research on Rebalancing with Blue Carbon
    27 Apr 2023
  6. Seagrass: Ecosystem Services Provider
    30 Mar 2023
  7. Perspectives on Coastal Decision Making
    23 Jan 2023
  8. Making Coastal Decisions
    15 Dec 2022
  9. Equity and Justice in Coastal Planning
    17 Nov 2022
  10. Recording Oral Histories
    27 Oct 2022
  11. Capturing Snapshots of the U.S. Population
    20 Sep 2022
  12. Understanding Disease Impacts to Long-Spined Sea Urchins
    28 July 202
  13. Surveying in the Great Lakes
    26 May 2022
  14. Engineering with Nature: USACE, NOAA, and the Value of Partnership
    31 Mar 2022
  15. Water Level Stations and their Role in Tsunami Detection
    31 Mar 2022
  16. Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve: A Living Laboratory
    24 Feb 2022
  17. 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report
    15 Feb 2022
  18. The Future Ocean Podcast
    16 Dec 2021
  19. Restoration: Replacing What Was Lost
    09 Nov 2021
  20. Marine Protected Areas: Conserving America’s Ocean and Coasts
    02 Sep 2021
  21. Connecting the Dots with Modeling (Part Two)
    20 May 2021
  22. Connecting the Dots with Modeling (Part One)
    20 May 2021
  23. NOAA Custom Chart Tool
    15 Apr 2021
  24. A Laser is Worth a Thousand Words
    25 Mar 2021
  25. Explore Your Ocean with NOAA Ocean Today
    04 Mar 2021
  26. Shipwrecks, Science, and Stewardship at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
    14 Jan 2021
  27. Protecting Culebra's Coral Reefs
    08 Dec 2020
  28. Precision Marine Navigation
    29 Oct 2020
  29. The Microplastic-Mussel Connection: Part Two
    30 Sep 2020
  30. The Microplastic-Mussel Connection: Part One
    30 Sep 2020
  31. From Diving to Data: Close-up with Coral Research
    27 Aug 2020
  32. Breaking Down Barriers: Natural Infrastructure
    30 Jul 2020
  33. Turning the Tide: D-Day from an Oceanographer's Perspective
    24 Jun 2020
  34. Marine Life Counts: The U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network
    28 May 2020
  35. Education Resources
    24 Apr 2020
  36. Understanding Gravity
    19 Mar 2020
  37. Bringing Wetlands to Market
    20 Feb 2020
  38. The Nurdle Patrol: Citizen Scientists Fight Pollution, One Pellet at a Time
    23 Jan 2020
  39. After a Hurricane Hits: NOAA’s Emergency Response Aerial Imagery
    17 Dec 2019
  40. The Nautical Origins of 10 Popular Phrases
    23 Oct 2019
  41. NOAA's Disaster Preparedness Program
    07 Aug 2019
  42. Meteotsunamis: State of the Science
    11 Jul 2019
  43. Ocean Gliders: How NOAA uses autonomous technology to help predict hurricane intensity
    30 May 2019
  44. Navigating the Sea is Safer, More Efficient With Digital Charts
    25 Apr 2019
  45. Making it Count
    21 Mar 2019
  46. Lionfish Invasion
    28 Feb 2019
  47. Fa’a Samoa: The Samoan Way (Part Two)
    04 Dec 2018
  48. Fa’a Samoa: The Samoan Way (Part One)
    04 Dec 2018
  49. All About HABS: Uncovering the Mystery of Harmful Algal Blooms
    14 Nov 2018
  50. Remote Control
    24 Oct 2018
  51. Ocean Noise
    29 Aug 2018
  52. Breaking Down Barriers: Natural Infrastructure
    28 Jun 2018
  53. National Ocean Service's Role in Hurricane Prep, Response, and Recovery
    24 May 2018
  54. Motion in the Ocean: Tides and Currents
    26 Apr 2018
  55. Garbage Patches: How Gyres Take Our Trash Out to Sea
    22 Mar 2018
  56. Dealing with Dead Zones: Hypoxia in the Ocean
    22 Feb 2018
  57. Geodesy: The Invisible Backbone of Navigation
    18 Jan 2018
  58. Marine Debris in Alaska
    16 Nov 2017
  59. Reef Resilience
    23 Aug 2017
  60. Ocean Current Surveys 101
    27 Jul 2017
  61. Historical Maps and Charts
    21 Jul 2017
  62. Celebrating 100 Years of NOAA Corps
    25 May 2017
  63. Marine Animal Telemetry
    11 May 2017
  64. Restoration at Industrial Waste Sites
    04 May 2017
  65. Volunteering with our National Marine Sanctuaries
    17 Apr 2017
  66. GPS on Bench Marks
    23 Mar 2017
  67. Picking the Right Spot: Offshore Wind Energy
    01 Mar 2017
  68. Marine Life Counts: The U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network
    19 Jan 2017
  69. Listen up: What you need to know about ocean noise.
    08 Dec 2016
  70. Bringing Wetlands to Market: the Power of Blue Carbon in a Changing Climate
    04 Aug 2016
  71. Connecting the Dots Between Corals and Humans
    24 Mar 2016
  72. Alaska: Marine Debris in the Wilderness
    28 Jan 2016
  73. Vertical Mapping and Atomic Clocks
    24 Sep 2015
  74. Exploring the Unknown in the Caribbean
    01 Apr 2015
  75. Shipwreck Detectives in California
    15 Jan 2015
  76. Arctic Shield
    01 Oct 2014
  77. Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    26 Jun 2014
  78. Coastal Blue Carbon
    08 May 2014
  79. The Exxon Valdez, 25 Years Later
    21 Mar 2014
  80. Connecting the Dots: Corals and Humans
    15 Sep 2016
  81. Ocean Economy
    18 Aug 2016
  82. Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting
    05 May 2016
  83. Remembering the Titanic
    15 Apr 2016
  84. Shipwreck Detective
    17 Feb 2016
  85. How Invasive Species Are Introduced
    21 Jan 2016
  86. Marine Debris Movement
    24 Nov 2015
  87. A Healthy Eelgrass Meadow is Restored
    29 Oct 2015
  88. Coral Bleaching
    17 Sep 2015
  89. Hypoxia
    18 Jun 2015
  90. NOAA PORTS
    14 May 2015
  91. Tsunamis
    26 Mar 2015
  92. Four Corners
    19 Mar 2015
  93. Coastal Blue Carbon
    12 Feb 2015
  94. Invasive Lionfish
    06 Feb 2014
  95. Restoring Natural Resources
    16 Jan 2014
  96. Reef Resilience
    22 Sep 2016
  97. Microplastics
    30 Jun 2016
  98. Living Shorelines
    07 Apr 2016
  99. Exploring Hawaii's Coral Reefs
    03 Dec 2015
  100. Nuisance Flooding
    22 Oct 2015
  101. Hurricane Katrina: 10 Years Later
    27 Aug 2015
  102. Ocean Economy
    25 Jun 2015
  103. GPS on Bench Marks
    16 Apr 2015
  104. Invasive Species
    26 Feb 2015
  105. Coral Bleaching
    01 Dec 2014
  106. Tides and Currents
    18 Mar 2014
  107. The Intracoastal Waterway
    20 Feb 2014
  108. Planning Ocean Uses
    30 Jan 2014
NOAA Ocean podcast icon

From corals to coastal science, connect with ocean experts to explore questions about the ocean environment.

We also offer episode archives and transcripts for Making Waves and Diving Deeper, two podcasts which preceded the NOAA Ocean Podcast:

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