National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce

NOAA's National Ocean Service

Ocean Acidification: Take ONE MINUTE out of your day to watch our new video about this global problem.

Within the Earth's ocean and atmosphere, Rossby waves form as a result of the rotation of the planet.

OCEAN LIFE

Get to know brain corals, a slow-growing species which often forms the foundations for reefs.

OCEAN LIFE

animation of tsunami striking a shoreline

New Ocean Today "Full Moon" video collection: Tsunami Survival Guide.

OCEAN TODAY

Annapolis, Maryland, pictured here in 2012, saw the greatest increase in nuisance flooding in a recent NOAA study. (Credit: With permission from Amy McGovern.)

SUMMER 2017
National High Tide Outlook

The rising and falling of the sea is a phenomenon upon which we can always depend. Tides are the regular rise and fall of the sea surface caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun and their position relative to the earth. There are some factors that cause the tides to be higher than what is "normally" seen from day to day. This bulletin tells you when you may experience higher than normal high tides for the period of time between June and August 2017.

EARTH IS BLUE
New Online Magazine

Experience the beauty of your national marine sanctuaries with an awesome new online magazine. Sanctuaries are our nation's underwater parks. They're protected for good reason: in this online magazine, you'll find some of the best views and the most amazing wildlife in the country. These treasures make national marine sanctuaries some of the best places to have the adventure of a lifetime. Within their boundaries, you can surf, kayak, fish, dive, whale watch, and more.

The St. Johns Bridge spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Image credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

NEW RESTORATION PLAN
Portland Harbor

NOAA recently announced a plan to restore natural resources in the Portland Harbor Superfund site, an 11-mile stretch of the Willamette River with several areas of contaminated sediments from more than 100 years of industrial and urban uses. The river has been a hub of the Oregon city’s maritime commerce since the 1900s, and is still at the center of Portland’s commercial and recreational activities. Pollution from industrial and urban uses prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to declare it a Superfund site in 2000.

Florida coast screenshot from nowCOAST app online

COASTAL CONDITIONS
NOAA's nowCOAST™

Did you know that national coastal conditions are available online with nowCOAST? NOAA's nowCOAST is a GIS-based webmap service that provides frequently updated ocean observations along with coastal and marine weather forecasts 24 hours a day. The free online map offers point-and-click access to 60 NOAA data products and services all in one place. With nowCOAST, you can get a one-stop-shop look at coastal conditions — real-time and forecast — before you do or plan anything on the water.