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Mapping the Gaps in Our Ocean Knowledge: Seabed 2030

We know less about the ocean floor than we do about the surface of the moon and Mars. But by the end of the decade we may know the general outline of our undersea contours and crevasses, thanks to an international project called Seabed 2030. The mapping initiative, called Seabed 2030, launched in 2017 to produce the definitive map of the world ocean floor by 2030.

This photo shows high tide flooding in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2014.

2022 Sea Level Rise Report: Guide Now Available

Community planners and decision makers now have an application guide to help them plan for the significant sea level rise the United States is expected to see in the next 30 years. The guide is a response to the Interagency Sea Level Rise report, which projected about a foot of higher waters, on average, along U.S. coastlines by 2050. That is as much sea level rise in 30 years as the country witnessed in the previous century.

A container ship enters the shipping channel at Port Miami

Marine Economy Continues to Power American Prosperity

America’s marine economy contributed about $361 billion of the nation’s gross domestic product in 2020. That is according to the most current results of the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account released today by two Department of Commerce agencies, NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. These numbers are from the first year of the coronavirus pandemic and represent a 5.8%, or $23 billion, reduction in real terms (adjusted for inflation) from 2019, outpacing the general economy’s decline of 3.4%.

Aerial view of Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility. (U.S. Navy/Naval Base Kitsap)

Marine Navigation System to Increase Safety, Commerce in Northwest

Mariners can breathe a little easier when sailing in and around Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state. The base is now fitted with a NOAA system that helps ensure safe and efficient marine navigation. The technology is part of a nationwide network called Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System, or PORTS^Ⓡ. Kitsap PORTS is the 37th system in this network of precision marine navigation sensors. The sensors track oceanographic and meteorological conditions as they unfold around Naval Base Kitsap.

An octopus, sea star, bivalves and dozens of cup coral all share the same overhang in an area adjacent to the Hudson Canyon off the coast of New York and New Jersey.

NOAA Begins Process to Potentially Protect Waters Off New York, New Jersey

NOAA is seeking public comment on potentially designating a new national marine sanctuary in Hudson Canyon off the coast of New York and New Jersey. A sanctuary designation would help conserve the area’s rich marine wildlife and habitats, promote sustainable economic activities and create new opportunities for scientific research, ocean education and recreation.

Podcast: Surveying in the Great Lakes

Keeping our marine transportation system moving safely and efficiently through our busy national waterways depends upon hydrography — the science that measures and describes the physical features of bodies of water through a process called surveying. In this episode, hear how and why this work is done from two NOAA experts who talk about ongoing hydrographic survey missions within the Great Lakes.

Summer 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 June and August 2022.

Biden Administration announces historic coastal and climate resilience funding

On June 29, NOAA announced funding opportunities from NOAA's $2.96 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to address the climate crisis and strengthen coastal resilience and infrastructure. Over the next five years, NOAA’s targeted investments in the areas of habitat restoration, coastal resilience, and climate data and services will advance ongoing federal efforts toward building climate resilience. Learn more.

Around the Ocean Service

New Funding Opportunities for Coastal Zone Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves
coastal management
Now Open: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Grant Opportunity for Marine Debris Removal
marine debris
Ocean and Coastal Mapping Matching Fund Opportunity
coast survey
How NOAA's Response and Restoration Office Supports Coastal Resilience
response and restoration
Researchers Develop Drone-based System to Detect Marine Debris, Expedite Clean Up (Video)
coastal ocean science
Updated Relative Sea Level Trends Now Available
tides and currents
Study Finds Pollution Low in American Samoa’s Fagatele Bay (Video)
sanctuaries
Archiving the Ocean Biodiversity Information System
ocean observing
The Remarkable Horseshoe Crab (Video Series)
ocean today

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Sea Urchin Disease Impacts

tides and currents

nautical charts

harmful algal blooms

sea level
rise

hurricane response

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