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Home | Pollutants in the Environment | Marine Debris

Marine debris is any man-made object discarded, disposed of, or abandoned that enters the coastal or marine environment. It may enter directly from a ship, or indirectly when washed out to sea via rivers, streams and storm drains.

Marine debris threatens oceans and coasts; marine mammals, fish, and seabirds; human health and safety; and navigation.

Featured:

Web Portals

Field Tools Team: Equipping On-scene Responders and Improving Situational Awareness The Emergency Response Division’s Field Tool Team works to advance ORR on-scene response capabilities through the development of tools for data collection, synthesis, management, and sharing.

First Lady Comments on Marine Debris On Monday, September 10th The Wall Street Journal published an editorial about marine debris written by Laura Bush.

OR&R Budget Overview For the past four years, OR&R's annual appropriation has been 30 percent less than the President's budget request. These budget cuts continue to affect OR&R's ability to execute its core mission responsibilities.

Web Portals to sites about Marine Debris Pages on our site that provide information about and access to Web sites of closely-related agencies and programs.

NOAA's Marine Debris Program
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is undertaking a national and international effort focusing on identifying, removing, reducing, and preventing debris in the marine environment.

GHOSTNET 2005: High Seas Debris Detection and Tracking in the North Pacific
A program that uses satellite data to locate and map marine debris in the open ocean. The data gathered will be made available to aid in the removal or destruction of lost and discarded high seas driftnets (ghostnets).

Marine Debris Abatement
Sources of debris in our oceans, its hazards, and what is being done about it. Provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Marine Debris in Canada
Information and notices regarding marine debris in Canada.

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Current News: Pollutants in the Environment

Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet Assessment Project Learn about NOAA's special Suisun Bay project investigating potential impacts from the mothball, Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay, CA. (updated: July 28, 2009)

Arctic Activities It is estimated that by 2020-2030 the Arctic Ocean will be free of multi-year ice in the summer, increasing opportunities for maritime transportation, tourism, oil and gas exploration. Along with this comes a greater possibility of spills and damage to the environment. (updated: July 13, 2009)

Of Special Note: Pollutants in the Environment

About the Watershed Database and Mapping Projects NOAA's Assessment and Restoration Division has developed numerous Watershed Database and Mapping Projects that combine a standard database structure, a database application (Query Manager), and GIS data.

Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) Maps ESI maps help oil spill responders and planners to identify vulnerable coastal locations, establish protection priorities, and identify cleanup strategies.

NOAA Restoration Portal Web Site Provides centralized access to information about NOAA restoration resources, including restoration techniques and NOAA restoration references, through a single point-of-entry.

OR&R Efforts in Vieques, Puerto Rico Vieques is a small island east of mainland Puerto Rico that was formerly used by the U.S. Navy for military training operations. The Navy ceased operations in 2003, and is now investigating areas it previously occupied to determine the extent of contamination.

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