Since 2000, the National Ocean Service and its partners have mapped more than 3 million acres (12,100 km2) of shallow-water (0-30 meters) coral reef habitats spanning the Pacific, Atlantic and Caribbean. The results of this body of work are summarized in a new report released by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), National Summary [...]
NOAA researchers recently published An Integrated Biogeographic Assessment of Reef Fish Populations and Fisheries in Dry Tortugas: Effects of No-take Reserves, an analysis of both biological and socioeconomic changes resulting from the remote Florida marine reserve during its first five years. The report indicates that there seemed to be an early increase in certain fish species within [...]
Staff from the Connecticut Congressional delegation requested a visit from NOAA researchers from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) to discuss recent seafloor mapping efforts and how they can be used in marine spatial planning, as well as general resource management, in Long Island Sound. They provided the delegation with details about NCCOS’s [...]
In October, NOAA scientists and partners collected seafloor photos and videos from over 355 locations around the St. Thomas East End Reserve, and in the Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. These new data will support management practices such as permitting, restoration, fisheries, climate change and scientific research; the depth [...]
The foggy wave-torn coast of northern California may not seem like a haven for coral at first glance, but NOAA researchers say they’ve recently discovered a treasure trove of new deep sea habitats in the Gulf of Farallones Sanctuary, not far from San Francisco. The area is a melting pot for deep sea corals, sponges, [...]
Looking for a little deep sea adventure? Today’s Diving Deeper Shorts podcast explores how scientists map the sea floor and what a day is like on a research mission. Join us as we revisit our episode with Tim Battista from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. via NOAA’s National Ocean Service: September 2012 Podcast [...]
A new mapping tool has given scientists a first glimpse of an area of the seafloor just west of the San Francisco Bay and, thanks to a new animation, ordinary people can take a ride over the newfound and dramatic topography. The newly mapped ocean floor lies within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine [...]
On May 7-18, scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and Southeast Fisheries Science Center led a multiagency field mission to conduct the most comprehensive visual fishery-independent characterization of fish and benthic communities around the island of St. Croix USVI to date. The mission was funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and [...]