News and Features by Year » 2011
Posted on December 25th, 2011 in Climate Impacts
In Fiscal Year 2011, the National Ocean Service’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) has provided nearly $5.8M sponsoring 14 new research projects under 6 different research programs. Projects were selected through a rigorous, competitive, peer-review process. This cutting-edge research will provide the critical information and predictive capabilities required to manage the Nation’s coastal [...]
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Posted on December 21st, 2011 in Biogeographic Assessment, Coral, Ecosystem Management, Seafloor Mapping
To provide new high resolution data for the nearshore waters of St. Thomas, St. John, and St Croix, USVI, NCCOS scientists partnered with NOAA’s Office of Coastal Survey, Fugro LADS Corporation, and the US Virgin Islands Territorial Government. The new data filled what were previously significant data gaps in coastal waters (0-30 m water depth). NOAA’s Office of Coast [...]
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Posted on December 15th, 2011 in Harmful Algal Blooms, Human Health, News Clips
Forecasting doesn’t eliminate the need for shellfish resource managers to test and monitor toxicity, but it can help them do so more effectively, says WHOI senior scientist Dennis McGillicuddy, a member of the team that developed HAB forecasting methods for the Gulf of Maine. It can also assist local public health departments in their responses [...]
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Posted on December 7th, 2011 in Coastal Pollution, Invasive Species
Echoing the alarm sounded in the early 2000s about increasing numbers of lionfish off the East Coast, NOAA scientists are warning that another species – the Asian tiger shrimp – may be invading our shores. Like any invasive species that finds itself in favorable conditions, tiger shrimp can compete with native species for food and [...]
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Posted on December 1st, 2011 in Harmful Algal Blooms, Human Health, News Clips
The development of inexpensive, handheld devices is expected to provide marine scientists with a way to identify emerging “red tide” hot spots and allow for targeted closures of shellfish harvests focusing only on impacted beds. Earlier this month, scientists at the University of Maine were awarded $201,187 for the first year of an anticipated 3-year [...]
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Posted on November 30th, 2011 in Coastal Pollution, Coral, Human Health, Invasive Species, News Clips
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) are assuring divers and diners that locally caught lionfish are safe to eat, despite recent reports of the toxin that causes ciguatera found in lionfish caught off the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Reports of ciguatoxin off St. Maarten have made international [...]
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Posted on November 29th, 2011 in Ecosystem Management
EXELIS Visual Information Solutions (EXELIS VIS), a visual technology company, published a white paper highlighting research done in partnership with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Case Study: NOAA Maps and Extracts Detailed Information about Sea Floor Habitat Using ENVI Image Analysis software. Through this partnership, EXELIS VIS and NOAA staff have developed advanced mapping techniques to [...]
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Posted on November 23rd, 2011 in Harmful Algal Blooms
Taking advantage of a toxic red tide blooming off of the Florida coast, two NOAA-funded scientists are validating a natural method that neutralizes the algal toxin. Shellfish throughout the Gulf states are susceptible to contamination by red tide algae (Karenia brevis), and commercial operators lose money when their beds are closed for extended periods. Applying [...]
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