At the request of the French government, scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) trained members of the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) on how to incorporate the domoic acid detection kit developed by NCCOS into the France’s national shellfish monitoring system. Domoic acid (DA) is a potent [...]
Scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and collaborators from the state of California are, for the first time, analyzing mussels collected from 80 sites state-wide for “contaminants of emerging concern.” Foremost among these contaminants are a group of chemicals known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Used as a flame retardant in [...]
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)-sponsored scientists and other stakeholders with an interest in the ecological health of the South Florida coast have been awarded $493,000 from the NCCOS Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR) as part of an anticipated three year, $1.47 million Cooperative Agreement. The coastal marine ecosystems of South Florida [...]
The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science supported U.S. graduate students and state resource managers participation at the Fifth Symposium on Harmful Algae in the United States in Ocean Shores, Washington on November 15 – 19, 2009. This bi-annual meeting provides a forum for scientific exchange and technical communication on all aspects of HAB research [...]
Scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science recently developed a new semi-automated approach to mapping seafloor habitats. This technique uses edge-detection algorithms to delineate visually distinct features in acoustic imagery and classification and regression trees to partition these distinct objects into classes. This new semi-automated approach will increase the repeatability and efficiency with which maps [...]
Coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. Caribbean are under increasing pressure from environmental and anthropogenic stressors. Mitigating these threats requires that resource managers understand the distribution of coral reefs, making benthic habitat mapping an integral part of ecosystem-based approaches to management. Scientists from NCCOS, in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service, recently created habitat [...]
Researchers from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science recently published a study on the utility of combining airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) bathymetry and in situ biological data for predicting fish and coral distributions across coral reef ecosystems off southwestern Puerto Rico. This study demonstrates the utility of LiDAR-derived bathymetry and spatial predictive modeling as [...]
Scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service, recently created habitat maps for the Virgin Islands National Park and the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands to assist resource managers. Thirty-two distinct habitat types within 12 zones were mapped using [...]