Ecosystem Science
Integrated Ecosystem Assessments
Healthy and resilient coastal and marine ecosystems that provide services and resources to our Nation are under increasing stress from competing economic, energy, recreational, and cultural uses.
Habitat Science
Habitat science is the study of relationships among species and their environment. Habitat science and assessments provide essential scientific advice to resource managers on the current status and future trends of marine habitats utilized by living marine resources.
Large Marine Ecosystems
In cooperation with the University of Rhode Island, NOAA developed the Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) concept over 30 years ago as model to implement ecosystem approaches to assessing, managing, recovering, and sustaining LME resources and environments.
Fisheries and the Environment (FATE)
Fisheries and the Environment (FATE) is a research program that advances the understanding of environmental impacts on living marine resources and utilizes this information to improve stock assessments, to improve ecosystem assessments, and to advance ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management.
Ocean Acidification
The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which results in seawater becoming more acidic (lower pH).
Plankton Data & Visualization
The Coastal & Oceanic Plankton Ecology, Production, & Observation Database (COPEPOD) is a global database of zooplankton and phytoplankton abundance, biomass, and composition data offered in raw, compilation, and gridded product forms.
To improve living marine resource management, NOAA Fisheries is developing the scientific tools required to implement ecosystem based management and ecosystem based fisheries management. These integrated approaches to management account for the impact of the physical and chemical environment on biological communities and their habitats, the biological interactions between species, and anthropogenic impacts. The Office of Science and Technology develops and coordinates research programs to advance the incorporation of ecosystem information into living marine resource management. Major activities include: