NOAA is using sophisticated satellite imagery as its “eyes in the sky” to advise Gulf of Mexico officials of the approach of harmful “red tide” blooms. With advance notice, officials are better able to take the necessary steps to protect human health, and mobilize for the coming cleanup effort. At the root of the Gulf [...]
Marine scientists are making great headway in understanding fish survival by studying small bones called “otoliths” in most fish Small bony structures ranging in size from micrometers to centimeters (roughly from one-tenth of an inch to one inch long), otoliths are found in the heads of all bony fishes. Housed in three separate fluid-filled chambers [...]
Harmful algal blooms have been recognized for producing toxins since earliest recorded time “…and the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that were in the river died; and the river stank and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river…” However, confirmation of marine biotoxins has [...]
Local divers off the coast of North Carolina were not expecting to see what they found on that August day in 2002: exotic and beautiful lionfish, common to the warm waters of the western Pacific but non-native and unknown off the Carolina coast. A year later, scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science [...]
Researchers from the NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science have found that littleneck clams, an important commercial and recreational fishery in Alaska, rely heavily on microscopic algae growing on tidal flats for growth rather than phytoplankton in the water column. This finding could potentially affect shellfish aquaculture operations. It also could help scientists predict the [...]
Scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science laboratory in Charleston, S.C. have developed new-in-the field technology for blood collection that can identify the presence of toxins in living animals and better predict the impact of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events. The group published their findings in the October issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, [...]
The National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science (NCCOS) “ART” program has been working out of the Charleston, S.C., based NOAA Marine Biotoxins Program for more than a decade. The ART team, under the supervision of John Ramsdell, uses highly sophisticated instruments and techniques to provide timely analytical support on unusual mortality events and human [...]
Scientists are trying to determine if the largest ecological restoration project ever attempted – now underway in Florida’s Everglades, the largest remaining subtropical wilderness area in the U.S. – will lead to increased human exposures to toxic mercury concentrations from seafood in Florida Bay. Researchers from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science laboratory in Beaufort, [...]