What's New: August 2012

Underwater Noise Decreases Whale Communications in Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary

According to a NOAA-led paper published in the journal Conservation Biology, high levels of background noise, mainly due to ships, have reduced the ability of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales to communicate with each other by about two-thirds. More...

photo of researchers on small boat in Tortugas Ecological Reserve

Florida Keys Research Expedition Points to Success of Tortugas Ecological Reserve

Scientists from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and partner agencies recently completed a nine-day research expedition between Key West and the Dry Tortugas aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. During the research cruise, researchers mapped more than 266 miles of sea floor with multibeam sonar and recorded fish spawning behavior in the sanctuary's Tortugas Ecological Reserve. More...

Two surveyors taking measurements on the National Mall at the Washington Monument

NOAA Finds No Vertical Movement to Washington Monument Due to 2011 Earthquake

A survey conducted earlier this year by NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) indicates that an August, 2011, earthquake in the region had no discernible impact on the settlement of the Washington Monument. NGS found that the rate of settlement for the Washington Monument, based on multiple measurements taken since 1901, is 0.02 inches per year. This indicates that the monument has settled approximately 2.2 inches since 1901. More...

NOAA Names Glang Nation's Hydrographer, Director of Coast Survey

Following his promotion on Aug. 14 from captain to rear admiral, Gerd Glang was named as director of the NOAA Office of Coast Survey and the nation’s chief hydrographer, responsible for mapping and charting of all United States coastal waters. Glang is the 28th leader of the Coast Survey since the first superintendent, Ferdinand Hassler, was appointed in 1816. He is the 12th admiral to serve in the position. More...

Screenshot from the e-learning tool that shows a shoreline on Hilton Head Island, SC. This shoreline was tidally referenced using VDatum.

NOAA 'E-Learning' Demonstrates Shoreline Mapping for Coastal Managers

NOAA’s Coastal Services Center and National Geodetic Survey recently teamed up to develop online training (“e-learning”) for NOAA’s VDatum tool, which translates elevation data between 36 different vertical reference systems. With NOAA’s e-learning modules, coastal managers can learn to create datum-based shorelines using VDatum. More...

image of Continously Operating Reference Station

Positioning & Elevation Data Just Got Better

NOS's National Geodetic Survey recently rolled out several important updates to the National Spatial Reference System, the nationwide network of interconnected survey points used for transportation, mapping, and charting. With these new improvements, users of the spatial reference system now have access to better positioning and elevation data. More...

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