The third and longest global coral bleaching event on record started in 2014 and continues to damage reefs around the globe. While it's true coral reef ecosystems have been knocked down, they have certainly not been knocked out. It is not too late to conserve coral reef ecosystems.
This week, NOAA rolled out the final version Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap. This effort, co-led by NMFS and NOS, is significant because it marks NOAA's first presentation of a more holistic approach to the management of ocean noise impacts on our trust resources.
One hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law an act creating the U.S. National Park Service. From Yellowstone and Yosemite to the Grand Canyon and the Everglades, our national parks are magnificent places where we gather with our family, friends and neighbors to experience our nation's most stunning land- and seascapes and create memories that we'll never forget. While many of us are familiar with the national treasures managed by the National Park Service, you might not know another vast system of parks exists. Only, they're underwater.
Every day, we are working to promote resilience in our coastal communities. However, defining and measuring the capacity of a community to be resilient is a challenge. A recent effort by the Office for Coastal Management, working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is helping with this challenge.
See how NOS delivered flood projection maps, digital elevation models, and realistic visualizations to Charleston, South Carolina, planners and engineers to show how local streets, landmarks, and infrastructure would be affected if sea level were to rise an additional one to three feet.
Did you know that we are in the midst of a 15-year effort to improve height accuracy for the nation? It's called GRAV-D—and this project recently passed a major milestone.
NOAA and 12 other federal agencies are working to improve research and communications about the risks of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, twin threats to our nation's waters.
Five years ago, Japan was hit with one of the worst natural disasters in its history. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake, and tsunami that followed, claimed nearly 16,000 lives, injured 6,000 more, and damaged or destroyed countless structures and property.
Earlier this month, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request. The request for the National Ocean Service is just under $570 million. This request will allow NOAA to make investments to increase the resilience of the nation's coastal communities to extreme weather events, coastal inundation, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions.
I'd like to take a moment to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments across our programs in FY 2015. More than 40 outstanding examples of our success appear in the newly released Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report. View highlights from the year by priority or by program office.
National Ocean Service Assistant Administrator Dr. Russell Callender.
National Ocean Service | NOAA | Department of Commerce
Revised: November 29, 2016 | You are here: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/aa-updates/welcome.html