icon of binoculars

Ocean Observations

Explore our curated list of stories about the many ways we observe, monitor, and collect data about our ocean and coasts.

water floods a street

High Tide Bulletin

NOAA seasonal high tide flooding bulletins show when regions around the nation may experience higher than normal high tides. Bulletins are updated quarterly.
oil on a beach

Contaminants in the Environment

Oil and other chemicals can get into sediments, impacting large coastal areas, threatening human health, and reducing the economic well being of regions that depend on a healthy coastal environment.
Brown chromis (Chromis multilineata) and other small reef fish swim over large boulders of Great Star Coral (Montastraea cavernosa) in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

Marine Biodiversity Observing Network

Marine biodiversity—the variety and variability of life in the ocean—can be an early indicator of change, provided it's noticed.
Crew from the NOAA Ship Rainier assists in a current survey of waters near Sitka, Alaska

Monitoring Oceans and Coasts

To keep coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems healthy requires keeping track of ocean and coastal areas—monitoring and assessing how these areas are changing.
volunteers help clean up a beach

Citizen Science at NOAA

The idea behind citizen science is that anyone, anywhere, can participate in meaningful scientific research.
map view of the great lakes

A New Perspective on U.S. Great Lakes

'Lake Level Viewer' promotes community resilience through scenarios for land use, infrastructure.
View of the Environmental Data Server (EDS) map

Ocean Data Standards

See how NOAA data standards facilitate research and development and create opportunities for 'big data' projects about our ocean.