Image Credits: Noaa.

NOAA Staff Have Been Busy Installing Mooring Buoys for Public Use Across America

7/3/2025 - By sanctuaries.noaa.gov. Mooring buoys are a vital part of the infrastructure in many national marine sanctuaries. These buoys make it safer and easier for boaters, divers, paddlers, and snorkelers to access sanctuary sites—while protecting sensitive resources like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and historic shipwrecks from anchor damage. Across the sanctuary… SEE MORE
Image Credits: Jeremy Piper/Manatee County

NOAA Supports Major Acquisition Project Along Florida’s Manatee River

6/19/2025 - By coast.noaa.gov. Florida’s Manatee County acquired 68 acres of property along the Manatee River with support from a $5 million NOAA grant, permanently preserving the coastal habitat for the public in an area undergoing rapid development. The land will serve as a public preserve, providing numerous benefits including outdoor recreation… SEE MORE
Lane Simmons of the U.S. Geological Survey collects a water-quality sample at the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, Louisiana (USGS 07374000). Credit: Scott Dennis, USGS.

NOAA Forecasts an Average Summer ‘Dead Zone’ in Gulf

6/11/2025 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov. Low-oxygen conditions expected to impact 5,574-square-mile area NOAA is forecasting this summer’s Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) “dead zone” to be average-sized, covering approximately 5,574 square miles — an area roughly three times the size of Delaware. The dead zone, or hypoxic zone, is an area of… SEE MORE
Image Credits: NOAA.

NOAA Ocean Outlook Projects Cooler Deep Waters for Gulf of Maine

6/1/2025 - By noaa.gov. The Gulf of Maine, historically one of the fastest-warming ocean regions in the world, is predicted to experience cooler bottom-water temperatures this spring and summer, according to a new experimental outlook developed by NOAA scientists. Initial signs of this shift were reported by NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Centeroffsite link and… SEE MORE
Remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer traverses over an extensive field of ferromanganese nodules that formed the bulk of the hard seafloor substrate for much of Dive 17 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition. (Image credit: NOAA)

“The next gold rush” Executive order unlocks access to deep seabed minerals

5/9/2025 - By noaa.gov. President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing a framework for American companies to identify and retrieve offshore critical minerals and resources. The Executive Order prioritizes U.S. leadership in seabed mapping and mineral exploration, ensuring reliable access to critical minerals like manganese, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements. Critical minerals… SEE MORE