Category: Ocean Awareness

WHOI Scientists Use Drifters to Track Hidden Currents in Cape Cod Bay

4/15/2026 - By MARGARET GREGORY, whoi.edu. For anyone who fishes, boats, or harvests shellfish in Cape Cod Bay, the water beneath the surface is doing more than it appears. A team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is deploying GPS-tracked drifters and running ocean models to map how currents move water, nutrients, and… SEE MORE

The NOAA Ship Rainier conducts a seabed mapping exercise in the Pacific in 2022. (Image credit: NOAA)

NOAA Ship to Map Potential Critical Mineral Deposits in U.S. waters of Pacific Ocean

4/13/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. In early April, the NOAA Ship Rainier will begin to map and characterize more than 8,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. This project is part of the Department of Commerce's implementation of the U.S. Offshore Critical… SEE MORE

(Photo by Taylor Crockford, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

WHOI Study Reveals the Hidden Molecules That Drive the Ocean’s Carbon Cycle

4/4/2026 - By whoi.edu, whoi.edu. The surface waters that boaters, anglers, and coastal communities depend on are teeming with invisible chemical exchanges that help regulate Earth's climate. A new study led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Columbia University has identified the specific molecules that marine phytoplankton release into seawater — compounds… SEE MORE

A NOAA researcher swims in front of the massive coral in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Colossal Coral in the Mariana Islands is Largest of its Kind

3/31/2026 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov, oceanservice.noaa.gov. Researchers measure 14,500-square-foot coral structure in an underwater volcano. In a time when coral bleaching, disease, and habitat loss are increasingly common, a hidden giant defies the odds. A majestic cathedral-like structure — built by colonies of Porites rus, a species of stony coral — rises from a… SEE MORE

A NOAA team deploys a current meter with surface floats to take measurements throughout the water column during surveys of Puget Sound.

Current Surveys 101

3/24/2026 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov, oceanservice.noaa.gov. How studying ocean movement provides an important service for the economy. HOST: You're listening to the NOAA Ocean Podcast from NOAA's National Ocean Service. I'm Megan Forbes. In this episode we're focusing on tides and currents…or more specifically current surveys. NOAA conducts current surveys in areas across… SEE MORE

During the Coral Health Experience, divers record their observations of healthy, diseased, paling, or bleached corals on a dive slate, and later transfer the data to a state-wide public database. Photo: Rachel Plunkett/NOAA

Becoming an Iconic Reef Guardian: A Purposeful Dive in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

3/22/2026 - By Sanctuaries.noaa.gov, Sanctuaries.noaa.gov. The first time I laid eyes on a coral reef was in the Florida Keys in 2012 after I had just learned to scuba dive. I remember hovering above the reef in awe trying to take in the colors of coral and sponges, the fish moving through… SEE MORE

Whale Week: Celebrating the Wonder of Whales

2/17/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Celebrate Whale Week 2026 with us! Discover NOAA's work to study and conserve these magnificent marine mammals. Join us in celebrating Whale Week, February 9–15, 2026! Whales are among the largest and oldest animals on Earth. They can be found in every ocean and range in size… SEE MORE

Polymetallic nodules, such as those shown here, can occur on the ocean floor and are of interest for the critical minerals they contain. (Image credit: NOAA)

NOAA to Map Critical Mineral Deposits in Deep Waters off American Samoa

1/26/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Ocean Service announced today a new hydrographic survey project to map and characterize more than 30,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off American Samoa. This project is part of the Department of Commerce's implementation of the U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan as defined… SEE MORE

Shark Attack Statistics: Understanding Coastal Safety Risks

1/17/2026 - By Alexander Laybourne, worldanimalfoundation.org. For harbor communities, beach managers, and coastal recreation operators, understanding actual shark attack statistics helps put ocean safety risks in proper perspective. While shark encounters generate significant media attention and public concern, data-driven analysis reveals that the statistical risk remains remarkably low—information that's valuable for coastal… SEE MORE

North Atlantic right whale #2503 (Boomerang) and her fifth calf swimming approximately 9 miles east of the St. Mary’s River entrance in Florida. Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919. Aerial survey funded by NOAA Fisheries and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Season 2026

1/10/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. The right whale calving season begins in mid-November and runs through mid-April. Researchers have identified 15 calves so far this calving season. Every single female North Atlantic right whale and calf are vital to this endangered species’ recovery. Since 2017, the whales have been experiencing an Unusual Mortality Event, which… SEE MORE