Category: Ocean Science

Neskowin Creek, a salmon stream in Tillamook County, Oregon, flows out to the Pacific Ocean. Credit: Adobe Stock

Reconnecting Rivers Boosts Oregon Coast Coho Recovery

6/10/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. NOAA Fisheries supports one of the most ambitious salmon restoration projects on Oregon’s coast: the Salmon SuperHwy. This partnership of more than a dozen organizations works across the Tillamook, Nestucca, and Sand Lake watersheds. It works to restore fish passage at dozens of stream barriers, such as failing… SEE MORE

Image Credits: The Australian Institute of Marine Science.

WHOI Develops Tool to Predict Coral Bleaching Months Before It Strikes

6/9/2026 - By whoi.edu, whoi.edu. A new forecasting tool from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution could give reef managers and coastal communities a five-to-six-month head start on one of the ocean's most destructive events: coral bleaching. Called the Bleaching Event Early Predictor (BEEP), the system works by tracking three large-scale climate patterns in… SEE MORE

Coral bleaching at Cheeca Rocks in the Florida Keys in 2023. [Credit: NOAA]

World’s Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Likely Ended in 2025

6/7/2026 - By nesdis.noaa.gov, nesdis.noaa.gov. After analyzing satellite data and bleaching observations, NOAA’s experts say the record-breaking fourth global coral bleaching event likely concluded in mid-2025. The fourth global coral bleaching event was confirmed by NOAA on April 15, 2024. From early-2023 to mid-2025, bleaching-level heat stress impacted 84% of the world’s coral… SEE MORE

During the 2025 Deep-sea Habitats of the Cook Islands expedition on Exploration Vessel Nautilus the team surveyed various seascapes to better understand seabed environments, and natural and mineral resources in the region. In this image, polymetallic nodules rest on sediment accumulated in a depression between rounded pillows and extended lobate lava flows, which are evidence of ancient volcanoes. (Image credit: Courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust)

NOAA Scientists and Partners to Map Deep Waters, Seabed in the Cook Islands

6/6/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. This summer, NOAA Ocean Exploration will conduct an expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to map, explore and characterize deep waters off the coast of the Cook Islands. The effort is in partnership with the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority. Using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), mapping technologies and onsite… SEE MORE

A NOAA Fisheries-led team counts and samples Pacific salmon, trout and Arctic char below the NOAA Fisheries Auke Creek Research Station fish weir in Juneau, Alaska, May 4, 2022.(Image credit: NOAA Fisheries)

Pink Salmon Invasion in Great Lakes Has Lessons for North Atlantic, Arctic Communities

6/3/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. New NOAA-led research on the history of the rise of pink salmon in the Great Lakes may help fishery managers and communities on the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans tackle the recent rapid growth of the species in these new areas. It could also help those in… SEE MORE

Cyclothone or "Bristlemouth" fish illustration

The Ocean’s Most Abundant Fish Evolved in Extreme Heat — and That May Be Good News

5/31/2026 - By Daniel Hentz, whoi.edu. The most numerous fish in the ocean isn't one most boaters or anglers will ever see. Bristlemouths — tiny, deep-dwelling fish of the genus Cyclothone — number in the quadrillions and play a major role in the ocean's biological carbon pump, helping move CO₂ from the… SEE MORE

Luxury Antarctic Cruises Double as Climate Research Platforms Through WHOI-Ponant Partnership

5/4/2026 - By Laura Castanon, whoi.edu. A new partnership between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and French expedition cruise line Ponant is turning luxury Antarctic voyages into working science missions — giving researchers rare access to some of the most remote glaciers on the planet while passengers watch the work unfold in real… SEE MORE

A meteorologist with NOAA’s National Weather Service reviews atmospheric data as part of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), software that enables forecasters to analyze data, and issue forecasts and alerts. (Image credit: Robert Hyatt/NOAA NWS)

NOAA’s National Weather Service Eyes the Cloud for Next-Gen Applications

4/6/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. Technology improvements will add mobility to the NWS throughout the U.S. NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) has awarded two contracts for the NWS’s new cloud-based data and applications services, launching a new era of modernization for the nation’s weather agency. These tools will effectively transfer the capabilities… SEE MORE

NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite captured images of hurricanes Imelda (left) and Humberto (right) churning off the U.S. East Coast on Sept. 30, 2025. (Image credit: NOAA Satellites)

2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season Marked by Striking Contrasts

11/30/2025 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. Seasonal activity fell within NOAA’s predicted ranges The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ends on November 30, was notable for its striking contrast — wavering between periods of relative calm and bursts of intense activity, generating very powerful storms. Overall, the season fell within the predicted ranges… SEE MORE

Porites cf. lobata is a key reef-building coral that provides habitats for numerous species, including feather stars (comatulid crinoids) and fish. (Photo by Kharis Schrage, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Palau’s Rock Islands Harbor Heat-resistant Corals

11/15/2025 - By Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, whoi.edu. Heat-Resistant Corals Discovered in Palau's Rock Islands As marine heatwaves increasingly threaten coral reefs worldwide, new research from Palau offers promising insights for harbor and coastal communities that depend on healthy reef ecosystems for shoreline protection, fisheries, and maritime navigation safety. The discovery of… SEE MORE