Category: Science

The solar-powered and self-propelled SeaTrac can stay at sea for months, collecting data with a wide variety of off-the-shelf and NOAA-designed instruments. Credit: PMEL

Another Ocean Drone Joins NOAA’s Growing Fleet

4/28/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. The SeaTrac has the potential to become a do-it-all research platform It’s bright yellow, solar-powered and self-propelled. It can stay at sea for months, collecting data with a wide variety of off-the-shelf and NOAA-designed instruments. It’s emerging as the next important member of NOAA’s growing Uncrewed Surface… SEE MORE

Image of geological samples from the seafloor that were collected via box core on April 14, 2026, in U.S. waters off American Samoa. (Image credit: USGS)

NOAA Releases First Images of Nodules from Waters Near American Samoa

4/24/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. New images and samples were collected during 2026 efforts to map and characterize the seafloor in federal waters off American Samoa NOAA released today the first images of geologic seafloor samples from a hydrographic survey project to map and characterize more than 30,000 square nautical miles of federal waters in the… SEE MORE

Gray Whale Population Decline Along the West Coast Raises Alarm for Coastal Communities

4/22/2026 - By Norris Comer, best4boats. Three dead gray whales discovered in Washington state waters in a single week in early April have renewed concerns about a troubling decline in the East Pacific gray whale population. For boaters, whale watchers, and coastal communities along the West Coast, these deaths are part of… SEE MORE

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

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

(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 graphic showing three categories of satellite-assisted rescues that took place in 2025: Of the 300 lives saved, 183 people were rescued at sea, 47 were rescued in aviation incidents and 70 were rescued on land.(Image credit: NOAA)

NOAA Satellites Helped Rescue 300 People in 2025

3/29/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. From an injured skier in the Rockies to a disabled catamaran in the Atlantic Ocean, NOAA’s satellites were pivotal in helping rescue 300 people from life-threatening situations in the U.S. and its surrounding waters in 2025. Of the rescues last year, 183 people were pulled from the water,… SEE MORE

SWFO-L1, Renamed SOLAR-1, Reaches Final Destination One Million Miles from Earth

3/23/2026 - By nesdisnoaa.gov, nesdis.noaa.gov. On January 23, 2026, NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory executed its final engine burn, successfully entering its final orbital position at Lagrange point 1. Located roughly one million miles from Earth, this unique vantage point allows the satellite to continuously monitor the sun and space… SEE MORE

Oyster seed in the palm of a person's hand.

Louisiana Sea Grant Develops New Tool to Count Oyster Seed Faster

3/19/2026 - By SeaGrant NOAA - seagrant.noaa.gov. Originally published on February 05, 2026 Researchers at the Louisiana Sea Grant Oyster Research Lab and Louisiana State University’s Math Consultation Clinic (MC²) have developed an automated, image-based tool that counts juvenile oyster seed faster and more accurately than traditional methods. The aim is to… SEE MORE

Why Are Corals So Colorful? Understanding Reef Health Indicators

1/4/2026 - By Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, whoi.com. For harbor communities and coastal areas that depend on healthy reef ecosystems, understanding coral coloration provides valuable insights into reef health. Coral reefs protect harbors from wave action, support commercial and recreational fisheries, and indicate overall marine ecosystem conditions—making the science behind coral color… SEE MORE