A drone carries a suction-cup tag toward a humpback whale. A successful deployment attaches cleanly near the dorsal fin, allows the whale to continue natural behavior without disturbance, collects high-quality data, and later releases for recovery. Photo: Ed Lyman/NOAA Permit #25754

Practice Makes Perfect: Drone Operations in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

12/18/2025 - By sanctuaries.noaa.gov, Published in sanctuaries.noaa.gov. A well-placed multi-sensor tag on a humpback whale allows researchers to track its underwater movements and observe its behavior. But how do whale researchers practice dropping these suction cup tags from a drone onto the back of a massive ocean animal? With a surfboard, of… SEE MORE
Image Credits: Noaa.

NOAA/British Geological Survey Release 2025 World Magnetic Model Report

12/14/2025 - By nesdis.noaa.gov, Published in nesdis.noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the British Geological Survey have released their joint Technical Report for the 2025 World Magnetic Model (WMM 2025), the standard navigation model for the U.S. Department of Defense and the global public which provides critical global data for navigation systems… SEE MORE
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons.

Next-Generation Eco-Friendly Marine Fuel Sources for Harbor Operations

12/11/2025 - By Sam White, Published in boatingmag.com. As harbors and marinas nationwide explore ways to reduce their environmental footprint, the availability of alternative fuels at fuel docks is becoming a crucial consideration for both facility operators and boaters. The transition to sustainable marine fuels presents unique challenges for harbors with limited… SEE MORE
Close-up view of bacterial communities thriving at the vent site. The distance between the two green laser points is 9 cm, providing a scale for the dense microbial structures visible on the seafloor. (Photo by EXTREME25)

Arctic Ocean Discovery Reveals New Methane Source Using Advanced Marine Sensors

12/4/2025 - By Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, whoi.edu. Marine research technology continues to advance our understanding of ocean chemistry, with implications for Arctic navigation and environmental monitoring that affect commercial shipping routes and harbor operations throughout the region. According to a November 21, 2025 press release from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: An… SEE MORE
Hollings scholar Lei Curtis selects a ghost shark specimen from an oversized specimen tank in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Credit: Dr. Katherine Bemis/NOAA Fisheries

Diving Into Ghost Shark Systematics: My Summer as a NOAA Hollings Scholar

11/22/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Northeastern University student Lei Curtis reflects on their Hollings internship experience with the National Systematics Laboratory. My name is Lei Curtis, and I’m excited to share my experience as a 2025 NOAA Hollings scholar interning with the National Systematics Laboratory. I’m a senior at Northeastern University studying… SEE MORE
simrad display automous boating

Simrad Launches AutoCaptain: True Autonomous Docking System for Recreational Boats

10/17/2025 - By Kevin Falvey, Published in boatingmag.com. The marine technology industry is taking a significant leap forward with the introduction of genuinely autonomous docking capabilities for recreational vessels. Unlike previous assistance-based systems, this new technology represents a fundamental shift toward fully automated boat handling in close-quarters situations—a development that could make… SEE MORE
Image Credits: rawpixel.com.

Advanced ROV Technology Drives Pacific Northwest Shipwreck Exploration

9/27/2025 - By Norris Comer, Published in best4boats.com. The SS Pacific salvage operation demonstrates how modern maritime technology enables complex Deepwater recovery missions previously impossible for independent operators. The integration of custom ROV systems with specialized detection equipment illustrates the evolving capabilities available to smaller-scale maritime exploration ventures. A key part of… SEE MORE
Image Credits: rawpixels.com.

Study Links More Frequent and Severe Heat Waves to Pollution from Major Fossil Fuel Producers

9/10/2025 - By Isabella O'Malley. Fifty-five heat waves over the past quarter-century would not have happened without human-caused climate change, according to a study published Wednesday. Planet-warming emissions from 180 major cement, oil and gas producers contributed significantly to all of the heat events considered in the study, which was published in the journal… SEE MORE
Image Credits: reasearch.noaa.gov.

NOAA and Partners Deploy Mini Ocean Robots to Collect Hurricane Data

9/4/2025 - By research.noaa.gov. The 4-foot-long robots aim to deliver low-cost data for research and forecasting. NOAA, in partnership with The University of Southern Mississippi and with the robotics company Oshen, launched five small uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) called C-Stars in the waters off the U.S. Virgin Islands on August 31st to collect critical data… SEE MORE