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
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: A male northern elephant seal. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mark Lowry.

From Krill to Elephant Seals, Sentinel Species Detect Hidden Ocean Shifts that Forecast Change

3/18/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. New research identifies species that signal changes in ocean ecosystems. Northern elephant seals weigh in at several thousand pounds and quickly put on more weight when catching squid, fish, and other prey. They feed off the California coast in the so-called “twilight zone” of the ocean (200 to… SEE MORE
A diver uses a lift bag to transport loose rubble. Credit: NOAA

Innovative Coral Restoration Begins in Hawaiʻi After Ship Grounding

3/14/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. A promising and emerging coral restoration technique is being tested in the coastal waters of Hawai‘i for the first time. Scientists are testing rubble stabilization as a coral restoration technique in the coastal waters of Hawai‘i for the first time, with promising results. It involves securing loose, broken… SEE MORE
Image Credits: PxHere.

The Galapagos Islands and Many of Their Unique Creatures are at Risk from Warming Waters

10/15/2024 - By Alie Skowronski. GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador  — Warm morning light reflects from the remains of a natural rock arch near Darwin Island, one of the most remote islands in the Galapagos. In clear, deep blue water, thousands of creatures — fish, hammerhead sharks, marine iguanas — move in search of… SEE MORE