Study Finds Melting Glaciers Could Produce Thousands of Kilometers of New Pacific Salmon Habitat

1/11/2022 - Researchers from Simon Fraser University and NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center found retreating glaciers in Alaska and British Columbia could open up new stream habitats for Pacific salmon. The findings were published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The researchers modeled glacier retreat under different climate change scenarios, essentially “peeling back the ice”… SEE MORE
Overwash of Cape Lookout National Seashore by large storm waves, North Carolina.

NOAA Study Assesses Vulnerability of Coastal Habitats to Climate Change in the NE

1/3/2022 - NOAA Fisheries and partners assessed the vulnerability of marine, estuarine, and riverine habitats in the Northeast United States to climate change. The findings were recently published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. We found salt marshes, shellfish reefs, deep-sea corals, seagrasses, kelp, and intertidal habitats to be among the most vulnerable. The… SEE MORE

New Research Finds Salt May Be Key to Predicting Hurricane Intensity

12/20/2021 - By Mike Schuler. It’s no secret that salt has played an outsized role throughout human history. Now, new research conducted by NOAA, with the help from Saildrone’s unmanned surface vehicles, says the element could potentially lead to improved forecasts of the most dangerous hurricanes. While NOAA has made steady progress… SEE MORE
https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov

New Ocean Floats to Boost Global Weather, Climate Research Network

12/17/2021 - NOAA and partners have joined together to launch approximately 100 new Argo floats across the Atlantic Ocean to collect data that supports ocean, weather and climate research and prediction. These will bolster the international Argo Program, which maintains a global array of about 3,800 floats that measure pressure, temperature, and salinity of the… SEE MORE

Rising with the Tide: Keeping Our Communities Above Water Q&A

12/14/2021 - US Harbors recently hosted "Rising with the Tide: Keeping Our Communities Above Water"; a free conference for coastal communities. Our panel of experts included John Englander, Renee Collini, David Wolcott, Joseph Sutkowi, Gayle Bowness, Heiko Udluft and Nicole Elko. During the conference we discussed pressing issues facing our coastal communities:… SEE MORE
https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov

NOAA Considers Marine Sanctuary off Hawaiian Islands

11/30/2021 - NOAA announced it is initiating the process to consider designating the marine portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a national marine sanctuary. This designation would build on existing management in the marine portions of the monument by adding the conservation benefits and enhanced long-term protection of a national marine sanctuary.… SEE MORE
https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov

NOAA Ocean Exploration Meets Major Mapping Milestone

11/20/2021 - Two million square kilometers. Or 772,204 square miles. That’s more than one quarter the size of the contiguous United States. And it’s the area of seafloor mapped by NOAA Ocean Exploration using the modern, high-resolution multibeam sonar system aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer since the ship was commissioned in 2008. Why We Map There’s so… SEE MORE