This image is of a salt marsh in coastal Maine. The high-resolution, land cover mapping NOAA has done for the state captures the tidal creeks, pannes, pools and vegetation with far greater precision and detail than past, 30-meter mapping. (Image credit: NOAA)

The Coast Is Clear-er: NOAA Unveils New Land Cover Maps 900 Times Greater In Detail

6/7/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. NOAA is releasing new, higher-resolution land cover maps for coastal Alabama, Mississippi, Northeastern Ohio, Rhode Island, and the Puget Sound in Washington. The data will be made available through the Digital Coast website and will provide these communities with better information for decisions related to stormwater management, water quality… 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
Spring Chinook Salmon. Credit: Michael Humling, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

NOAA Fisheries Finds Listing Gulf of Alaska Chinook Salmon Under the Endangered Species Act “Not Warranted”

5/28/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. NOAA Fisheries’ 12-month review shows a low risk of extinction. NOAA Fisheries has completed a status review and 12-month finding for Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon in response to a January 2024 petition. The Wild Fish Conservancy petitioned to delineate and list one or more evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon… SEE MORE
A humpback whale feeds on schooling forage fish in Prince William Sound Alaska. Photo taken under NOAA Fisheries Permit #24378 Credit: NOAA Fisheries/John Moran

Capelin: a “Sea Canary” for Marine Ecosystem Change in Response to Heatwaves

5/27/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Capelin are a major forage fish species in high-latitude marine ecosystems. Recent heatwaves in Alaska led to a dramatic decline in capelin abundance, which can have major impacts on predators, including marine mammals, seabirds, and fish. Twenty years ago, Dr. George Rose with Memorial University of Newfoundland called capelin… SEE MORE
High-tide flooding on October 24, 2017, submerged roads and parking areas along Dock Street, in the historic heart of Annapolis, Maryland. Photo by Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program. Used with permission.

El Niño and High Tide Flooding, a Possible Double Whammy for Some Coastal Communities in 2026

5/24/2026 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov, oceanservice.noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Weather Service is predicting El Niño is likely to emerge by July 2026 and continue through the winter, and for many locations in the U.S. this could mean more high tide flooding. To understand why more flooding is expected, it helps to understand what El Niño is and… SEE MORE
A coho salmon swims up the Sol Duc river on the Olympic Peninsula. Credit: Adobe Stock.

World Fish Migration Day

5/22/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. May 23, 2026 is World Fish Migration Day: a global celebration of the importance of migratory fish. Every year, millions of fish—salmon, steelhead trout, shad, alewives, and sturgeon, among others—migrate to their native habitats to reproduce. Some fish swim thousands of miles through oceans and rivers to… SEE MORE