Tag: NOAA

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

Sea Grant Aquaculture Leadership Academy participants tour a Sandbar Oyster Company oyster and salt marsh restoration project North Carolina. (Photo by LaDon Swann)

Minnesota, Texas Sea Grant Programs to Lead Next Aquaculture Leadership Academy

4/19/2026 - By seagrant.noaa.gov, seagrant.noaa.gov. The Sea Grant Aquaculture Leadership Academy will continue for the next two years with Minnesota Sea Grant and Texas Sea Grant at the helm. The leaders will include Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator Julia Grenn and Extension Program Leader and Aquaculture Extension Educator Amy Schrank, both of… SEE MORE

Aviation Weather Center monitors showing the tools used for weather forecasting.

NOAA improves aviation forecasts to bolster U.S. air travel efficiency, safety

4/14/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. Passengers, pilots, and crew: Get ready for greater peace of mind. Starting in late March, a new NOAA weather forecast system will provide improved prediction of two aviation hazards that pose threats to flight safety and create anxiety among passengers: airplane icing and turbulence. Covering the contiguous… SEE MORE

The NOAA Ship Rainier conducts a seabed mapping exercise in the Pacific in 2022. (Image credit: NOAA)

NOAA Ship to Map Potential Critical Mineral Deposits in U.S. waters of Pacific Ocean

4/13/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. In early April, the NOAA Ship Rainier will begin to map and characterize more than 8,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. This project is part of the Department of Commerce's implementation of the U.S. Offshore Critical… SEE MORE

A carpet of colorful (mostly yellow and orange) wildflowers in California with red-toned mountains in the distance. Wildflowers bloom at Carrizo Plain National Monument on March 12, 2026, in Santa Margarita, California. California’s deserts and hills are seeing a colorful wildflower bloom this spring after a wet winter. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Spring Outlook: Drought Forecasted to Expand in U.S. West, Parts of Plains

4/11/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. Drought conditions are forecast to worsen or develop for many areas in the West and south-central Plains, according to NOAA’s Spring Outlook released today for April through June. Forecasters from NOAA’s National Weather Service also predict above-normal temperatures for the majority of the U.S. “Factors influencing NOAA’s Spring Outlook include… SEE MORE

Image of Hurricane Milton from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite on Oct. 8, 2024. (Image credit: NOAA)

National Hurricane Center to Issue New Forecast Cone Graphics for 2026 Hurricane Season

4/10/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. Other product enhancements include Hawaii Storm Surge Watches & Warnings As part of a suite of product improvements for the 2026 hurricane season [PDF], NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) is implementing two new tropical products and services: a new operational hurricane track cone map, and new storm surge alerts… 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

A Bering Sea pollock fleet prepares to depart Dutch Harbor, Alaska, for another season of the largest commercial fishery in the United States. (Image credit: S. Zmolek/NOAA)

NOAA Strengthens Commitment to World-Class Tsunami Monitoring and Detection in Pacific

4/2/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. National Mesonet Program ensures seismic detection continues to operate in real time A new agreement between NOAA, the Alaska Mesonet and the seismic network operated by the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Alaska Earthquake Center (UAF AEC) is funding nine AEC-owned seismic stations that support near-real-time tsunami threat information.… SEE MORE

Stand-up paddle boarders explore marsh around Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Credit: Hank Carter.

Marsh Madness

Coastal News

4/1/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. While players duel it out on the court, we’re keeping score of all the ways marsh habitat plays an important role in the protection and restoration work we do for communities, fish, and wildlife. NOAA is taking a court-side look at how we protect and restore marsh… SEE MORE