Tag: survey

The future of fisheries-independent surveys will include traditional capture-based surveys as well as advanced technology such as acoustic, optical, and molecular tools deployed from survey vessels, uncrewed vehicles, and moored to the seafloor. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Su Kim

Charting the Future of Fisheries-Independent Surveys

Ocean Science

9/7/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Fisheries-independent surveys operate on dedicated survey vessels and are the foundation of sustainable fisheries management. They provide the consistent data on marine resources we need to inform stock assessments. These data are collected using a scientifically rigorous sampling framework and are used to set catch limits. As… SEE MORE

A group of melon-headed whales swimming together on February 1, 2026, seen during the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate, taken under NOAA permit

A Winter at Sea Reveals Seasonal Habits of Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds in Hawaiʻi

Ocean Science

8/27/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. The Hawaiian archipelago is teeming with marine life, and winter brings some of the most exciting activity of the year. It’s a season when many whale and seabird species travel to the islands. Migratory baleen whales such as humpback and minke whales are only found in Hawai‘i in the winter, when… SEE MORE

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson mapping off the coast of Cleveland, Ohio, in 2022, along with a NOAA plane collecting lidar data. (LCDR Michelle Levano/NOAA)

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson Returns to the Great Lakes

Coastal News

5/17/2026 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov, oceanservice.noaa.gov. Survey work will map areas for the first time since the 1940s. For the first time since 2022, the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson is underway in the Great Lakes. The vessel and its crew of NOAA Corps officers and professional mariners are working with NOAA scientists to map the… SEE MORE

A NOAA team deploys a current meter with surface floats to take measurements throughout the water column during surveys of Puget Sound.

Current Surveys 101

3/24/2026 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov, oceanservice.noaa.gov. How studying ocean movement provides an important service for the economy. HOST: You're listening to the NOAA Ocean Podcast from NOAA's National Ocean Service. I'm Megan Forbes. In this episode we're focusing on tides and currents…or more specifically current surveys. NOAA conducts current surveys in areas across… SEE MORE

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

More Whale Falls Found off Los Angeles than in the Rest of the World Combined

7/16/2024 - By Douglas Main. A mysterious discovery reveals how little we know about the deep ocean. A pair of scientific surveys recently turned up a few surprises on the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles, California. First, there were the tens of thousands of naval weapons. And then, researchers found… SEE MORE

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey defines and manages the National Spatial Reference System — a consistent coordinate system that defines latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States. In addition to a network of continuously operating reference stations supporting three-dimensional positioning activities (shown here), the reference system includes a network of permanently marked points; a consistent, accurate, and up-to-date national shoreline; and a set of accurate models describing dynamic, geophysical processes that affect spatial measurements.

NOAA Scientists are Revolutionizing How Heights & Elevations are Measured

3/15/2024 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov. Suppose you are buying a new home that is located near a river that routinely floods. During the buying process, you learn that you are required to have flood insurance. A step in the process of obtaining this insurance is to get a certified elevation of your new… SEE MORE

NOAA Beechcraft King Air N65RF taxis to the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center upon arrival in Lakeland, Florida. (Image credit: NOAA)

NOAA welcomes third Beechcraft King Air to its Specialized Aircraft Fleet

2/19/2024 - By noaa.gov. NOAA’s newest aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air 360 CER turboprop, has arrived at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida. The new aircraft, designated N65RF, is configured to support NOAA coastal mapping missions and aerial surveys of damage in communities after events like hurricane landfall, tornadoes or flooding. With… SEE MORE

NOAA surveyors Charles Geoghegan and Benjamin Erickson

A Tale of Two Feet

1/10/2023 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov NOAA, NIST prepare to drop U.S. survey foot and adopt the international survey foot in a move towards more precise positioning. Since 1959, land surveyors and other geospatial professionals have had two standards to measure the length of a foot — the U.S. survey foot and the international… SEE MORE