Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, but are now established along the eastern coast of the U.S. from Florida to North Carolina. They are also regularly found throughout the Bahamas and northern Caribbean, and have been sighted as far south as Nicaragua and as far east as the U.S. Virgin Islands....

Continue reading...

Winds blowing across the ocean surface push water away. Water then rises up from beneath the surface to replace the water that was pushed away. This process is known as “upwelling.” Upwelling occurs in the open ocean and along coastlines. The reverse process, called “downwelling,” also occurs when wind causes surface water to build up along a coastline and the surface water eventually sinks toward the bottom....

Continue reading...

As plants and animals near the surface of the ocean die and decay, they fall toward the sea floor, just like leaves and decaying material fall onto a forest floor. In addition to dead animals and plants, marine snow also includes fecal matter, sand, soot, and other inorganic dust. The decaying material is referred to as “marine snow” because it looks a little bit like white fluffy bits....

Continue reading...

Mariners are once again able to travel the 74.5 miles along the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron via the Soo Locks. The locks were recently reopened following closure during the long, cold winter months. And, thanks to the water-level data delivered by the NOAA Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®), mariners have the information needed to help them safely navigate their way....

Continue reading...

A new NOAA-led study documents the first cases of lobomycosis in bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina. This fungal skin infection is usually associated with warmer tropical waters. Researchers are now working to determine how factors like water temperature, salinity and coastal land-use might be influencing the types, prevalence and severity of these type of infections....

Continue reading...

On April 15, NOAA dedicated a new state-of-the-art research vessel, R/V Bay Hydro II, which will collect oceanographic data in the Chesapeake Bay region critical to safe navigation and environmental protection....

Continue reading...

Undergraduate students from Rutgers University are finalizing preparations to launch an ocean glider on a journey from New Jersey to Spain. If the craft completes the trip, it will be the first unmanned underwater vehicle to successfully cross the Atlantic....

Continue reading...

Simulated visual images can be much more effective than charts and graphs in drawing attention to the potential impacts of coastal development and policy changes. But until recently, many coastal resource managers lacked the skills, resources, and time to create effective visualizations with the software they had available....

Continue reading...

Nautical charts show what is in, under, and around the water, to help mariners transit our waters safely. The time it takes to develop a new nautical chart varies and it depends on the intensity of the ship travel in the area and the availability of resources to develop the new chart....

Continue reading...

Soundings are water depth measurements that indicate how deep the water is in a particular area in either feet or fathoms. A fathom is a nautical unit of measurement and is equal to six feet....

Continue reading...