In fiscal year 2011, NOAA’s Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network provided $1.035 billion in direct economic benefits – a 29 percent increase over benefits provided in fiscal year 2010.

A recently published study of coral restoration in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary illustrates how a patch reef -- an isolated, comparatively small coral outcrop located in shallow waters -- can survive and even thrive nearly a decade after being hit by the hull of a boat.

For more than 10 years, NOAA has overseen a $8.6 million effort to restore habitat along the West Branch of the DuPage River in DuPage County, Ill. Creek and river sediments in the area were polluted with radioactive wastes originating from the Kerr McGee/West Branch DuPage River Superfund Site.

If you would like to contribute to official plans to restore Gulf of Mexico ecosystems damaged when the Deepwater Horizon mobile drilling unit sank in May 2010, here is your chance. The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustees seek public input on the Deepwater Horizon Draft Phase I Early Restoration Plan & Environmental Assessment, which was released in mid-December.

MarineCadastre.gov is a website that supports offshore renewable energy development in U.S. waters by providing the best available geospatial data, decision-support tools, information, and partnership opportunities in an accessible online format. It integrates legal, physical, ecological, and cultural data to inform decision making on a range of ocean issues. .

As Chief of the Marine Chart Division within NOS’s Office of Coast Survey, my job is to ensure that the division’s employees have the abilities, tools, and resources to produce nautical charts for all U.S. coastal waters.

Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where it's located, where it will go, and when it will arrive. Responders now have a challenging, if not impossible situation on their hands: How do you deal with debris that could now impact U.S. shores, but is difficult to find?

In Part 1 of this feature, NOAA researcher Doug Helton explained how he and his co-investigators began studying shipwrecks as the source of mysterious oil spills. His interview resumes with a case study of one of those vessels.

More than a decade ago, Doug Helton of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration began to study historic shipwrecks and derelict vessels, including those that may be the sources of unexplained 'mystery oil spills.' The following interview reveals the environmental implications of his current research, which he is conducting with co-investigators Lisa Symons and John Wagner of NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

Want to know where NOAA's fleet of ships are located right now? With NOAA's newly improved Ship Tracker, it's easier than ever.