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  • 06/09/08: California Sea Lion Seizures May Come From Fetal Domoic Acid Poisoning: Scientists, reporting in the current issue of the online journal Marine Drugs, state that an increase of epileptic seizures and behavioral abnormalities in California sea lions can result from low–dose exposure to domoic acid as a fetus. The findings follow an analysis earlier this year led by Frances Gulland of the California Marine Mammal Center that showed this brain disturbance to be a newly recognized chronic disease. Read More ›

  • 05/19/08: NOAA Establishes New England Red Tide Site to Aid Public and News Media: NOAA has established a special Web site to help New Englanders and the media understand the significant red tides that are predicted to form later this spring. The site will update when New England red tides occur and change. On April 24, scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, using forecast models developed with NOAA funding support, predicted "that excess winter precipitation has set the stage for a harmful algal bloom similar to the historic "red tide" of 2005." The 2005 bloom shut down shellfish beds from the Bay of Fundy to Martha’s Vineyard for several months and caused an estimated $18 million in losses to the Massachusetts shellfish industry alone. Read More ›

  • 05/12/08: NOAA Reports Coastal Waters Show Decline in Contaminants, Concerns Remain with Continuing Chemical Inputs: NOAA scientists today released a 20–year study showing that environmental laws enacted in the 1970s are having a positive effect on reducing overall contaminant levels in coastal waters of the U.S. However, the report points to continuing concerns with elevated levels of metals and organic contaminants found near urban and industrial areas of the coasts. Read More ›

  • 02/28/08: NOAA Helps National Coral Reef Institute to Grow Coral in Laboratory to Restore Damaged Reefs: Scientists at the National Coral Reef Institute are currently growing more than 400 corals from the larval stage as part of NOAA–funded research, and will transplant them to restore damaged coral reefs. Read More ›

  • 01/16/08: New NOAA Maps Show Big Island Has Most Live Coral of Main Hawaiian Islands: New coral reef maps released by NOAA reveal that the Big Island of Hawaii has the highest percentage of live coral of the main Hawaiian islands. The finding supports studies indicating that geologically young islands such as the Big Island generally have more live coral cover than older islands. Read More ›

  • 12/12/07: NOAA Initiates Marine Debris Monitoring at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary: NOAA has established a new monitoring program in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary to collect data on the location and types of marine debris in the sanctuary. The monitoring data will be used to support cleanup efforts and reduce harmful effects on sanctuary resources. Read More ›

  • 11/08/07: NOAA Scientist: Human Development is Important Indicator of Tidal Creek Health: A new NOAA study reveals that the level of human development activities, including roadways, sidewalks and roofs, in a watershed has a direct impact on the health of America’s tidal creeks and may potentially threaten public health in those coastal areas. The report was issued this week at the Estuarine Research Federation International Conference in Providence, R.I. Read More ›

  • 11/07/07: New NOAA Model Links Mississippi River Nutrient Outflow to Florida Red Tides: A new NOAA research model indicates nutrients flowing from the Mississippi River may stimulate harmful algal blooms to grow on the continental shelf off the west coast of Florida. The peer-reviewed hypothesis is being published in a special issue on Florida red tide in the journal "Continental Shelf Research." Read More ›

  • 11/05/07: New NOAA Maps Show Coral Covers Large Parts of Palau: New coral reef ecosystem maps released today by NOAA reveal that live coral covers approximately 35 percent of the Republic of Palau’s shallow–water sea floor, a high percentage relative to other areas that NOAA has mapped. The maps are the result of the first comprehensive assessment of the extent and types of Palau’s coral reefs. The maps and data are available online. Read More ›

  • 10/24/07: NOAA Initiates $1.4 Million Three–Year Project to Study Valuable Deep Hawaiian Coral Ecosystems: NOAA has awarded four Honolulu based organizations $500,000 for the first year of a three–year $1.4 million project to improve the understanding of deep water coral reef ecosystems in the Hawaiian Islands. "We know very little about corals found in the 30 to 100 meter depth range," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. "The technological advances in unmanned remote vehicles give researchers the chance to gain new insights into how these deeper coral ecosystems function and their importance in the broader effort to protect coral reefs." Read More ›

  • 10/23/07: NOAA Begins Funding Project to Develop Chesapeake, Delaware Bays Hypoxia Forecasting Models: NOAA has awarded $330,000 to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, in a five–year $1.8 million NOAA project to help resource managers analyze and predict how hypoxia, water quality, and fishery production respond to nutrient loading and climatic factors in Chesapeake Bay and Delaware inland bays. Read More ›

  • 10/19/07: NOAA Initiates Three–Year $781,000 Project to Unravel Gulf Dead Zone Mysteries: NOAA has awarded first–year funding of $284,000 to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) as part of a three–year $781,000 project to develop a better understanding of how nutrient pollution from the Mississippi River affects the large area of low oxygen water called the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. The project will also look at how the dead zone affects commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish. Funds were awarded through NOAA’s Northern Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia and Ecosystems Research Program. Read More ›

  • 10/16/07: NOAA, USGS, NPS Scientists Document Deep-water Coral Mortality Event : Scientists from NOAA, in cooperation with researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service, are reporting the first description of coral loss on a deep U.S. Caribbean reef. Their findings are reported in this month’s issue of the journal Continental Shelf Research. The coral mortality event on a deep reef was detected off St. John in the U.S. Carribean using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deployed from the NOAA ship Nancy Foster noted during a sea floor mapping mission in 2005. Read More ›

  • 10/15/07: Invasive Lionfish Species Confirmed in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary: Red lionfish, a venomous invasive species from the western Pacific Ocean, have been confirmed for the first time in NOAA’s Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, located in the Atlantic 20 miles off the Georgia coast. Matt Kendall, a marine biologist with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, photographed two adult lionfish in the sanctuary in late September during a scientific dive. Read More ›

  • 10/10/07: NOAA Initiates Project to Protect Coastal Oregon Communities from Harmful Algal Blooms: NOAA has awarded $456,630 as part of a five-year, $2.3 million project to develop integrated harmful algal bloom (HAB) monitoring and event response programs. These programs will strive to minimize the impact of HAB events on coastal Oregon communities. Funds were awarded to Oregon State University, the University of Oregon and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) through NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Read More ›

  • 09/27/07: NOAA Develops New Rapid Test for Shellfish Toxin: Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Mercury Science Inc. of Durham, N.C., are testing a new method to rapidly detect and accurately measure domoic acid, a harmful marine algal toxin that can cause serious illness and death in humans and marine mammals. Read More ›

  • 09/12/07: Interagency Report Says Harmful Algal Blooms Increasing, Calls for Improved Research on Prediction and Response: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science and Technology Council released today an interagency report on the United States’ efforts to better predict, prevent, control, and mitigate harmful algal blooms. The report is the first of five mandated by Congress in the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2004. Read More ›

  • 09/12/07: NOAA Scientists to Receive EPA Award for Role in National Coastal Condition Report Series: Four scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science will be honored as part of an interagency team by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development next week. Read More ›

  • 08/15/07: Local NOAA Scientists Share Connections Between Oceans and Health: The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Hollings Marine Laboratory, in partnership with the South Carolina Aquarium, will host a seminar on Sept. 10 titled "Hidden Threats and Exciting Opportunities in Products from the Sea." The final installment of the "Your Ocean, Your Health" series, the seminar will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the aquarium. This series is co–sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. Read More ›

  • 07/31/07: NOAA Report on Nutrient Pollution Forecasts Worsening Health for Nation’s Estuaries: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today released a comprehensive assessment of estuarine eutrophication, or nutrient pollution, that clearly indicates linkages between upstream activities and coastal ecosystem health. The report shows that the majority of U.S. estuaries assessed are highly influenced by human–related activities and points out that eutrophication is a widespread problem globally. Read More ›

  • 07/17/07: NOAA–Supported LSU Scientists Say Larger Than Normal "Dead Zone" for Gulf This Summer: A team of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, and Louisiana State University is forecasting that the "Dead Zone" off the coast of Louisiana and Texas this summer will be significantly larger than the average size since 1990 and the largest since shelf wide measurements began in 1985. Read More ›

  • 07/10/07: ECOHAB–funded GOMTOX Findings Support Fisheries Management Decision: As part of the CSCOR / ECOHAB / GOMTOX project in the Gulf of Maine, surveys aboard the R/V Endeavor in May and June found a significant harmful algal bloom (HAB) of Alexandrium fundyense in the vicinity of Georges Bank. Abundance of Alexandrium fundyense, also known as New England Red Tide, was greater than 1000 cells per liter in some locations on Georges Bank. These results prompted the issuance of a Federal Register Notice and letter to Federal permit holders extending the closure to commercial shellfish harvesting in Federal waters and warning fishermen not to eat shellfish taken as bycatch in the Georges Bank area to protect humans from paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) (to see the Federal Register Notice, a map of closure area and letters to permit holders, see the NOAA Fisheries Service Red Tide Advisories). Read More ›

  • 07/03/07: NOAA Partners with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Help Sharks Keep Their Fins: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have joined forces to expand their ability to analyze dried shark fins and identify the species from which they were removed. This new partnership will support efforts to curtail shark finning, the practice of removing a shark’s fins at sea and throwing the carcass overboard. Shark finning is prohibited in federal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Read More ›

  • 05/08/07: Harmful Algal Bloom in California: Pseudo–nitzschia Spreads Along Coast Causing Massive Mortalities of Marine Life: A massive harmful algal bloom along the California coast escalated in April, resulting in record toxin levels and hundreds of seabird and marine mammal deaths in recent weeks. NOAA's Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research–funded researchers and managers are working to predict and respond to the ongoing bloom, which is impacting areas from San Luis Obispo south to Los Angeles. Harmful algae from the genus Pseudo–nitzschia produce a potent neurotoxin called domoic acid that can accumulate in shellfish and fish, such as sardines and anchovies, causing illness or death higher in the food chain. Humans that consume contaminated seafood can experience a syndrome called Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). Read More ›

  • 05/08/07: North Carolina Reserve to Host EstuaryLive Program May 9th–11th: EstuaryLive virtual field trips will bring North Carolina’s Rachel Carson Estuarine Research Reserve to classrooms across the state May 9 to 11—and the public is invited to tag along. Read More ›

  • 04/11/07: NOAA Co–Sponsors 33rd Conference of the Association of the Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean: Since 2001, NCCOS’s Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research has played a pivitol role in the growth and development of the Association of the Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC). CSCOR co–sponsored the bi–annual meetings of the AMLC in 2001, 2003, 2005, and will again provide support for the upcoming meeting in summer 2007. In 2005, at the 32nd AMLC Conference, CSCOR received significant praise and recognition as it was honored for its "sustained support, to establish and nurture the AMLC." Read More ›

  • 03/22/07: Ecological Impacts of Hypoxia on Living Resources Meeting Seeks to Provide Answers to the "So What" Question for Improved Management of Hypoxia in Coastal Waters: NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, in coordination with the Northern Gulf of Mexico Cooperative Institute, are convening the Ecological Impacts of Hypoxia on Living Resources Meeting , in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The current poor understanding of the quantitative relationship between hypoxic ("dead") zones and populations of commercially and recreationally important living resources (the "So What" question) is the single most significant scientific barrier to informed management of this problem nationally. Read More ›

  • 03/19/07: Report on National Coordination of Ocean and Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Released: NOAA released a new report addressing the need for a national water quality monitoring network. "Linking Elements of the Integrated Ocean Observing System with the Planned National Water Quality Monitoring Network" is a summary of a Rutgers University workshop* that brought together key government agencies, academic institutions and scientific organizations to discuss the network.
    * Editor’s note: This NOAA–supported workshop was held at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, in cooperation with the New Jersey Marine Science Consortium. It was co-sponsored by New Jersey Sea Grant, the United States Geological Survey, Rutgers University, and the Mid–Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association Read More ›

  • 03/14/07: NOAA Study Finds Hawaiian Marine Life Conservation Districts Provide Protection for Fish Populations: A new NOAA study on the effectiveness of Hawaiian marine protected areas reports that areas fully protected from fishing show higher fish biomass, larger overall fish size, and higher biodiversity than adjacent areas of similar habitat quality. The report, "Fish Habitat Utilization Patterns and Evaluation of the Efficacy of Marine Protected Areas in Hawaii: Integration of NOAA Digital Benthic Habitat Mapping and Coral Reef Ecological Studies," is the first comprehensive evaluation of Hawaii’s system of MPAs. The report examined the marine life conservation districts established by the state of Hawaii and adjacent areas for biodiversity and fisheries conservation effectiveness. Read More ›

  • 03/01/07: NOAA’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan for 2007–2011 Released: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program released a new document entitled NOAA’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan for Fiscal Years 2007 to 2011. The Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan provides coastal and ocean managers, scientists, and policy makers with the most up–to–date scientific information to address the complex nature of the threats facing coral reef ecosystems, and identifies priority research needed to advance management action. The Research Plan is designed to help NOAA and non–NOAA entities guide priority setting for coral reef ecosystem research through FY 2011. Read More ›

  • 02/21/07: FEDERAL RESEARCH FACILITIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA JOIN FORCES TO ADVANCE OCEAN HEALTH AND HOMELAND SECURITY: A collaborative agreement between U.S. Department of Energy and the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research facilities in South Carolina will strengthen advances in homeland security, marine health, and ocean observation technologies through sensors to detect biological toxins and chemical hazards while maintaining ocean health and water quality. Read More ›

  • 02/15/07: NOAA COMPLETES ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF STELLWAGEN BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY REGION: NOAA released an online report, "An Ecological Characterization of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region," containing a wealth of information about the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the Gulf of Maine region. The report summarized the results of a three-year collaborative research project conducted by the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science , providing a new regional look at the area's rich marine ecosystems. Read More ›

  • 02/12/07: NOAA ANALYSIS FOLLOWING WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSE FINDS LITTLE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN COASTAL CONTAMINANT CONCENTRATIONS: NOAA found in a recent analysis of sites in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary that the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001 caused no significant changes in concentrations of two groups of contaminant compounds. A summary of the analysis is presented in "chemical contamination of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary as a result of the attack on the World Trade Center: Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in mussels and sediment" in the upcoming edition of the peer-reviewed journal Marine Pollution Bulletin. Read More ›

  • 01/17/07: NOAA CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION ASSESSMENT QUANTIFIES EXTENT OF CONTAMINATION AND TOXICITY IN CHESAPEAKE BAY SEDIMENTS: In a new online report, NOAA announced that the major portion of the Chesapeake Bay, called the "mainstem," has minimal sediment contamination but that there are localized areas of the bay showing elevated contaminant levels. Researchers from the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science collected sediment samples from the Chesapeake Bay between 1998 and 2001 to determine where and how severely the sediments are contaminated by toxic chemicals. Read More ›

  • 01/18/07: PESTICIDE MAY NEGATIVELY AFFECT ESTUARINE HEALTH; NOAA Study Identifies Potential Impacts on Aquatic Food Sources: NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science researchers have identified potential effects of the commonly used herbicide atrazine on phytoplanktonófree-floating algae forming the base of the food chain for aquatic animals. Published in the January 2007 issue of the journal Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, the study indicates protein levels in phytoplankton significantly decreased as a result of atrazine exposure. Read More ›

  • 01/16/07: STUDY SHOWS PFIESTERIA TRIGGERED BY MULTIPLE COMPONENTS; Scientists Identify Mechanism for Pfiesteria Outbreaks and Discover an Aid for Harmful Algal Bloom Research Efforts: NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science scientists, along with colleagues from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Medical University of South Carolina and College of Charleston have identified that it is metal-mediated free radical production that transform Pfiesteria piscicida and Pfiesteria shumway from harmless dinoflagellates into toxic organisms that can cause estuarine fish kills. These free radicals are activated chemicals produced as a by-product of biological activity. Read More ›

  • 12/21/06: NOAA STUDY SHOWS NUTRIENT POLLUTION INCREASING ALONG MID–ATLANTIC AND NEW ENGLAND COASTS: A NOAA research project shows nutrient pollution in estuaries, bays and harbors from the mid–Atlantic to New England is on the rise, showing excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are a threat to coastal water quality nationwide. The study’s findings are compiled in a report, "Improving Methods and Indicators for Evaluating Coastal Water Eutrophication: A Pilot Study in the Gulf of Maine." Read More ›

  • 12/20/06: CHANGES IN GRASS SHRIMP POPULATIONS IDENTIFIED AS MEASURING TOOL FOR COASTAL SEDIMENT CONTAMINATION, AND FOR MEASURING ESTUARINE HEALTH: NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science research announced today a direct link between estuarine sediment contaminant levels and grass shrimp populations. The study performed at three sites in coastal South Carolina showed grass shrimp population densities and shrimp size were depressed in areas with the greatest concentrations of contaminants. Read More ›

  • 12/20/06: MINI-AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES SHOW RESEARCH VALUE: NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) have successfully tested a new generation of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) in the Newport River, N. C., estuary at depths often less than two feet. The vehicles, navigating via Global Positioning System and pre-programmed guidance, collected critical environmental data including oxygen, salinity, temperature, chlorophyll, acidity, sediment, and water depth. Read More ›

  • 12/13/06: CORAL REEF ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING DATABASE AVAILABLE ONLINE: The NOAA Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment will now provide public access to new digital photographs from six years of coral reef field studies. The online Coral Reef Ecosystem Database, developed and managed by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), provides access to images of coral reef species and habitats, which were taken during studies in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Read More ›

  • 10/26/06: Scientists Find Rare Species, Fish ‘Nurseries’ on New Coral Reef Survey: Scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science teamed up with the staff of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 as they kicked off an ambitious new study in the sanctuary’s thriving, species–rich waters, making a number of surprising discoveries in the process. Read More ›

  • 8/30/05: NOAA, MOTE MARINE LABORATORY PARTNER TO IMPROVE DETECTION OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS NOAA and Mote Marine Laboratory of Sarasota, Fla., have signed a three-year $364,000 contract to partner in the monitoring and detection of harmful algal blooms (HAB) using newly developed underwater technology that should provide earlier warning of HAB events along Florida’s Gulf coast. Read More ›

  • 7/19/05: NOAA SCIENTISTS ISSUE DEAD ZONE FORECAST Scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring (CCMA) have completed their annual hypoxia or "Dead Zone" forecast for an area off the coast of Louisiana and Texas. They predict the Dead Zone will be significantly smaller than the average size since 1990. Read More ›

  • 7/14/05: NOAA AWARDS WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION $540,000 FOR FUTURE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM MONITORING AND RESEARCH The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today it is providing $540,000 to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to support continuing harmful algal bloom research. The grant comes as scientists and coastal managers aim to better understand the causes and impacts of harmful algal blooms in New England waters. New England is currently recovering from the largest bloom since 1972 of Alexandrium Fundeyense, a microscopic algae commonly known as red tide. Read More ›

  • 6/16/05: RED TIDE TRIGGERS NEW ENGLAND SHELLFISH FISHERY FAILURE DETERMINATION U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez today announced a formal determination that the Massachusetts shellfish fishery is in a commercial failure triggered by a massive red tide bloom in the New England region. Read More ›

  • 6/14/05: NOAA SCIENTISTS PROJECT BELOW AVERAGE 2005 NORTH CAROLINA PINK SHRIMP HARVEST The 2005 spring harvest of pink shrimp off North Carolina is likely to again lag behind average harvests over the past four decades, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists at the agency’s Beaufort, N.C., laboratory. The scientists base their projection primarily on colder than usual water temperatures along the North Carolina coast. Read More ›

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