Research cruises are essential for scientists to collect data, deploy instrumentation, and maintain ocean observing systems. NOAA regularly conducts research at sea to study the ocean and atmosphere, advancing our understanding of the ocean, monitoring ocean conditions, and ensuring sustainable fisheries and healthy marine habitats. These expeditions provide essential data for weather prediction, ocean acidification […]
The ocean and the atmosphere are constantly seeking balance. Gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon move between the ocean’s surface and the atmosphere by billions of metric tons every year. A higher concentration of one gas in the atmosphere leads to more of that gas being taken up by the ocean as the two try […]
In 2018, an Australian couple curiously stumbled upon a bottle of gin washed ashore in Wedge Island, Australia. Yet, there was no gin inside. Rather, preserved within the bottle was a note with the date June 12th, 1886; the name of a German barque, Paula; the ship’s departure and arrival ports; and the exact coordinates […]
Join us as we celebrate and learn about our world ocean throughout National Ocean Month. June 1st not only marks the start of National Ocean Month, it also is the first day of hurricane season. To kick off this year’s Ocean Month, we are looking at the major role the ocean plays in the formation […]
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1 and runs through November 30. NOAA predicts a 30% chance of a near-normal season, a 60% chance of an above-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season in the Atlantic basin this year: NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) will work with partners […]
Water masses move over reefs, seagrass beds, and sandbanks – and as they do, the seawater chemistry changes. In the Florida Keys, changes in coral reef carbonate chemistry are driven by benthic metabolism, the origin of the water mass, and the connectivity of habitats. A new study from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) […]
After nearly 40 days at sea, the I09N GO-SHIP cruise (short for “Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program”) aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson arrived in Phuket, Thailand on April 27th, successfully completing its mission surveying both the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. After departing from Fremantle, Australia on March 21st, the international team of researchers spent weeks collecting data essential for investigating global changes in ocean physics, chemistry, and biology.
For the past three years, scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Science have been uncovering the secrets behind the extraordinary resilience of corals in PortMiami. Now, you can dive into their groundbreaking research like never before with a new virtual reality experience, Unlocking the […]
Original article published by NOAA Research on March 31, 2025. Hurricane researchers know bumpy flights better than anyone else, but, after a particularly turbulent flight into Hurricane Ian, scientists were left wondering if it was the bumpiest flight on record aboard a NOAA WP-3D Orion hurricane hunter aircraft. This question led scientists to develop a […]
South Florida is comprised of 350 miles of the only barrier coral reef in North America – and the third largest in the world. 1,800 miles of shoreline is lined with mangroves in the Florida Keys alone, which provide coastal protection from storms and support juveniles of commercialized fish species. The region sustains the largest […]