Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:10:57 EST http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ NOS Weekly news items for oceanservice.noaa.gov troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html en-us nos.webmaster@noaa.gov NOAA Logo http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/dec08/dolphin_habs.html A new study by NOS researchers finds that harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins are transferred to dolphins through the fish they eat. The findings point out the need for coastal managers to consider long-term, repeated dietary exposure to harmful algal toxins in their assessments of marine mammal health risks. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:52:48 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/dec08/coraljewelry.html Corals have long been popular as souvenirs, for home decor, and in jewelry, but many consumers are unaware that these beautiful structures are made by living creatures. Fewer still realize that corals are dying off at alarming rates around the world. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:52:02 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/dec08/acidification.html A new study finds significant ocean acidification in the Caribbean, and may lead to a better understanding of how coral reefs will adapt to this harmful process. A quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans place in the atmosphere each year ends up being dissolved into the ocean. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:51:25 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/mpa.html A blueprint for establishing a national system of marine protected areas (MPAs) was finalized on Nov. 19, establishing a more efficient and effective approach to conservation of the nation's important natural and cultural marine resources. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:50:24 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/sanctuaries_calif.html NOAA has released final revised management plans, regulations, and a joint final environmental impact statement for Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries. The result of more than seven years of study, planning and extensive public input. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:49:49 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/unep.html The NOS International Program Office recently wrapped up meetings with officials from Trinidad and Tobago, the latest in a series of talks aimed at providing technical assistance to Caribbean countries aimed at developing comprehensive plans to reduce land-based sources of pollution to the marine environment. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:49:11 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/summit.html The head of the National Ocean Service addressed city leaders, scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs this week at the first-ever Coastal Cities Summit in St. Pete Beach, Fla. At the three-day summit, he discussed NOAA coastal management initiatives in the context of sobering challenges. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:48:15 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/forensic_marine.html The NOS Marine Forensics Program is called upon to analyze evidence in 85 percent of NOAA Fisheries cases that require scientific analysis. The program supports U.S. laws that protect fisheries resources, marine mammals, and endangered species. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:47:08 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/whalemonitoring.html In fall 2007, four blue whales died after being struck by vessels off the coast of California. This year, NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and partners are working closely with the shipping industry to keep this from happening again ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:12:52 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/benthic_map_tx.html A new map of shallow water seabed habitats joins a growing list of mapped coastal regions providing critical data about the condition of underwater vegetation around the nation ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:11:40 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/arcticmapping.html Scientists from NOAA's Office of Coast Survey and the University of New Hampshire recently completed a three-week expedition to map one of the least-known sea floor areas in the world ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:10:39 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/nov08/grav-d.html The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is moving forward with an effort to measure and monitor variations in the gravity field of the earth, part of an ambitious program to provide a better, faster, and less expensive way to acquire accurate elevations for the nation ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:10:00 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/october08/spill_response.html Two hurricanes and two major ship accidents marked the busiest season ever for the NOS Office of Response and Restoration over the past Fiscal Year. In total, the NOS office responded to 179 incidents, three-quarters of which were oil spills ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:09:18 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/october08/galveston_current.html A new current meter installed on Oct. 15 will help make the most dangerous passage in the Gulf Coast's Intracoastal Waterway a lot safer. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, navigation along this stretch of the Intracoastal Highway grew even more difficult ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:08:32 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/october08/ecozone.html NOAA's National Ocean Service recently joined the EcoZone Green Schools Initiative, a public-private environmental outreach and education effort sponsored by EcoMedia and the CBS Corporation ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:07:45 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/october08/sonar_turtles.html National Ocean Service (NOS) researchers began testing the use of sonar to investigate sea turtle abundance and habitats in coastal waters near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, this October ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:06:23 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/coralnetwork.html NOAA's Coral Reef Watch bleaching monitoring network recently expanded from 24 to 190 'virtual stations.' Nearly 200 sites around the world are now continually monitored from space ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:05:43 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/oceanhall.html The Ocean Today Kiosk debuted on September 27 with the opening of the new Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:04:50 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/sentinels.html This summer, the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services constructed four new NOAA "Sentinels of the Coast." These yellow, 25-foot-tall sensor-packed stations measure and disseminate real-time water level and weather observations. ... [select link to read more] Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:04:09 EST troy.kitch@noaa.gov