Since 2007, NOAA’s National Ocean Service has been working to update the National Spatial Reference System. This huge project will modernize the system for measuring the horizontal positions and vertical elevations of the United States and its territories. During the course of this work, NOAA scientists realized that the heights of Colorado’s famous “Fourteeners” — or mountains with peak elevations of at least 14,000 feet — had been overestimated. In this episode, we learn why this occurred,...

Marine debris is a large and global problem. Plastics, metals, rubber, fishing gear, and other lost and discarded items enter our ocean, Great Lakes, waterways, and coastal areas every day. This challenging problem can cause negative impacts to wildlife, the environment, and the economy. In this episode, we chat with our expert, Sophie Maginnes, communication specialist with NOAA’s Marine Debris Program.

Rising waters can spell trouble for coastal areas. The impacts of high tide flooding can range from longer commute times to business closures and construction delays. NOAA plays a vital role in helping communities prepare for and respond to flooding threats. This episode features a panel of experts from NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services. We’re joined by oceanographers Analise Keeney and Karen Kavanaugh and chief scientist Greg Dusek, Ph.D.

In this episode, we travel to Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Boasting rugged coastlines and encompassing over 3,000 square miles, this special place is home to a rich abundance of marine mammals, seabirds, fish, and invertebrate communities. We explore this area’s origins, maritime culture, and historical legacy, as well as ways you can dive into all our sanctuaries. Our featured expert is Chris Butler-Minor, a community engagement specialist with NOAA’s Office of National Marine...

In this episode, we travel to Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Boasting rugged coastlines and encompassing over 3,000 square miles, this special place is home to a rich abundance of marine mammals, seabirds, fish, and invertebrate communities. We explore this area’s origins, maritime culture, and historical legacy, as well as ways you can dive into all our sanctuaries. Our featured expert is Chris Butler-Minor, a community engagement specialist with NOAA’s Office of National Marine...

Not all reefs in the ocean are naturally occurring. Artificial reefs are human-made structures that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In this episode, we learn about what they are, the benefits they provide, and how the first study was conducted to calculate how much of the seafloor is covered by these reefs.

Hurricanes are powerful storms that can threaten life and property. We revisit an episode with our podcast hosts as they discuss the roles of the National Ocean Service in hurricane preparedness, response, and recovery and how you can prepare for this year’s hurricane season.

With origins tracing back more than 200 years, NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey is in the business of "knowing where things are." In this episode, we go behind the scenes with NGS Director Juliana Blackwell to get an insider perspective on NGS’s history and mission. She also shares her personal experience as the office’s first female director.

In this episode, we explore how scientists across the National Estuarine Research Reserve System conducted the first-ever North American wildlife inventory of these habitats. We chat with Dr. Kenny Raposa, research coordinator at Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and lead scientist for the study.

When temperatures rise, coral bleaching can occur. In this episode, we explore what happens during bleaching events, how corals are affected, and how we can help protect these important ecosystems. We’re joined by coral expert Dana Wusinich-Mendez, Atlantic and Caribbean team lead, and Florida management liaison for NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.

In this episode, we revisit a previous podcast on these storm-fueled waves and discuss how they differ from tsunamis. We're joined by Dr. Gregory Dusek, senior scientist with NOAA's National Ocean Service, to discuss his study on meteotsunamis.

When it comes to oil spills and their impacts on marine environments, water and oil don’t mix. In this episode, we chat with an oil spill response expert and share some weird facts about oil and oil contamination.

In this episode, we’re heading to the Florida Keys, the only place in the continental United States with shallow water coral reefs. But these corals are not the only thing that make the Keys special. We’re joined by Brenda Altmeier, maritime heritage coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to tell us the story of the Florida Keys through maritime history to give you just a taste of why this place is unlike anywhere else in the nation.

In this podcast, we dig into the science behind sand: how it’s formed, the benefits it provides ecosystems, and the protection it offers coastal communities. Dr. Matt Kendall, a marine biologist with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, joins us.

Rip currents pose a threat to those that spend time in the ocean or Great Lakes. In this episode, Dr. Gregory Dusek, senior scientist with NOAA’s National Ocean Service, talks with us about rip currents, NOAA’s national rip current forecast model, and ways to protect yourself and others from this public safety risk.

Gliders are autonomous, uncrewed, underwater vehicles that collect data — providing scientists with a more complete picture of what is happening in the ocean and the Great Lakes. In this episode, we dive deep with Kathleen Bailey, glider program manager with NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, to learn more about these versatile vehicles.

In this episode, we present a podcast from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) called Engineering with Nature®. The show features a panel of experts discussing their research on how blue carbon is helping to address climate change.

Seagrasses are plants that grow in semi salty water to full seawater in the intertidal and subtidal zones of the ocean. As one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, seagrasses offer myriad benefits to both humans and the organisms that call them home. In this episode, we explore some of the ecosystem services they offer.

Our ocean and coasts affect us — and we affect them. Almost 40 percent of the country’s population lives in coastal shoreline counties. And these counties contribute more than 9 trillion dollars to the U.S. economy. But there are many challenges facing our coasts, like climate change, sea level rise, more intense storms, and population growth. So we need to make good decisions today to help our coasts continue to thrive tomorrow. This is the third podcast in a three-part series from the U.S....

Our ocean and coasts affect us — and we affect them. Almost 40 percent of the country’s population lives in coastal shoreline counties. And these counties contribute more than 9 trillion dollars to the U.S. economy. But there are many challenges facing our coasts, like climate change, sea level rise, more intense storms, and population growth. So we need to make good decisions today to help our coasts continue to thrive tomorrow. This is the second podcast in a three-part series from the U.S....

Our ocean and coasts affect us — and we affect them. Almost 40 percent of the country’s population lives in coastal shoreline counties. And these counties contribute more than 9 trillion dollars to the U.S. economy. But there are many challenges facing our coasts, like climate change, sea level rise, more intense storms, and population growth. So we need to make good decisions today to help our coasts continue to thrive tomorrow. This is the first podcast in a three-part series from the U.S....

The NOAA Voices Oral History Archive is a collection of more than 2300 oral histories. In this episode, we explore how this valuable resource helps us better understand the impact of weather events, coastal changes and climate change.

For over six decades, the National Geodetic Survey has partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate the U.S. center of population — the precise location where an imaginary, flat, weightless, and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all Americans were of identical weight. Tune in to the latest episode of the NOAA Ocean podcast to learn about the center of population, and how capturing snapshots of the U.S. population reveals long-term migration patterns and even...

In this episode, an expert from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program discusses a disease affecting long-spined sea urchin populations in the Caribbean. We explore how disease has impacted these organisms in the past, their important role in keeping coral reef systems healthy, and how you can help save them.