Stewardship, 

recreation, 

and tourism

NOS Priority: 

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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT

T

HE UNITED STATES boasts some of the most 

important natural, cultural, and historical 

resources in the world—not just on land but under 

the water as well. The value of the U.S. coastal 

tourism and recreation industry in 2009 was 

$62 billion. NOS plays a critical role in protecting 

and promoting access to these special coastal 

and marine places. NOS is entrusted with the 

responsibility to manage a network of underwater 

parks encompassing more than 600,000 square 

miles of coastal, marine, and Great Lakes waters. 

Across all national marine sanctuaries, about $8 

billion annually is generated in local economies 

from activities like commercial fishing, tourism, 

and recreation. NOS also partners with states to 

manage national estuarine research reserves, a 

network of 29 coastal sites designated to protect 

and study estuarine systems. The reserves 

reflect the rich diversity of environments along 

our coasts and Great Lakes, and provide places 

for education, recreation, and boosting local 

economies.

Following are stewardship, recreation, and 

tourism themed projects organized according to 

three primary scientific priorities of the National 

Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) 

strategic plan.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

Advanced Observation 

Technologies

Included below are two highlighted scientific 

projects by OR&R and OCM researchers and 

their partners, which are focused on advanced 

observation technologies.

Advancing the Use of Unmanned 

Platforms to Respond to and Assess Spills 

in Ice Environments 

Scientists from OR&R, funded by the United 

States Coast Guard Research Development 

Center, and in collaboration with scientists from 

US EPA, Applied Research Associates, and Water 

Mapping LLC, are developing and testing new 

remote sensing tools and technologies (UAS and 

ROV) to more efficiently and effectively detect 

and characterize surface oil in icy waters. The 

researchers are looking at the oil both from above 

the slick looking down, and from beneath the slick 

looking up. Scientists remotely characterize oil 

slicks flying a quadcopter carrying multispectral 

sensors over various configurations of surface 

oil and ice, at the same time as underwater ROV 

mounted acoustic sensors characterize the 

oil from beneath. These tools are advancing 

our ability to ‘see’ oil in more complex icewater environments. Additionally the team, in 

partnership with the USEPA’s Office of Research 

and Development to monitor smoke plumes 

from in situ burns using UAS mounted sensor 

packages. These projects demonstrate the 

rapidly advancing utility of using UxS for spill 

responses and assessments. 

Dr. Oscar Garcia (Water Mapping, LLC) 

prepares to launch the hexacopter platform 

with multispectral sensors for floating oil 

detection. Image credit: NOAA/NOS/ORR.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT(S): 

Successful completion of experiments at the Cold 

Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory 

(CRREL), an oil-ice testing facility in Hanover, 

New Hampshire. Eight oil thickness categories 

were measured in combination of various ice 

cover regimes. Nine successful in situ burns 

were conducted and monitored using fresh and 

weathered Alaska North Slope Crude oil.

Project URL: https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/fire-and-ice-noaaand-us-coast-guard-partner-study-oil-ice-environments

Advancing Coastal Mapping/Management 

through Artificial Intelligence 

OCM, through its Coastal Change Analysis 

Program (C-CAP), has been working to develop 

the next generation of land cover data for the 

coastal U.S. This work has focused on the 

research and implementation of methodologies 

that increase the program’s efficiency and impact. 

By applying artificial intelligence/machine learning 

algorithms in a cloud-based environment, these 

efforts have resulted in several high spatial detail 

land cover and habitat datasets which serve 

not only as proof of concept demonstrations 

but are also informing coastal management 

decisions at regional and local levels. The 
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

state of New Hampshire, for instance, has 

been utilizing saltmarsh habitat data produced 

through these efforts to better inform marsh 

resilience assessments and to inform the state’s 

comprehensive marsh management planning.

Saltmarsh habitat data (2013) for New 

Hampshire. Image credit: NOAA/NOS/OCM.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Statewide saltmarsh habitat mapping informs New 

Hampshire’s comprehensive marsh management 

planning.

C-CAP database URL: https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/

ccaphighres.html

Ecosystem Science for 

Conservation and Sustainable 

Use

Below are five highlighted scientific projects by 

NCCOS and ONMS researchers and their partners, 

which are focused on ecosystem science for 

conservation and sustainable use of coastal systems. 

New Research Informs Management of 

Rare Gulf of Mexico Whale

With a very small population size, the Gulf 

of Mexico Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei), 

designated as an endangered species in April 

2019, is one of the rarest whales on the planet. 

Previously thought to be a subpopulation of 

the Bryde’s whale species, recent genetic 

and morphological data now identify the filterfeeding Rice’s whales as a separate species. 

It is more important than ever to learn about 

the whale’s critical habitat as a first step in 

planning for its recovery. Since 2017, a NOAAled project supported by the NOAA RESTORE 

Science Program through NCCOS has focused Rice’s Whale. Image credit: Wayne Hoggard, NOAA Fisheries
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

on understanding Rice’s whale movement habits 

and feeding patterns for recovery planning efforts. 

Investigators have conducted three research 

cruises dedicated to learning about the whale. 

Recent research has revealed that the whales 

spend most of their daylight hours in a constant 

diving and feeding pattern; and then rest just 

below the surface most of the night. The Rice’s 

whale feeds on dense aggregations of fish that 

form just above the bottom during daylight hours, 

and may be selectively feeding on one or two fish 

species. The presence of upwelled water near 

the bottom, along with seasonal inputs of high 

productivity shelf water into the habitat, are likely 

important factors in maintaining enough prey to 

support the energetic requirements of the whales. 

By working closely with the people responsible 

for marine mammal management in the Gulf of 

Mexico, NOS-supported researchers are ensuring 

that their discoveries about the whale’s feeding 

and movement are integrated into recovery plans.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

The project team has greatly increased our 

knowledge about the whale’s habitat and feeding 

processes and provided this information to 

resource managers who are designating critical 

habitat ahead of developing and implementing a 

recovery plan across the Gulf of Mexico.

Project URLs: https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/livingcoastal-and-marine-resources/new-research-informs-management-ofrare-gulf-of-mexico-whale

https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/projects/brydes-whales

Unlocking the food web-dynamics 

sustaining Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) are highly 

migratory and spawn in the Gulf of Mexico, but 

are distributed as adults throughout the Atlantic 

Ocean. This migratory behavior, as well as year 

to year changes in environmental conditions at 

sites where Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn, makes 

management of the species complex. Being able 

to track how changes in nutrient availability impact 

tuna food webs and larval survival is essential 

to managing open ocean ecosystems. A project 

supported by the NOAA RESTORE Program 

through NCCOS investigated the impact of 

variability in a key nutrient, nitrogen, on lower food 

webs and the resulting availability of zooplanktonic 

food resources for Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae in 

the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. This information 

will inform Atlantic bluefin tuna stock assessments 

by making it possible to more accurately estimate 

feeding, growth, and survival of Atlantic bluefin 

tuna larvae based on ocean conditions. 

Area of the Gulf of Mexico where 

researchers collect Bluefin Tuna larvae (red 

square). Image credit: NOAA RESTORE Program.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

The project team revealed the link between 

nutrients, food availability, and the survival of 

Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae which can be used to 

improve stock assessments for this commercially 

and recreationally important species.

Project URL: https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/projects/

bluefin-tuna-larvae

Data and Applications from Sanctuary 

Soundscape Monitoring Project Now 

Available to the Public.

Since 2018, ONMS and the US Navy have co-led 

the Sanctuary Soundscape Monitoring Project 

(SanctSound) to monitor underwater sound at 30 

locations in seven national marine sanctuaries 

and one Marine National Monument. Over 20 

institutions participate in this nationwide effort to 

understand sound conditions and ocean noise 

impacts across the National Marine Sanctuary 
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

System. SanctSound results and management 

applications were disseminated in FY 2021 

through a multi-faceted outreach campaign 

to reach audiences ranging from students to 

decision-makers, including: a web story series 

highlighting place-based results, an interactive 

StoryMap, a Congressional briefing, two published 

and four accepted peer-reviewed publications 

and over 20 virtual presentations and webinars. 

SanctSound data are archived and publically 

accessible through NOAA’s National Centers for 

Environmental Information and the public can 

explore results via a web portal under construction 

in partnership with NOAA’s IOOS program. It 

will go live at the project’s completion in spring 

2022. The objectives of SanctSound are to 1) 

build collaborative research capacity to monitor 

and assess sanctuary resources, and 2) support 

natural resource management by providing 

baseline standardized time-series data that can be 

used to detect changes in sanctuary ecosystems 

and support noise impact management. 

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT:

 In FY 2021, SanctSound released an interactive 

StoryMap, published 10 web stories, was featured 

in two magazines, presented at nine conferences/

international workshops, provided reports to eight 

Sanctuary Advisory Councils, hosted four educational 

webinars, and headlined a Congressional briefing.

Project URL: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/monitoring/sound/

sanctsound-storymap.html

Revisiting an Octopus Nursery and a 

Whale Fall

In 2018 and 2019, E/V Nautilus expeditions 

discovered extensive octopus nurseries in at 

least two areas in the southeastern flanks of 

Davidson Seamount at 3,200 m depth. These 

nurseries each featured thousands of mother 

octopus brooding their eggs within seeps of 

elevated water temperature (up to 10.4°C). 

Octopus brooding their eggs within a warm 

water seep near Davidson Seamount in 

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. 

This genus has an unusual upside-down 

brooding posture. Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA.

Spectrograms from 

two SanctSound 

listening stations 

(OC02, top; 

OC04, bottom) 

in Olympic Coast 

National Marine 

Sanctuary between 

August 20 and 

September 4, 2019.

Image Credit: NOAA/NOS/ONMS 

SanctSound.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

Also in 2019, an extremely rare find was made: a 

relatively fresh whale fall, and samples revealed a 

new species of bone-eating worm, Osedax, living 

on the whale’s bones. In October 2020, ONMS, 

Monterey Bay, and Greater Farallones national 

marine sanctuaries teamed up on E/V Nautilus 

to explore Pioneer Canyon, then revisited the 

two previously discovered octopus nurseries 

and whale fall. Collecting 10 hours of video 

footage, they surveyed 15 acres of seafloor and 

counted 3,647 octopus, of which 2,938 (81%) 

were brooding mothers. The whale fall was more 

decomposed than we expected, but flourishing 

populations of Osedax and ampheretid worms 

were still present. Samples were collected along 

with whale bones, baleen, worms, sediment and 

water for eDNA analyses (results are pending).

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Confirmation of second distinct massive octopus 

brooding colony, documentation of the changes in 

a whale fall after 12 months, and characterization 

of deep-sea corals in Pioneer Canyon and at 

Davidson Seamount.

Special Issue of Oceanography (see pp. 34-35): https://tos.org/

oceanography/assets/docs/34-1_ocean_exploration.pdf

Video - Discover Wonder: The Octopus Garden: https://

sanctuarysimon.org/2021/04/discover-wonder-the-octopus-gardenwins-best-short-film-at-the-international-ocean-film-festival/

AWARDS: 

The video, Discover Wonder: the Octopus Garden, 

summarizing previous work at the “octopus 

garden” in 2018 and 2019 won the “short film” 

category at the International Ocean Film Festival 

in April 2021. 

Findings from West Coast Deep-Sea Coral 

Initiative Will Inform Management for Years 

to Come 

In 2018, a NOAA-led steering committee was 

formed with members from National Marine 

Fisheries Service, ONMS, the NOAA Office of 

Exploration and Research, NCCOS, and the NOAA 

Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program 

to guide the West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative, a 

four year research program dedicated to increasing 

scientific understanding of deep-sea coral and 

sponge ecosystems. The Initiative’s highest priority 

science and management needs were determined 

at a kick-off workshop in 2018, which was attended 

by over 40 key partners representing state and 

federal management agencies, academics, NGOs, 

the fishery management council, and first nation 

communities, with the following objectives: (1) 

collecting baseline information on deep-sea 

coral and sponge communities in areas prior to 

essential fish habitat and rockfish conservation 

protection changes; (2) identifying areas with the 

highest deep-sea coral and sponge bycatch; and 

(3) exploring and assessing deep-sea coral and 

sponge habitats within national marine sanctuaries. 

A sponge garden on Daisy Bank off the 

coast of Oregon.

Image Credit NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research & Technology Program.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

Since 2018, the Initiative has supported 

extensive field surveys, mapping, modeling, 

and data analysis projects by relying on strong, 

multi-agency partnerships, and has resulted in 

substantial areas of new protection for seafloor 

habitats in the five west coast marine sanctuaries. 

In its final year (2021), Initiative collaborators 

across the U.S. are concluding the remaining 

data analysis to generate new, publicly available 

information that will contribute to outreach 

products, describe newly discovered species and 

habitats, advance new modeling techniques and 

technologies, and inform fishery management 

decisions, sanctuary condition reports, and 

management plan updates.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

The West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative fully 

funded four field expeditions and provided partial 

support to 14 others for field surveys, mapping, 

and sample collections, producing over 450 

hours of video, tens of thousands of still images, 

samples, and over 28,000 km2.of newly acquired 

seafloor data. 

West Coast Deep Sea Coral Initiative Science Plan (2018-2021): https://

deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/library/WCDSCI%20Science%20Plan_Final.pdf

Detecting, Monitoring, and 

Mitigating Impacts of Chemical 

and Biological Stressors on 

Coastal Ecosystems

Below are two highlighted scientific projects 

by NCCOS, OR&R, and ONMS researchers and 

their partners, which are focused on detecting, 

monitoring, and mitigating the impacts of chemical 

and biological stressors in coastal systems. 

Great Lakes microplastic pollution pilot 

field study

Plastic pollution has been identified as one of 

the most critical environmental problems of our 

time. A pilot field study was executed by OR&R

researchers in Milwaukee Estuary on Lake Michigan.

NOAA researchers process mussels 

from Lake Michigan at the University of 

Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater 

Sciences. Mussel samples were analyzed 

for body burdens of chemical contaminants, 

metabolomics, and biomarkers.

Image credit: NOAA/NOS/ORR.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Stewardship, Recreation, and Tourism

Invasive mussels (Dreissena sp.) were used to 

monitor microplastics. This project increases 

the capability of NOAAs Mussel Watch Program 

to characterize the magnitude and extent of 

microplastic pollution and its potential to adversely 

impact fish and wildlife and possible humans. 

Funding for this project was provided by NOAAs 

Marine Debris Program to support the field pilot 

study and laboratory analysis of samples.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Results revealed the potential utility of dreissenid 

mussels as biomonitors of microplastic pollution, 

the impact of microplastic on mussels, and the 

relationship between emerging and legacy 

chemical pollutants, and inform models of 

chemical contaminants in the Great Lakes and 

other freshwater ecosystems around the world.

NOAA Ocean Podcast Coverage: NOAA Ocean Podcast: episode 39

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/sep20/nop40-microplasticmussels-part-two.html

Using Citizen Science Data to Assess 

Shoreline Marine Debris Within Two US 

National Marine Sanctuaries 

Researchers from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program 

(OR&R), together with staff from the NOAA 

Southeast Fisheries Science Center, ONMS, 

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary 

(OCNMS), and Greater Farallones National Marine 

Sanctuary (GFNMS), analyzed multi-year shoreline 

monitoring data collected by citizen scientists from 

OCNMS and GFNMS to estimate marine debris 

abundance and temporal trends, and identify 

drivers of debris loads. Data were gathered by 57 

individuals as well as by students from five area 

schools using the established protocols of MDP’s 

Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, 

a citizen science initiative that facilitates a national 

network of shoreline monitoring to guide marine 

debris research, prevention, and policy-making. 

Changes in debris counts and composition within 

each Sanctuary reflect seasonal patterns of 

coastal upwelling and downwelling, but longer 

temporal trends in overall debris loads depend 

on the sampling window. A linear increase in 

total expected debris counts was observed when 

up to five participants are conducting a survey, 

suggesting a need to standardize the number of 

participants and their search pattern. Results from 

this study have contributed to the refinement of 

MDMAP on-site monitoring protocols. 

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Results from this NOS-NMFS collaboration 

were published in the journal, Frontiers in 

Environmental Science.

Project URL: https://blog.marinedebris.noaa.gov/using-citizen-scienceunderstand-marine-debris

Peer-reviewed journal article URL: https://doi.org/10.3389/

fenvs.2020.604927

Citizen scientists 

collect water 

samples for 

microplastic 

debris analyses. 

Image credit: Florida Sea Grant.
39

2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT NOS Funding Opportunities

NOS SUPPORTS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHthat addresses its aforementioned 

priorities through multiple internal and extramural 

funding opportunities. Several program offices 

oversee annual competitive research programs 

to foster enhanced knowledge and scientifically 

informed management of coastal ecosystems, 

including efforts to advance coastal resilience, 

sustainable transportation and commerce, and 

marine stewardship. These also include multi-year 

fellowship awards to graduate students and support 

to NOAA Cooperative Science Center institutions

working to increase the number of graduates, 

particularly from underrepresented communities, 

with degrees aligned with the NOAA mission.

Below is information about NOS funding programs 

that provide applied research support to grantees:

In addition to supporting efforts by its Regional 

Associations, IOOS also funds the US Marine Life 

Observations: Coordinated Marine Biodiversity 

Observation Network (MBON) and Animal 

Telemetry Network (ATN) Activities to Ensure 

Resilient, Productive Ecosystems and Human 

Communities in the Face of Change funding 

opportunity. This effort, together with National 

Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) 

partner agencies, funds research that builds upon 

the foundation established by MBON, ATN, and 

the US IOOS Regional Associations to work across 

sectors and disciplines towards an integrated, 

sustained marine life observing capability for the 

U.S. ocean, coasts and Great Lakes, from estuaries 

to the deep ocean; advance technologies for 

efficient and/or automated collection of species 

and associated habitat observations; enable open 

access to biodiversity data and information; and 

utilize these observations, technologies, and 

data to address place-based (e.g., sanctuaries, 

reserves, protected areas, leasing blocks, etc) 

management, conservation and restoration needs.

NCCOS supports the Competitive Research Program (CRP) and the RESTORE 

Science Program that provide the critical 

information and predictive capabilities required 

to manage the nation’s coastal resources in an 

ecosystem context. NCCOS addresses these 

issues via a stressor-based or regional ecosystem 

approach in support of investigations related to 

sea level rise, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, coral 

reefs, and related to the long-term sustainability of 

the Gulf of Mexico. These issues typically require 

multidisciplinary research teams and a significant 

long-term commitment of resources because 

of their complexity and the effort required to 

reach a new level of understanding sufficient 

to support NOS priorities and drive future 

coastal management decisions. Applications for 

funding are submitted through Federal Funding 

Opportunity (FFO) notices posted on the Grants.

gov website. Notices of specific Announcements 

of Opportunity posted on the NCCOS Funding 

Opportunities page are provided as a courtesy to 

the research community.

NGS has funded extramural grants in support of Height Modernization and Geospatial 

Modeling. The National Height Modernization 

Program was created to enable access to 

accurate, reliable, and consistent heights. 

Elevation information contributes to informed 

decision making and impacts a wide range 

of important activities including mapping and 

charting, flood risk determination, transportation, 

land use and ecosystem management. Height 

Modernization is currently being implemented 

through a combination of NGS activities and state 

and local efforts. The program began because 

of critical needs identified in California and 

North Carolina, and it grew to include nearly two 

dozen states across the nation. Many states have 

received funding through either Congressional 

Research Grants and Fellowship Support

NOS Funding Opportunities:
2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT NOS Funding Opportunities

40

earmarks or competitive grants. In other states, 

local agencies and organizations have provided 

resources. NGS has also funded research in 

support of geospatial modeling on topics related 

to workforce development in the geospatial 

industry, national and regional outreach plans, 

subsidence monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico, 

improving the alignment of national and regional 

reference frames, remote sensing technology, 

and gravity and astronomical observations. The 

funding objectives of the Geospatial Modeling 

Grant are to modernize and improve the National 

Spatial Reference System (NSRS) in the Gulf 

Coast region and to improve the awareness, 

coordination, and use of geospatial data.

OCM provides multiple extramural funding opportunities and fellowships in 

support of coastal resilience and management. 

Opportunities include the National Coastal 

Resilience Fund, which supports projects 

that restore, increase, and strengthen natural 

infrastructure to ultimately protect coastal 

communities from storm and flooding impacts 

and enhance fish and wildlife habitat. Additional 

programs fund projects of special merit, 

including those related to the Coastal and 

Estuarine Land Conservation Program, National 

Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs) and their 

Collaborative Science Program, as well as on 

topics of coastal resilience, bay watershed 

education and training, and Great Lakes Areas 

of Concern land acquisition. The Coral Reef 

Conservation Program, a partnership between 

NOAA Line Offices, also oversees multiple funding 

opportunities in support of coral reef research and 

management. OCM provides support to graduate 

and post-graduate students through several 

fellowship opportunities, including the Coastal 

Management Fellowship to provide on-the-job 

education and training opportunities in coastal 

resource management and policy and project 

assistance to state coastal zone management 

programs. Additional fellowship opportunities 

include the Coral Reef Management Fellowship

in support of state and territorial agencies, the 

Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship that provides 

the opportunity for graduate students to conduct