6

Preparedness 

& Risk 

Reduction 

(Coastal 

Resilience)

NOS Priority: 

2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT

C OASTAL COMMUNITIES represent a major economic engine for the United States. 

Immediate and potentially life-threatening events 

such as hurricanes, as well as long-term issues like 

high tide flooding, are real challenges to coastal 

communities. NOS brings a unique range of 

information and capabilities to help communities 

prepare for, respond to, and recover from these 

events. For example, NOS maintains the nation’s 

network of coastal tide and water level sensors 

to provide real-time data that supports accurate 

weather forecasts, coastal storm and flood 

predictions, and tsunami warnings. NOS provides 

data and tools that enable businesses and coastal 

communities to better plan for and mitigate risk 

from changing conditions. The agency provides 

information and data to protect human health 

and coastal economies with early warnings of 

harmful algal blooms and other threats. Every 

year, NOS responds to natural disasters and 

more than 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. and 

state waters, which damage environments and 

disrupt economies. As the authoritative resource 

for science related to marine debris, oil, and 

chemical spills, NOS provides responders with the 

information they need to understand the severity 

of a spill and where it will travel.

Following are coastal resilience themed projects 

organized according to five primary scientific 

priorities of the National Centers for Coastal 

Ocean Science (NCCOS) strategic plan.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

Advanced Observation 

Technologies and Ecological 

Forecasts

Included below are five highlighted scientific 

projects by CO-OPS, NCCOS, NGS, and IOOS 

researchers and their partners, which are focused 

on advanced observation technologies and 

ecological forecasting. Those listed here from 

CO-OPS and IOOS are in alignment with the 

implementation efforts of NOAA’s Earth Prediction 

Innovation Center (EPIC).

The Operational Transition of the NOAA 

Rip Current Model

NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic 

Products and Services (CO-OPS), together with 

partners from the National Weather Service (NWS), 

launched the first ever national rip current forecast 

model developed by NOS and implemented

into operations by NWS’ Meteorological 

Development Laboratory (MDL), National Centers 

for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), and Analyze, 

Forecast, and Support Office (AFS). The model 

runs operationally at NCEP as a component of the 

Nearshore Wave Prediction System (NWPS) and 

predicts the likelihood of hazardous rip currents 

every kilometer along the coast, every hour up to 

six days out. The research creating the model was 

initially published by NOS scientists in 2013, and 

was successfully transitioned in FY21 following a 

multi-year assessment of model performance at 

numerous locations across the coastal U.S. Rip 

currents cause about 100 deaths in the U.S. each 

year, and the improved accuracy, resolution and 

lead-time this model provides has the potential to 

reduce the number of drownings and save lives.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT:

The first ever national probabilistic rip current 

model was transitioned into NWS operations.

Project URL: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/apr21/rip-currentforecast.html

The left panel image shows a rip current using a harmless green dye. Rip currents are powerful, 

narrow channels of fast-moving water (at speeds up to 8 feet per second) that are prevalent 

along the east, Gulf, and west coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes. 

The Nearshore Wave Prediction System coverage for the continental U.S. (right panel), with an 

inset box showing hazardous rip current likelihood for the North Carolina coast. Alongshore color 

denotes rip current likelihood from low (gray) to high (red). Image credit: NOAA/NOS.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

Improved Forecasts of Respiratory Illness 

Hazard from Gulf of Mexico Red Tide

Blooms of Karenia brevis (commonly known as 

“red tide”) produce a neurotoxin that often gets 

into particles in the air. When inhaled, the toxin 

causes respiratory irritation in healthy people, and 

may have severe impacts on people with asthma 

and other respiratory conditions. Many people 

tend to avoid all beaches during these red tides, 

which can result in negative economic impacts on 

local businesses. As these blooms are patchy, and 

winds that carry toxins onshore are variable, 

communities need high resolution information on 

where and when respiratory irritation may occur. 

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 

(NCCOS) has substantially improved the spatial 

and temporal resolution of its predictions, from a 

daily forecast at the county level, to forecasts at 

every three hours for parks and other beaches. 

A screen grab of the Red Tide Respiratory 

Forecast on December 15, 2020. Image credit: GCOOS.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT:

With its partner, the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean 

Observing System (GCOOS), NCCOS is producing 

and posting forecasts of respiratory irritation, 

updated every 3 hours, currently at 6-12 beaches 

in each county along the Gulf of Mexico and east 

coast of Florida. 

Project URL: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/research/stressorimpacts-mitigation/hab-forecasts/gulf-of-mexico/

AWARDS & RECOGNITION: 

A component of this project, the NOAA 

HABscope, a portable microscope system for 

citizen science-based volunteer monitoring of red 

tides, received a 2020 NOAA Technology Transfer 

Award

An Early Warning System for Pseudonitzschia HABs on Pacific Northwest 

Outer-Coast Beaches

A project funded by the NCCOS Monitoring 

and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms 

(MERHAB) Research Program supports the 

development and demonstration of a monitoring 

and modeling-based seasonal (Spring and 

Autumn) HAB forecast system to generate Pacific 

Northwest (PNW) HAB Bulletins for state and tribal 

managers. The Bulletin provides advance warning 

of toxic Pseudo-nitzschia HAB events supporting 

targeted shellfish management decisions. Each 

Bulletin combines expert analysis of data on 

real-time ocean conditions, algae and algal toxin 

abundance in offshore hotspots and near the 

region’s clamming beaches, and forecast model 

output to predict toxic Pseudo-nitzschia events. 

The PNW HAB Bulletin pilot project has been 

supported largely by NOAA NCCOS grants to 

University of Washington and Oregon Department 

of Fish and Wildlife and in partnership with the 

Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom Partnership 

(ORHAB), the Washington Department of Health, 

the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 

the Makah Tribe and NOAA Fisheries. The US 

Integrated Ocean Observing System has provided 

additional support to the University of Washington, 

the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean 

Observing Systems and NOAA Fisheries. NCCOS 

grant support runs through 2022 and efforts are 
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

underway to transition the Bulletin to operations at 

NANOOS to ensure continued delivery of trusted 

PNW HAB Bulletin forecasts to managers.

Oregon Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula). 

Image credit: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Timely PNW Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Bulletins, 

the result of a NOAA-funded pilot and good 

results from state shellfish toxin testing, helped 

the Quinault Indian Nation and Washington State 

Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) decide to 

allow limited Spring razor clam digs in the spring 

of 2021. This decision resulted in the first instance 

of public access to this prized shellfish resource 

since the fall of 2020, when all clamming beaches 

in Washington and Oregon were closed due to a 

HAB event. WDFW estimated 27,850 participants 

enjoyed recreational razor clam digging at one 

beach in just six days.

Project URL: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/hab-bulletinsupports-quinault-tribal-access-to-razor-clams-after-algal-toxin-closure/

Hurricane Glider project maximizes 2020 

hurricane season subsurface ocean 

observing activities

A cooperative effort to gather ocean data in 

support of hurricane forecasting experienced 

its most successful year yet in 2020, gathering 

163,000 glider profiles over 3,600 “glider days” (1 

glider at sea for 1 day). Data from gliders improves 

the representation of specific ocean features, such 

as cold pools, which are known to affect hurricane 

intensity. When these features are correctly 

represented in coupled hurricane models, forecasts 

of tropical cyclone intensity are greatly improved. 

Since 2017, NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean 

Observing System (IOOS) Office has collaborated 

with OAR’s Atlantic Oceanographic and 

Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) to lead a project 

among 15+ partner institutions — including NOAA, 

the U.S. Navy, and IOOS Regional Associations — 

that uses autonomous underwater gliders to gather 

temperature and salinity profiles that elucidate 

the ocean’s role in hurricane intensity. Glider data 

are delivered each time the glider surfaces, and 

transmitted in near-real time via the IOOS Glider 

Data Assembly Center to the GTS from where it is 

integrated into hurricane forecast models.

Deployed glider collecting profiles of water 

temperature and salinity during the 2020 

hurricane season. Image credit: Dan Mele

FY 2021 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

IOOS Regional Associations, with OAR and 

Navy partners, collected the largest number 

of autonomous in-situ observations to date in 

support of hurricane forecasting improvements: 

163,000 glider profiles and 3,600 glider days.

Project URL: https://gliders.ioos.us/
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

Applying new research and automating 

Satellite Derived Bathymetry

Beginning in 2016, NOAA’s National Geodetic 

Survey (NGS) began collaboration efforts between 

the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 

(NCCOS) and the Office of Coast Survey (OCS) to 

create a user friendly Satellite Derived Bathymetry 

(SDB) tool that would provide consistent and quick 

results utilizing new research from NOS scientists 

and their partners. Since 2016, progress has 

been made to incorporate “a robust atmospheric 

correction, a multi-scene compositing method 

to reduce the impact of turbidity and a switching 

model to improve mapping in shallow water” to 

improve upon a past SDB algorithm (Stumpf et al. 

2003). In tandem with this effort, NGS has been 

working with NCCOS to develop a framework and 

began developing the NOAA SatBathy tool.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT:

NGS began creating the framework and creation 

of the SatBathy tool.

Peer reviewed journal article URL: Caballero & Stumpf 2020 Remote 

Sensing https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/3/451

Detecting, Monitoring, and 

Mitigating Impacts of Chemical 

and Biological Stressors on 

Coastal Ecosystems

Below are four highlighted scientific projects by 

NCCOS and OR&R researchers and their partners, 

which are focused on detecting, monitoring, and 

mitigating the impacts of chemical and biological 

stressors in coastal systems. 

Field-based mesocosms: in situ 

deployments for assessing impacts of 

chemical spills in coastal areas

The NCCOS Ecotoxicology Branch designed, 

engineered, and validated a system of fielddeployed mesocosms for use by NOAA’s Office 

of Response and Restoration (OR&R) in assessing 

oil or other chemical spill impacts. The system will 

serve as a rapid-response tool for determining 

chemical effects on fish and invertebrates, 

and addresses a critical need to collect data 

immediately after a spill. Researchers tested 

different enclosure designs to select a preferred 

model based on performance, durability, ease 

of use, and portability. The preferred design was 

tested using two common estuarine organisms 

(grass shrimp and mummichogs) in the laboratory 

(in Charleston) and in the field (Southeastern and 

Gulf Coasts). This technology was transferred 

to OR&R via a Standard Operating Procedure, 

a StoryMap describing purpose, design, 

construction, and usage of the systems, and three 

sets of field enclosures. 

Oregon SDB created Inlet (Oct 2020) using 

NGS’ new pre-alpha SatBathy tool v1.0 based 

on research from NCCOS. Image credit: NOAA/NOS/NGS.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

Field deployed mesocosms (outdoor 

experimental systems) at Rincon Bayou in 

the Nueces Delta near Corpus Christi, Texas. 

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Harris, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Field-based Mesocosms: Construction and 

Deployment story map, which is intended as an 

instructional manual to guide you through the methods 

of construction and deployment of a field mesocosm. 

Project Story Map: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/

c1401f79e2364d3ab6dabfceefcc6a02

Project URL: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/field-basedmesocosms-in-situ-deployments-for-assessing-impacts-of-chemical-spillsin-coastal-areas/

AWARDS: 

A nomination was submitted for B. West for an 

NOS Team Member of the Year Award.

Research Paper on Influence of Copepod 

Grazers on HAB Toxicity Deemed One of 

Special Significance by Expert Faculty 

Opinion Group

A research paper, supported by NCCOS, measuring 

the metabolic cost to the red tide dinoflagellate 

Alexandrium to defend itself against predation 

(consumption) has been recommended by the 

prestigious Faculty Opinions as one of special 

significance in its field. The recommendation notifies 

others in the field of study, and beyond, that the 

paper is considered exciting and highly important 

emerging research. The research presents a novel 

framework to incorporate the cost of defense in 

toxin-producing prey/predator relationship models. 

Documenting such costs scientifically has proven 

very difficult, especially for chemical defenses such 

as toxins used by phytoplankton vulnerable to 

grazing by zooplankton. 

Chain of Alexandrium catenella cells. 

Image credit: Brian Bill, NOAA Fisheries

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal 

Society B, measured a potential direct fitness cost of 

copepod grazer-induced toxin production in a harmful 

algal bloom (HAB) dinoflagellate prey (Alexandrium 

catenella) using relative gene expression of a cell 

division gene that correlates to cell growth; previous 

experimental work has failed to clearly detect 

such induced defense cost in toxic phytoplankton.

Peer-Reviewed Publication: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/

abs/10.1098/rspb.2020.2480

Project URL: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/research-paperdeemed-one-of-special-significance-by-influential-faculty-opinions-group/

AWARDS: 

The research paper was highlighted in prestigious 

Faculty Opinions as one of special significance in 

its field.

Acute Polychlorinated Biphenyl Benthic 

Invertebrate Toxicity Testing to Support 

the 2017 Chronic Dose–Response 

Sediment Injury Model

OR&R and NCCOS researchers completed acute 

aquatic toxicity testing with polychlorinated 

biphenyls (PCBs) using three estuarine 

invertebrates and multiple lethal endpoints. The 
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

new acute injury tests confirmed that an important 

injury assessment model in 2017 derived with 

chronic toxicity data was valid and a 1.0 μg/g 

chronic PCB sediment criterion is a reasonable 

estimation of potential benthic invertebrate injury. 

The new data and improved sediment injury model 

is expected to be applied at hazardous waste site 

damage assessments across the country.

PCB contamination is high in water bodies 

such as the Housatonic River and New Bedford 

Harbor in Massachusetts. 

Image credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

A key sediment injury model was improved and 

is more defensible for use in Natural Resource 

Damage Assessments (NRDAs) across the country.

Peer Reviewed Publication: https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

doi/10.1002/etc.4977

Project URL: https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/noaa-studyfeatured-journal-environmental-toxicology-and-chemistry

New Interface in the GNOME Oil Spill 

Model for Modeling Suspected Oil Spills 

Detected in Satellite Imagery

The General NOAA Operational Modeling 

Environment (GNOME) model is used by OR&R

researchers for predicting the movement of 

pollutants, like oil, spilled in coastal waterways. 

This information is used to support emergency 

response actions undertaken to mitigate the 

impacts of spills on marine resources. Through 

a partnership with the Bureau of Safety and 

Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), development 

work in FY21 integrated the use of operational 

Marine Pollution Surveillance Reports produced 

by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite Data 

and Information Service (NESDIS) in the GNOME 

model. These satellite-based analyses are 

derived from monitoring of U.S. coastal waters 

for anomalous features in satellite imagery that 

are believed to have resulted from an accidental 

or intentional crude oil discharge.These reports 

can now be loaded directly via the WebGNOME 

interface to initialize a spill and model its transport.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Integrated the use of operational Marine Pollution 

Surveillance Reports produced by NOAA NESDIS 

into the GNOME model for oil spills.

Project URL: https://gnome.orr.noaa.gov/

Top panel: A map view from WebGNOME, 

showing currents moving the oil in a 

simulated spill. Bottom panel: Oil fate 

(weathering) view from WebGNOME, 

showing an oil budget for a simulated spill. 

Image credit: NOAA/NOS/ORR.
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Ecosystem Science for 

Conservation and Sustainable 

Use

Below are six highlighted scientific projects by 

NCCOS, ONMS, and OCS researchers and their 

partners, which are focused on ecosystem science 

for conservation and sustainable use of coastal 

systems. 

RESTORE Council Monitoring and 

Assessment Program (CMAP): A 

Comprehensive Monitoring Network

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council4 

Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP), 

administered by NOAA (with support from 

NCCOS) and the US Geological Survey (USGS), 

developed foundational components for a Gulf of 

Mexico-wide monitoring network to support the 

Council in making science-based decisions and 

evaluating restoration effectiveness. Programmatic 

4 This council, also referred to as the RESTORE Council, was 

established by the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist 

Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act 

(RESTORE Act).

metadata for 544 Gulf of Mexico water quality 

and habitat monitoring and mapping programs 

were assembled into a database that was the 

foundation for a web-accessible data discovery 

and visualization tool. The information provides 

the best available science for RESTORE Council 

restoration activities and supports broader Gulf 

of Mexico restoration, monitoring and research 

communities by providing a single access point for 

monitoring metadata.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Updates to and maintenance of the monitoring 

metadata database.

Project URL: https://restorethegulf.gov/cmap

AWARDS: 

Contract staff have won the NCCOS Peer Recognition 

Special Achievement Award. The project Team 

has been nominated for a NOAA Bronze Medal.

Improved geospatial tools for vibrio and 

harmful algal bloom risk assessment for 

the Alaska shellfish mariculture industry 

and coastal communities

Alaska communities face ongoing and increasing 

climate change-driven threats for public health 

and shellfish mariculture operations from vibrio 

and paralytic shellfish poisoning caused by 

Vibrio bacteria and harmful algal blooms (HABs) 

of Alexandrium phytoplankton species. To help 

communities and managers assess risks for 

shellfish consumption and more efficiently target 

Vibrio monitoring and HAB toxin efforts, NCCOS

developed pilot Alaska vibrio and HAB risk 

assessment products from high resolution, satellite 

sea surface temperature imagery. The web-based, 

geospatial tools build on previous NCCOS Alaska 

research and monitoring efforts to identify Vibrio

species and quantify relationships between water 

temperature and Alexandrium blooms. The pilot 

risk assessment products are being tested by 

state, federal, Alaska Native tribal and academic 

stakeholders, including through the multi-agency 

Alaska HAB Network, and NCCOS will refine the 

product in response to user feedback. 

RESTORE Council Monitoring and 

Assessment Program Area of Interest (within 

aqua line). Image credit: NOAA.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

NCCOS researchers testing for Vibrio

parahaemolyticus in the laboratory to 

examine its effects on Pacific northwest and 

Alaskan shellfish. Image credit: NOAA.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Pilot satellite-based Vibrio and HAB risk 

assessment products provided for Alaska shellfish 

mariculture operators, resource managers and 

community harvesters. 

Marine Sanctuaries Respond to and 

Prepare for Stony Coral Tissue Loss 

Disease 

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), a new 

outbreak which causes rapid death in roughly 

half of all Caribbean coral species, including 

endangered and rare species, has spread 

throughout the Florida Reef tract and to 20 

Caribbean countries and territories. Since 2014, 

this disease has expanded throughout the western 

Atlantic, including the Florida Keys National Marine 

Sanctuary (FKNMS), U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto 

Rico, and recently emerged in the Dry Tortugas 

as of May 2021. It has yet to be detected in the 

the remote reefs of the Flower Garden Banks 

National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) or in the 

Indo-Pacific region. However, the number of 

susceptible coral species present and high coral 

cover at the Flower Gardens (over 50%) suggest 

this location may be hit hard, should the disease 

ever reach the Sanctuary. Given the proliferation 

of this disease, NOAA’s Office of National 

Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), NOAA’s Coral Reef 

Conservation Program (CRCP), and partners are 

working to find solutions and minimize damage to 

coral reefs. NOS staff have partnered with regional 

organizations to develop a cooperative network 

among 20 Caribbean countries and territories 

that works to build disease response capacity and 

to share information on the status of the disease 

and lessons learned on efforts to address it. In 

Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, 

partners from federal, state, and local agencies, 

nongovernmental organizations, universities, and 

members of the community are collaborating 

in response. Scientific activities have included 

compiling a case definition, over 100 environmental 

and epidemiological studies, development of gear 

disinfection protocols to prevent further spread, 

the development and application of specially 

designed treatments to save diseased corals, 

rescue efforts to preserve genetic diversity, and 

Rapid mortality progression in a brain coral colony (Pseudodiploria strigosa) on the Florida reef tract. 

Image credit: Brian Reckenbiel/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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coral propagation and outplanting trials to guide 

future restoration efforts. Building on knowledge 

gained within the FKNMS, FGBNMS established a 

comprehensive SCTLD prevention and response 

plan. The plan includes prevention, education, 

preparedness, early warning, response, and 

intervention strategies, which could help prevent 

disease spread within the sanctuary and allow for a 

rapid and effective response should the need arise. 

NOAA has released a strategy for the response 

to SCTLD. The high-level strategy provides a 

framework and focus for ongoing efforts to slow 

the spread of the disease across the Atlantic and 

Caribbean regions and to prevent and prepare 

for the possible spread of the disease into the 

FGBNMS and the Indo-Pacific region in support 

of resilient coastal ecosystems, communities, and 

economies nationwide. The strategy will inform 

a national implementation plan to understand, 

respond to, and mitigate the disease.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and its 

partners have implemented a comprehensive, 

science-based response to Stony Coral Tissue 

Loss Disease in the Florida Keys, and FGBNMS is 

using that experience to prevent, but prepare for 

the possibility of infection. 

Project URL (Florida Keys): https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/coral-disease/

disease.html

Project URL (Flower Gardens NMS): https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/

science/conservation/east-west-flower-garden-banks-long-termmonitoring-2019.html

Development of an Arc online mapping 

tool to track coral health and conservation 

for Caribbean NPS parks.

Monitoring conducted by the National Park 

Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program, 

South Florida Caribbean Network and NCCOS 

staff observations at individual park units, have 

identified coral disease as the primary cause 

of coral loss at NPS coral reef park units over 

the last 10 years, and the spread of disease is 

on the rise. In the last several years, there has 

been an unprecedented outbreak of several 

diseases distributed across multiple coral species 

over a wide geographic area. Response to this 

disease outbreak has included monitoring, coral 

rescue, research, and intervention. This project 

developed an Arc online mapping tool, the Coral 

Conservation and Management Dashboard, for 

Southeast coral reef parks to be used by park 

staff to track these efforts in a manner that allows 

visualization or searching for particular activities 

within or across parks. The tool includes coral 

species and associated health and disease 

measures needed to understand what actions are 

occurring where and to track the status of multiple 

coral diseases.

Selected view (coral disease) of the NPS Coral 

Conservation and Management Dashboard.

 Image credit NOAA/NOS/NCCOS.
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FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

The online mapping tool was demonstrated 

virtually to over 100 participants from the National 

Park Service and others, including international 

participants in March 2021.

Presentation on the Coral Conservation and Management Dashboard:

https://noaacsc.adobeconnect.com/p641siag2sa5/

Project URL: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/nccos-spatialanalysis-products-get-shoutouts-at-federal-gis-conference/

Assessment and decision support for 

North Carolina artificial reefs

The North Carolina Artificial Reef Program 

manages 43 ocean artificial reefs, intended 

to supplement existing natural reefs, enhance 

fisheries, and improve the recreational fishing 

experience. These artificial reefs include 

intentionally sunk structures, such as ships, 

concrete pipes, and reef balls, and are defined 

as Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) because they 

likely function as nursery, foraging, and spawning 

grounds, as well as refuge and nearshore 

connectivity corridors. Collectively, these reefs 

provide habitat for a diversity of commercially 

and recreationally important fish species that 

fishers of NC depend upon and that divers come 

to see. A three-year NCCOS study addresses 

six research needs related to artificial reefs, 

nearby natural reefs, and their associated fish 

communities: 1) Evaluate temporal changes in fish 

assemblages on artificial reefs and natural reefs; 

2) Determine connectivity between artificial reefs 

and nearby natural reefs; 3) Create a reference 

tool to guide new enhancement decision-making 

toward positive biological impacts ; 4) Develop 

indicators for assessing fish utilization of strategic 

coastal habitats, including artificial and natural 

reefs; 5) Develop fisheries-independent indices of 

abundance for the snapper-grouper complex, and 

6) Evaluate movement of snapper-grouper at state 

and regional level with tagging studies.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Collected and analyzed data on seafloor habitat 

structure, fish communities, and the reefs that they 

occupy using visual and acoustic methods.

Project URL: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/living-shipwrecks3d-virtually-explore-north-carolinas-shipwrecks-and-marine-life/

Multibeam Survey of Small Topographic 

Features to Determine Efficacy of Current 

“No Activity Zones”

ONMS staff from the Flower Garden Banks 

National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) successfully 

coordinated with NOAA’s Office of Coast 

Survey (OCS) and Office of Marine and Aviation 

Operations to collect high resolution multibeam 

bathymetry of 14 reefs and banks in the 

Northwestern Gulf of Mexico (313.3 mi2). This data 

collection effort completed a five-year endeavor 

by Flower Garden Banks NMS to map 19 reefs and 

banks (341.6 mi2). The work was carried out under 

an Interagency Agreement (IA) between FGBNMS 

Left panel: An image of the Bluefields shipwreck (offshore, North Carolina seafloor) from the 

NCCOS Living Shipwrecks 3D Viewer. Right panel: A diver examines marine life along a North 

Carolina shipwreck. Image credits: NOAA/NOS/NCCOS; Tane Casserly, NOAA.
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and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

(BOEM) to collect multibeam data in the region, 

and supported BOEM’s objective to reassess the 

efficacy of “No Activity Zones” (NAZs) currently in 

place to protect biological resources from harmful 

impacts from oil and gas industry activities. The 

current NAZ boundaries were mapped using 

now out-of-date bathymetric data available in the 

1970s. Modern bathymetric mapping methods 

result in far superior levels of resolution, and have 

revealed areas of high biological potential outside 

of the current NAZs, portions of which are now 

within the newly expanded FGBNMS. 

Multibeam survey images of Gulf of Mexico small topographic features (Adeline and Alaminos 

Banks) taken by the hydrographic survey vessel, NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson. Image credit: NOAA.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Successful collection of valuable high resolution 

multibeam data for 19 reefs and banks in the 

Northwestern Gulf of Mexico, through a coordinated 

effort between multiple NOAA offices and BOEM.

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Mapping Projects 

2017-2020 Report: https://nmsflowergarden.blob.core.windows.net/

flowergarden-prod/media/archive/doc/reports/mappingprojectreport.pdf
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Resilience and Adaptation to 

Inundation and Climate Impacts

Below are five highlighted scientific projects by 

NCCOS and OCM researchers and their partners, 

which are focused on resilience and adaptation to 

inundation and climate impacts in coastal systems. 

Coastal managers use model results and a 

story map from a NOAA funded project to 

evaluate the vulnerability of San Francisco 

Bay tidal marshes to inform restoration.

This NCCOS-supported project, funded by the 

NOAA Effects of Sea Level Rise (ESLR) research 

program and led by scientists at Oregon State 

University and USGS, enhanced an ecosystem 

model that projects how sea-level rise may affect 

tidal marshes in the San Francisco Bay-Delta 

including their long-term elevation and capacity for 

carbon sequestration. This project produced results 

at a regional scale that are assisting local partners 

in making natural resource management decisions. 

For example, the San Francisco Bay National 

Research Reserve is using these results to better 

understand impacts of SLR and other changing 

environmental conditions (e.g., salinity, sediment, 

and vegetation) on their managed wetlands. The 

Delta Stewardship Council has integrated these 

results into their Delta climate change planning 

work. Finally, the Sonoma Land Trust is using this 

information for their long-term planning of the 

Petaluma River watershed, including informing land 

acquisition and restoration plans. 

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

In FY21, an NCCOS-led Story Map was published 

that will allow coastal managers to understand the 

science and visually evaluate wetland vulnerability 

to SLR, continuing to influence how marshes are 

managed in the region, as described above.

Story Map: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/

stories/768622e923024ef19a211b5073af0e2b

Project URL: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/story-map-highlightsmarsh-vulnerability-in-san-francisco-bay-delta-estuary/

Screen grab from the Story Map, “Marsh Vulnerability in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary” that 

includes SLR predictions throughout specific tidal marsh systems. Image credit: NOAA/NOS/NCCOS.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

Testing Intervention Strategies to Enhance 

Coral Resilience to Climate Change

As a result of a National Academies of Sciences, 

Engineering, and Medicine recommendation to 

review and evaluate potential novel ecological 

and genetic coral interventions, the Coral Reef 

Conservation Program (CRCP), overseen by 

NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (OCM), is 

supporting work identified in NOAA’s Action Plan 

to increase coral resilience to climate change. 

The plan encompasses four actions for the 

agency: (1) research and test priority interventions, 

(2) develop local or regional structured decision 

support, (3) review policy implications of coral 

interventions, and (4) invest in infrastructure, 

research, and coordination. This action plan 

delineates the steps NOAA aspires to undertake 

in the near term toward continued persistence 

and conservation of coral reef systems. Examples 

include research on thermotolerant symbiotic 

algae, novel imaging from Structure-from-Motion 

photogrammetry to model coral population 

growth, and innovative rescue efforts in response 

to stony coral tissue loss disease.

CoralNet is a software package that uses 

artificial intelligence to analyze benthic 

photos to classify corals. Image credit: NOAA Fisheries.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Several study results guide progress to enhance 

coral resilience to climate change.

Program Office: NOS/OCM/CRCP and CRCP matrix partners (NMFS/

PIFSC, NMFS/SEFSC, NMFS/SERO)

NOAA Technical Memo: https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/

TMSPO208.pdf

Developing Tidal Wetland Adaptation 

strategies in Southern California, including 

the Tijuana National Estuarine Research 

Reserve

A team of scientists supported by NCCOS and 

USGS, including the California State Coastal 

Conservancy, University of California Davis, 

Environmental Science Associates, Blue Point 

Conservation Science, Southern California 

Coastal Water Research Project, San Francisco 

Estuary Institute, Tijuana River National Estuarine 

Research Reserve, and University of Southern 

California Sea Grant, advanced coastal marsh 

modeling in Southern California, in partnership 

with local natural resources managers. The 

team then held workshops with members of 

the Southern California Wetlands Recovery 

Project (WRP) to develop definitions, maps, and 

restoration guidance on wetland transition zones 

to ensure restoration planning activities are 

resilient to sea level rise. WRP includes 18 state 

and federal agencies focused on restoration 

and protection of wetland habitats between 

Santa Barbara County and Mexico. The team 

delivered restoration guidance products to 

WRP’s Marsh Adaptation Planning Tool (MAPT) 

and hosted meetings to present model results to 

WRP members and receive feedback to improve 

the utility of the outputs; leading to Los Cerritos 

wetlands including transition zone restoration 

guidance in their restoration plans, Goleta Slough 

wetlands identifying the need for a restoration 

project, Los Penasquitos Lagoon including 

modeling results into the north parking lot climate 

adaptation project, and the Tijuana Estuary Tidal 

Restoration Program including modeling results 

into their restoration project. 
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

The Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project (SCWRP) Marsh Adaptation Planning Tool provides 

a platform for high-quality geospatial datasets, maps, and information to facilitate acquisition and 

restoration of rivers, streams, and wetlands in coastal Southern California. Image credit: SCWRP.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Updated an existing marsh restoration guidance 

tool and train natural resource managers on the 

updated information and improved definitions 

for wetland transition zones, leading to an online 

application

Project URL: www.ourcoastourfuture.org; https://coastalscience.noaa.

gov/project/tidal-wetlands-adaptation-strategies-southern-california/

A Tool for Finding the Right Living 

Shoreline for You

When coastal landowners along the Gulf of Mexico 

see signs of shoreline erosion, they can now turn 

to a new online tool for recommendations on how 

to protect their property and coastal resources at 

the same time with a living shoreline. A project 

team from Troy University, Geological Survey of 

Alabama, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Virginia 

Institute of Marine Science, funded by NOAA’s 

RESTORE Science Program (overseen through 

NCCOS), has customized a computer model for 

simulating the suitability of using a living shoreline 

to specific locations along the Gulf Coast. The 

The Living Shoreline Decision Support Tool is a query-based tool designed to recommend shoreline 

best management practices. Image credit: Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
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2021 NOS SCIENCE REPORT Preparedness & Risk Reduction

interactive, online decision support tool is linked 

to the customized models so that accessing 

the models’ results is easy. This model and tool 

combination will help promote the wise use of 

living shoreline protection options by federal and 

state agencies, homeowners, marine contractors, 

natural resource managers, and city planners. A 

living shoreline uses native vegetation alone, or in 

combination with stone, sand, or other structural 

and organic materials, to stabilize a shoreline 

while also letting natural functions take place. 

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Following extensive engagement with end 

users, the project team completed a computer 

model for assessing the suitability of a site for 

construction of a living shoreline customized 

to sites in Alabama (Perdido Bay/Wolf Bay/Ono 

Island Complex), Louisiana (Lake Pontchartrain), 

and, Texas (Galveston Bay) and packaged it in an 

interactive decision support tool that allows for a 

rapid assessment by government agencies, home 

owners, marine contractors, and others.

Project URL: https://cmap2.vims.edu/LivingShoreline/

DecisionSupportTool/index.html

Web Story URLs: https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/

miscellaneous/a-tool-for-finding-the-right-living-shoreline-for-you, https://

restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/projects/living-shoreline-tool

Uncovering Corals Resilient to Climate 

Change

Climate data collection via the National Coral Reef 

Monitoring Program and ONMS has shown that 

two key coral species in the Flower Garden Banks 

(FGB) National Marine Sanctuary, Pseudodiploria 

strigosa and Orbicella faveolata, have increased 

calcification, an outlier to a trend of live coral 

cover loss throughout western Atlantic reefs. The 

FGB in the Gulf of Mexico are high-latitude, remote 

coral reefs that have maintained ≥ 50% coral cover 

since at least 1989. Observations from coral cores 

for these two species of interest have shown 

increased linear extensions and calcification 

rates (with no change in skeletal density) over a 

57 year period. These findings for both species 

were negatively correlated with discharge from 

the Atchafalaya River, but positively correlated 

with maximum sea surface temperatures (SSTs). 

This study provides evidence that runoff from the 

Atchafalaya River impacts corals at the FGB and 

is a major control on their growth at the sanctuary, 

while their increased growth can be attributed to 

the significant warming trend in maximum monthly 

SSTs. This study provides further evidence 

that some high-latitude, cooler reef sites have 

experienced a stimulation in coral growth with 

ocean warming.

However, given the warming trend and recent 

increase in coral bleaching severity at FGB, the 

prognosis is that bleaching events will become 

more deleterious with time, which will lead to a 

breakdown in the positive relationship between 

coral growth and maximum SST. 

Photographs of (a) parrotfish and 

Pseudodiploria strigosa coral colonies 

at east Flower Garden Bank and (b) 

computerized tomography (CT) images of 

cores for P. strigosa. CT images illustrate 

clear annual banding.

Images from: Manzello et al. 2021, Coral Reefs, Springer.

FY21 ACCOMPLISHMENT: 

Several study results guide progress to enhance 

coral resilience to climate change.

Program Office: NOS/OCM/CRCP and CRCP matrix partner OAR/AOML

Peer-reviewed journal article URL: https://link.springer.com/

article/10.1007/s00338-021-02108-8