Gallery

Clouds looming over vessels at anchor in Lower Chesapeake Bay.

Clouds looming over vessels at anchor in the Lower Chesapeake Bay near Cape Charles, Virginia. Credit: LT John Kidd, NOAA

Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet (USN, Ret.), NOAA assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, swears in new members of the Hydrographic Services Review Panel: Capt. Anuj Chopra, Deanne Hargrave, Capt. Ann Kinner at the Hall of States in Washington, DC.

Photo shows (from left to right) CAPT Benjamin K. Evans, CDR Samuel Greenaway, CDR Olivia Hauser, CAPT Jeffrey Taylor all in uniform, standing in front of NOAA Ship Rainier

NOAA Ship Rainier held a change of command ceremony on Friday, April 9, 2021, honoring the outstanding work of outgoing Commanding Officer CDR Samuel Greenaway and welcoming incoming Commanding Officer CDR Oliva Hauser, who is poised for successful command. Photo from left to right: CAPT Benjamin K. Evans, CDR Samuel Greenaway, CDR Olivia Hauser, CAPT Jeffrey Taylor

NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler assisting the U.S. Coast Guard relocate buoy number 30 in York Spit channel

NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler recently assisted the U.S. Coast Guard with the relocation of an adrift buoy

Sunset near Cape Charles

This photo shows a 3-D view of Monterey Canyon, Davidson Seamount, and Shepard Meander.

Bathymetric data collected by surveys help create underwater geologic maps. This photo shows a 3-D view of Monterey Canyon, Davidson Seamount, and Shepard Meander. Image ID: map00164, Voyage To Inner Space - Exploring the Seas With NOAA Collect

A calm body of water the foreground (Kaguyak Bay, AK), grassy mountains and a layer of fog in the middleground, and a yellow sunset in the background

Sunset lights up the fog of Kodiak Island from Kaguyak Bay, AK

View of NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler from an autonomous underwater vehicle.

Image shows a benchmark (metal circle engraved with 'National Ocean Service' and 'Bench Mark') - used in tidal gauge set-up

During tidal gauge set-up, a set of tidal benchmarks are installed around the gauge site so that water level data collected by the gauge can be reduced to the tidal datum used for NOAA's hydrographic survey operations. Establishing benchmark permanence is vital for surveying.

Buoy number thirty floats in the distance in the York Spit channel

NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler recently assisted the U.S. Coast Guard with the relocation of an adrift buoy

Up close photo of buoy number 30 in the York Spit channel

NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler recently assisted the U.S. Coast Guard with the relocation of an adrift buoy

NOAA Ship Rainier launch recovery after a day of surveying off the coast of San Miguel Island, California.

An orange and red sky during sunset with clouds on the right side of the frame, over the dark ocean water

Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico during NOAA survey

Photo is a section of chart 11309, showing a small cove (Shamrock cove) east of Shamrock Island

Just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day! Chart 11309 shows Shamrock Cove, just east of Shamrock Island in Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. This area is reported to be one of the best fishing spots in the bay.

Navigation response team - Stennis have arrived in Port Fourchon, Louisiana to assist with channel survey (blue emergency operations pick up truck pull a small boat next to the water)

This week we saw Hurricane Ida make landfall as a Category 4 storm impacting Southeast Louisiana. One of the primary missions for Coast Survey is to help speed up the reopening of ports after natural disasters. Navigation response team - Stennis have arrived in Port Fourchon, Louisiana to assist with a channel survey in coordination with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and then will move on to a full multibeam survey of the port itself. In addition, we have mobilized two additional teams to survey Houma and Morgan City.

A lookout on NOAA Ship Fairweather observes the waters of Puget Sound, Washington. Photo Credit: LCDR Damian Manda

A yellow kayak glides toward a wall of ice in Alaska

Kayak action shot in Holkham Bay, Alaska (summer 2018)

The photo shows calm waters in the foreground, dark trees in the middle ground and a yellow/pink sunset over Mt. St. Elias in the background

A brilliant sunset over Mt. St. Elias is seen from Monti Bay, AK

Sea otters at play as the sun rises over Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Photo credit: Grant Froelich (NOAA), taken from NOAA Ship Rainier.

This is an electronic navigational chart created on the NOAA Custom Chart Tool and zooms in to an ENC in the Great Lakes.

113 years ago, the LCA, a trade association representing the Great Lakes fleet, created recommended courses to ensure navigation safety and regulate traffic in waterways on the lakes. In 1970, NOAA took over the charting of the region from the United States Lake Survey and included these courses on its charts. Today, Coast Survey plays a large role in transferring these paper charts to NOAA’s electronic navigational charts like the one shown here.

Change of Command 2021

A boat sits in the center of the frame surrounded by the waters of the South Channel of Lake Huron

Coast Survey’s Navigation Response Team-New London assists in the Hydrographic Systems and Technology Branch aerial drone testing for shoreline verification missions in the South Channel of Lake Huron

U.S. Coast Guard Boat on the York Spit channel

NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler recently assisted the U.S. Coast Guard with the relocation of an adrift buoy

The image shows Coast Surveys Hurricane Ida response by describing the 96 linear nautical miles surveyed at Bayou LaFourche and Port Fourchon and 137 linear nautical miles surveyed at Houma Navigation Canal. The graphic also shows the 167 (Bayou LaFourche and Port Fourchon) and 30 (Houma Navigation Canal) obstructions reported.

Here are the number of miles surveyed and obstructions found by NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey following the landfall of Hurricane Ida along the Louisiana coast on August 29, 2021. Response to hurricane damage began August 31 and wrapped up on September 5. Great work to all involved!

NOAA Coast Survey cartographers and Montgomery College alum, John Whiddon and Paul Gionis, head back to campus to discuss NOAA GIS and employment opportunities with the current students, faculty, and other attendees of Montgomery College Rockville Campus GIS Day.

Rusty, the mascot for the NOAA ship Explorer in 1949, may not have scored points in obedience, but he served honorably under the command of Captain H. Arnold Karo until he was "riffed." #NationalDogDay

Image of York Spit channel chart where buoy number 30 was recovered (left), where it belongs (upper right) and where it was secured (lower right)

NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler recently assisted the U.S. Coast Guard with the relocation of an adrift buoy

orts aftNavigation response team - Stennis have arrives in Port Fourchon, Louisiana (truck pulling a boat toward the water pictured)

This week we saw Hurricane Ida make landfall as a Category 4 storm impacting Southeast Louisiana. One of the primary missions for Coast Survey is to help speed up the reopening of ports after natural disasters. Navigation response team - Stennis have arrived in Port Fourchon, Louisiana to assist with a channel survey in coordination with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and then will move on to a full multibeam survey of the port itself. In addition, we have mobilized two additional teams to survey Houma and Morgan City.

Coast Survey canine coworkers in honor of #NationalDogDay

Tips for Boating Clean and Green

Mobile mapping laser scanner (lidar) image of a ocal tug testing its fire-fighting capabilities.

Mobile mapping laser scanner (lidar) data acquired by NOAA hydrographic survey contractor, David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA), as part of a high-resolution hydrographic survey of the lower Mississippi River in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and the entrance to Southwest Pass. The vessel based mobile laser scanning data was used to update traditional shoreline and nearshore features, as well as heights of bridges and overhead cables that could pose a hazard to surface navigation. The image provides an example of the extreme level of detail that was achieved, catching a local tug testing its fire-fighting capabilities off of Milan Street Wharf in New Orleans.

Image shows an Electronic Navigational Chart of the full Lake Tahoe area

Lake Tahoe Electronic Navigational Chart