NOAA: Making Waves

This week, NOAA and partners announce a restoration plan for shoreline and habitats of the Delaware River damaged by a 2004 oil spill. The plan is now up for public comment. And we travel to the Florida Keys to find out why NOS researchers are studying lobster trap debris.

In this special New Years episode, we take a look back at some of the major NOS accomplishments of 2008.

How does the National Ocean Service help Santa on his journey around the country? Tune in to this special holiday edition to find out.

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. And find out what teams in coastal states around the nation are doing to help communities develop in a way that preserves water quality, protects natural areas, and improves quality of life.

Toxins from red tides are showing up in bottlenose dolphins in higher-than-expected amounts. We'll find out what's going on. We'll also tell you why you should cross coral jewelry off of your shopping list this holiday season.

This week, we talk about a new national system of marine protected areas. Then we go to California to look at what three marine sanctuaries are up to there. The boundaries of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of the three, just expanded to include a huge underwater mountain.

What does the National Ocean Service have to do with your Thanksgiving dinner? We bring you the answer in this special holiday edition of Making Waves.

This week, the head of the NOS traveled to Florida for the first-ever Coastal Cities Summit hosted by the International Ocean Institute. We also take a look at the devastating harmful algal bloom in New England. Finally, we talk about the latest case to come through the lab in the NOS Marine Forensics Program--and we take a closer look at what this program is all about.

This week, we bring you news about a recent expedition to map an unknown sea floor in the Arctic. Then we travel to California, where staff of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary work to prevent ships from striking blue whales in the Santa Barbara Channel. Finally, we head down to Texas to talk about a new digital map of underwater vegetation in the Coastal Bend region near Corpus Christi.

This week, we talk about NOAA's role in a new public-private partnership called the 'EcoZone Green Schools Initiative.' Then we look at the busiest year on record for the NOS Office of Response and Restoration, the NOAA office that responds to oil and chemical spills around the nation. Finally, we talk about a National Geodetic Survey effort to revolutionize the measurement of height by measuring gravity around the country. We wrap up the episode with a closer look at how gravity and height are related.