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Seagrass beds are an integral part of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem—they stabilize the sediment and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But what happens to seagrass and the marine life that rely on it when the environment changes? And how do those relationships differ across the Gulf of Mexico?
Peaking through coastal marsh grasses, a ruby red eye is barely discernible. Tucked into the heavy cover of the high marsh is a bird so elusive that researchers have dubbed it a “secretive marsh bird.” But the black rail is not only secretive, it’s rare. The species was federally listed as threatened in 2020. This … Continue reading
When thinking about the Gulf of Mexico, coastal resources tend to come to mind: oysters, beaches, wetlands. However, there is a whole other set of resources and ecosystem services offshore in the open ocean that make the Gulf of Mexico such a dynamic and productive ecosystem. With support from the NOAA RESTORE Science Program, Tracey … Continue reading
Did you know the brown seaweed that washes up at the beach is a biologically important habitat? With support from the NOAA RESTORE Science Program, a team led by Dr. Frank Hernandez is searching for this seaweed, also known as sargassum, in the Gulf of Mexico and gaining a better understanding of its importance to … Continue reading
Did you know the same data used to create weather forecasts can also be used for migratory bird conservation? Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Southern Mississippi, University of Delaware, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with support for the NOAA RESTORE Science Program are pairing weather radar data with one … Continue reading
Researchers, through a project funded by the NOAA Restore Science Program, are exploring the connections between different coral communities that live in deepwater and low light (mesophotic) habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. These researchers are looking at the genes in four coral species to find out the family relationship between corals of the same … Continue reading
Update: The Bryde’s whale was designated as an endangered species in 2019 and determined to be genetically distinct from the Bryde’s whale in 2021. It is now named the Rice’s whale. With the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale designated as an endangered species in April 2019, it is more important than ever to learn about … Continue reading
Heading Out? You’ll see a new sign at the mouth of Mobile Bay connecting boaters and other visitors to mymobilebay.com (now known as ARCOS, https://arcos.disl.org/). The user-friendly, web-based portal serves observations updated every 30 minutes from the Alabama Real-time Coastal Observing System (ARCOS), and is a valuable source of real-time weather and water conditions for … Continue reading
During the 2017 research survey aboard NOAA Research Vessel the Nancy Foster, researchers continued their study of the distribution and abundance of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna and other tuna larvae in the Gulf of Mexico. This project’s ship time also supported the RESTORE Science program, focusing on the impacts of nitrogen in the Gulf of … Continue reading