About NOS: NOAA Ecosystems Goal

To protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management.

This page summarizes NOS activities within the NOAA programs that directly support the Ecosystems Mission Goal.

Coastal and Marine Resources Program | Coral Reef Conservation Program | Ecosystem Observations Program | Enforcement Program | Habitat Program

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Coastal and Marine Resources Program

We use our coastal areas for a wide range of activities—from recreation to commerce. Balancing these uses requires careful planning and management.

Coastal areas in the United States are home to a wealth of natural and economic resources and include some of the most developed areas in the nation.  Over half of the U.S. population lives and works within the U.S. coastal zone—an area that covers only 17 percent of the country’s land. Yet this 17 percent supports nearly 200 seaports, contains most of our largest cities, and serves as essential habitat for an array of wildlife.  Achieving a balance between economic growth and protection of valuable coastal resources is a difficult challenge. 

To meet this challenge, NOS invests in management and conservation programs that balance the economic, social, and environmental health of coastal and marine resources. These programs range from improved monitoring systems that allow a better understanding of ecosystems, to research and education programs for students and teachers. NOS supports activities that provide training, to help resource and coastal managers develop ecosystem-based approaches to managing coastal areas. NOAA’s Coastal and Marine Resources Program also works to identify gaps in the national system of marine protected or managed areas and works to fill major system gaps. 

 

Coral Reef Conservation Program

Coral reefs are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems on Earth. Yet they are threatened by an increasing array of human and natural impacts such as pollution, habitat loss, bleaching, and global climate change. The rapid decline and loss of these valuable, ancient, and complex marine ecosystems have significant social, economic, and environmental consequences in the United States and around the world. 

The Coral Reef Conservation Program supports the management and the use of science to preserve, sustain, and restore coral reef ecosystems. The program conducts integrated observations and assessments of coral reefs and also provides predictions, early warnings, and response programs to minimize impacts to reefs. NOAA also conducts research to understand the causes and consequences of coral reef decline and conducts coral reef outreach and education efforts. NOS’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management leads the Coral Reef Conservation Program.

 

Ecosystem Observations Program

Following Hurricane Katrina, NOS scientists conducted environmental monitoring to assess the condition of estuaries in the Gulf region.

Our nation’s coastal and ocean areas encompass a broad range of ecosystems, including include coastal oceans, estuaries, coral reefs, and marine sanctuaries.  Observing these ecosystems, in order to understand how and why ecosystems change, is vital for assessing the impacts on coastal communities and effectively managing ocean and coastal resources. 

In support of NOAA’s Ecosystem Observations Program, NOS collects biological, chemical, and physical observational data such as water quality and water levels. NOS also supports the National Status and Trends Program to monitor, assess, and forecast the conditions of coastal and marine ecosystems. Also in support of this program, NOS develops technology for data entry, quality control, and archival systems, to provide faster access to ocean observation data and information across NOAA.

 

Enforcement Program

The National Marine Sanctuary Program, administered by NOS, manages and protects specially designated areas of the nation’s oceans and Great Lakes for their habitats; ecological value; threatened and endangered species; and historic, archeological, recreational, and aesthetic resources.  Regulations, which have the effect and enforceability of law and are written in a specific manner, are in place to protect marine sanctuaries.  These regulations prohibit specific kinds of activities, describe and define the boundaries of the designated national marine sanctuaries, and set up a system of permits to allow the conduct of certain types of activities. NOS partners with NOAA’s Office for Law Enforcement to enforce regulations in marine sanctuaries and to enforce regulations affecting coral reefs. Such enforcement is important to protecting and preserving our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

 

Habitat Program  

Environmental monitoring played a key role in restoring habitat along Maryland's Patuxent River following an oil spill in the river in 2004.

Coastal and estuarine habitats include marshes, forested wetlands, oyster reefs, seagrass beds, beaches, tidal streams, and riparian forests. These habitats are vital not only for fish, birds, and other wildlife, but for human communities as well.  Restoring habitats helps ecosystems by removing pollutants and invasive species, re-establishing natural ecosystem processes, and re-introducing native plants and other wildlife.

Under the NOAA Habitat Program, NOS offices work with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service to protect and restore coastal, marine, and Great Lakes habitats and natural resources by providing the necessary data, science, tools, and long-term monitoring efforts. In response to oil and hazardous substance spills, NOS works with partners to assess risk and damages to natural resources, minimize impacts, and restore habitat. NOS works to accelerate the recovery of injured resources and increase the quantity and quality of coastal habitat restoration efforts. NOS also applies expertise and technology such as tidal datums, hydrologic monitoring, and elevation models to support habitat restoration, land-use planning, coastal change assessments, and natural resource management.

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