Volunteers Needed for 2009 International Coastal Cleanup

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(Photo credit: Peter Murphy, NOAA)

On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, NOAA staff, working with Ocean Conservancy and other federal agencies, will join together nationwide to collect as much debris and trash from our shores as possible. NOAA’s Marine Debris Program would like to invite you to participate in this International Coastal Cleanup event. To get involved, please contact Megan Forbes by Sept. 16, 2009.

For the past 23 years, Ocean Conservancy has been addressing the growing problem of marine debris by organizing the annual International Coastal Cleanup — the  largest volunteer effort of its kind involving nearly half a million people each year in more than 100 countries. NOAA has been an invaluable partner in this effort since the beginning, not only financially, but with a large staff volunteer presence. In the past four years, more than 450 NOAA volunteers across the United States have participated in the event. Last year, volunteers not only picked up 6.8 million pounds of trash choking their local inland and coastal waterways, but they also cataloged 11.4 million items.

The Russian-American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA)

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(Photo credit: With permission from Terry Whitledge, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.)

On August 22, NOAA, National Science Foundation and the Russian Academy of Sciences launched a 40-day research expedition from Nome, Alaska, to observe physical and biological environmental changes in the northern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea. RUSALCA was initiated in 2003 as the first joint oceanographic expedition since the Cold War. RUSALCA 2009 will carry out climate observations across both Russian and U.S. political boundaries in the Arctic.

NOAA and San Francisco’s Exploratorium Announce Five-year Partnership

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(Photo credit: Bradley Akamine, NOAA.)

In July, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, along with Exploratorium Executive Director Dennis M. Bartels, announced a five-year partnership between NOAA and San Francisco’s Exploratorium aimed at bringing cutting-edge climate and ocean science to the public. The partnership will merge NOAA’s advanced research, ocean, weather and climate science with the Exploratorium’s expertise in developing interactive experiences to engage the public on some of the most critical environmental science issues (i.e., weather phenomena, fisheries issues and climate change).

Known as a leader in hands-on informal education, the Exploratorium’s first collaborative effort will take public audiences on a journey from the ocean surface to its depths in real-time as if they were aboard NOAA’s new high-tech research ship, the Okeanos Explorer. The Exploratorium will create an online and museum presence for the Okeanos Explorer that will include ship blogs, video and audio clips from recent discoveries, and live streaming video from the ship itself.

NOAA Joins Other U.S. Agencies and Canada to Survey Arctic Continental Shelf

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(Photo credit: USCG.)

In August, NOAA joined a multi-agency expedition that brings together icebreakers from the U.S. and Canada to collect and share data useful to both countries in defining the full extent of the Arctic continental shelf.

During the 41-day joint mission (August 7 to September 16), NOAA and the Joint Hydrographic Center will take the lead in collecting bathymetric (water depth) data from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy to map the seafloor, while the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent collects seismic data to determine sediment thickness. This collaborative effort saves millions of dollars by ensuring data are collected only once in the same area and by sharing data useful to both nations.

The 2009 mission continues the U.S.-Canada partnership begun last year, and plans are in place to continue joint operations in 2010. The mission builds on earlier Arctic mapping efforts funded by NOAA.

September 12 Anacostia Cleanup — An Annual Day of Service

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(Photo credit: NOAA.)

Please join NOAA, EPA, Howard University and the Anacostia Watershed Society for a volunteer trash clean-up on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Maryland from 9 a.m. to noon EST.  The cleanup will be followed by a celebration with food, music and speeches from noon to 2 p.m. EST. [Click here to find out more...]

You Can Help Chart the Future

(Photo credit: NOAA.)

Today’s the day you can help chart NOAA’s future as we build the agency’s Next Generation Strategic Plan (NGSP). And, all it takes is 10 minutes. Through September 7, 2009, NOAA is soliciting your thoughts and ideas in the form of a short survey accessible online. We encourage you to participate in this survey and contribute to NOAA’s long-term strategic plan. You can learn more about the NGSP and how you can contribute by watching this short video. Photo and video credit: NOAA.