Marine Protected Species Consulting - MPSC

09/14/2025

09/14/2025

Why lidar?

It helps reveal before-and-after hurricane impact data, showing changes to landscapes and communities. Download 2022 NOAA pre-Hurricane Ian lidar from Naples to North Point, Florida. ⬇️

https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/ #/lidar/search/where:ID=10263/details/10263

09/14/2025

How do you survey one of the world’s largest marine protected areas in just two weeks? With innovation and teamwork.

For the first time, NOAA divers used diver propulsion vehicles paired with closed-circuit rebreathers to cover long reef stretches within Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary—allowing them to efficiently document nuisance algae and monitor reef health across the northern atolls in a relatively short window of time.

This cutting-edge approach helps researchers detect ecosystem changes faster, supporting NOAA’s mission to safeguard sanctuary resources, bolster resilience, and guide management decisions with data.

📖 Read the : https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/notes/2025/new-tools-help-divers-survey-reefs.html
📸: Nick Zachar/NOAA

09/14/2025

Our expedition team is doing a lot of great mapping– but how does seafloor mapping work, and what makes these colorful pictures so important? Learn more about the tools and science behind the maps on our website: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/education/seafloor-mapping/

Teachers can also find classroom-ready lesson plans focused on seafloor mapping here: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/education/seafloor-mapping-educators/

Pictured: Multibeam bathymetry of Pao Pao Seamount (right) and an unnamed guyot (left). Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration's 2017 expedition "Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific Marine Protected Areas"

09/13/2025

✉️ 🤿 We invite you to dive in and discover your passion for the marine and maritime fields with us on October 4th at Texas A&M University at Galveston's Aggieland Saturday by the Sea! This all-access campus open house will give you an exclusive look into the numerous opportunities we have to offer here at the Galveston Campus.

Find out more and register for free: tx.ag/agsatbythesea

09/09/2025

08/14/2025

08/14/2025

08/14/2025

Setting the stage for ocean conservation 🌊

The UN High Seas Treaty is an important opportunity for ocean conservation, but international efforts to protect marine life and ecosystems depend on robust data about marine biodiversity so policymakers can implement effective and equitable solutions.

A new publication in Ecology Letters led by William Oestreich—a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at MBARI—with MBARI Principal Engineer Kakani Katija and collaborators from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and ETH Zürich quantifies biodiversity data coverage and makes actionable recommendations to fill the significant gaps.

The team shares that the most effective solutions depend on collective actions across the global scientific community. These collective actions can ensure that robust biodiversity data is accessible to all, providing the basis for safeguarding the ocean ecosystems on which our planet and society depend.

08/14/2025