The unprecedented magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill presents significant challenges for oil spill responders and those tasked with assessing the impacts of the spill. Evaluating changes to ecosystem services—the benefits people receive from natural resources and processes—caused by the oil spill could expand the potential to capture and value the full breadth of impacts to the ecosystem and the public. This report assesses the methods and metrics that could help scientists effectively evaulate ecosystem services.

Click here to access the Report in Brief.

Satellite measurements of ocean color provide a unique global perspective on the health of the ocean by allowing scientists to track changes in the abundance and productivity of phytoplankton, microscopic organisms that live in the ocean's surface waters and form the base of the marine food chain. Monitoring phytoplankton abundance can provide information on the ocean's essential functions and resources, which can be used to assess long-term climate changes, evaluate support of fisheries production, and detect harmful algal blooms, among other uses. However, the nation is at risk of losing access to ocean color data because existing satellite sensors are aging, and planned new satellite missions might not be able to acquire data at the accuracy levels needed for climate research. This report reviews the minimum requirements to sustain global ocean color measurements for research and operational use and identifies options to minimize the risk of an ocean color data gap.

Click here to access the Report in Brief.

Through direct exploration of the subseafloor, U.S.-supported scientific ocean drilling programs have significantly contributed to a broad range of scientific accomplishments in Earth science disciplines, shaping understanding of Earth systems and enabling new fields of inquiry. The programs' technological innovations have played a strong role in these accomplishments. The science plan for the proposed 2013-2023 program presents a strong case for the continuation of scientific ocean drilling. Each of the plan's four themes identifies compelling challenges with potential for transformative science that could only be addressed through scientific ocean drilling, although some challenges appear to have greater potential than others. Prioritizing science plan challenges and integrating multiple objectives into single expeditions would help use resources more effectively, while encouraging technological innovations would continue to increase the potential for ground-breaking science.

Report in Brief>>

Access to the full report can be found here.

The nation's ability to detect and forecast tsunamis has improved since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but current efforts are still not sufficient to meet challenges posed by tsunamis generated near land, which leave little time for warning. This OSB report reviews progress made to strengthen the nation's tsunami warning and preparation systems, and identifies ways to further improve tsunami preparation efforts.

U.S. ocean research depends on a broad range of ocean infrastructure assets—the national inventory of ships and other platforms, sensors and samplers, computational and data systems, supporting facilities, and trained personnel. This OSB report identifies major ocean science questions anticipated to be significant in 2030, defines the categories of infrastructure needed to support research over the next two decades, identifies criteria that could help prioritize infrastructure development or replacement, and suggests ways to maximize investments in ocean infrastructure.

All six species of sea turtles found in U.S. waters are listed as endangered or threatened, but their current numbers are unknown. This "iBrief," featuring videos and enhanced graphs, summarizes Assessment of Sea-Turtle Status and Trends: Integrating Demography and Abundance, a recent report on population assessment. Or find access to the full report here.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide taken up by the ocean decreases the pH of the water and leads to a suite of chemical changes, with potentially negative effects on corals, shellfish, and other marine life. Read more from the key points of the recently released report Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean. The full report can also be found through the link below.

As seafood consumption rises and wild stocks of marine life decrease, mariculture—the cultivation of marine organisms in their natural environments—is becoming an important source of bivalve shellfish like mussels and clams.

The U.S. academic research fleet is an essential resource, providing ships that allow oceanographers to collect measurements and analyze data from the near-shore to the deep ocean.