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The NOAA Ocean Podcast

Connect with ocean experts and explore topics from corals to coastal science with our audio podcast.


Listen to episodes of the new NOAA Ocean podcast here—and subscribe to us in your favorite podcatcher so you never miss an episode. Just search for "NOAA Ocean."

Round Emblem: “*U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey*” on top, an eagle with an American flag shield representing the 13 original colonies, on top of a globe with the North American continent in the center, flanked by anchors, and “1807” at the bottom.
The Origins of NOAA’s National Ocean Service

NOAA’s National Ocean Service started as a small scientific agency with one mission, to chart our new nation’s coasts and coastal waters so the many ships that traversed the Atlantic and Caribbean could arrive safely. As the years passed, new ocean- and coast-related missions were added to the agency. In this episode, discover the origins of the National Ocean Service, including how two U.S. founding fathers, President Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, played a part in this ocean history lesson.

3D rendering of Monitor on the sea floor using a heatmap.
USS Monitor, Part 2: Underwater 3D Mapping

In this follow-up episode, we travel back to the USS Monitor, resting in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean within Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, to discuss a new, innovative underwater 3D mapping technology. The USS Monitor sank in 1862 during the Civil War — a tumultuous time in American history — with battles fought both on land and sea. Using this new mapping technology, 3D maps of the USS Monitor shipwreck will allow the public to take virtual trips to the bottom of the ocean to explore the nation’s first national marine sanctuary. Dive in to discover how this cutting-edge imaging technology captured this historic ship and how the images will be used to inspire future explorers.

Underwater ship bow covered in rust and ocean life.
USS Monitor, Part 1: History and Legacy

Amidst stormy seas in December of 1862, the USS Monitor sank off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at the height of the Civil War. As the location of the very first National Marine Sanctuary, the Monitor functions as an underwater reef teeming with wildlife and mystery. In the first of two episodes about the Monitor we discuss the history of the ship and why its sinking is still so important today.

A small NOAA navigation response boat cruises in the foreground of a calm waterway while a large black and white tanker named "GOLDEN STATE" sails in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Mapping the Way After a Disaster: NOAA Navigation Response Teams

When disaster strikes our waters, whether natural or man-made, the NOAA Navigation Response Team is ready. With a fleet of small survey vessels, our scientists and mariners utilize cutting-edge technology and expertise to map danger zones and ensure the safety of commercial shipping.

A person in a white hard hat and fluorescent orange jacket stands near the edge of a ship with Alaskan snow-covered land in the distance.
Coastal Conversation: Harmful algal bloom forecasting in Alaska

Harmful algal blooms occur when an overgrowth of algae produces toxins in a body of water, affecting fish, shellfish, marine mammals, birds, and even people. Ecological forecasting is an important tool for protection from these blooms. Join this coastal conversation with Steve Kibler, an oceanographer with the National Ocean Service, and Kasey Jo Wright, an environmental technician with the Kodiak Area Native Association, as they discuss harmful algal bloom forecasting in Alaska and its effects on shellfish harvesting within Indigenous communities.

All Episodes

Looking for a recent podcast? Start here.

  1. The Origins of NOAA’s National Ocean Service
    21 Sep 2026
  2. The USS Monitor, Part 2: Underwater 3D Mapping
    21 Aug 2026
  3. The USS Monitor, Part 1: History and Legacy
    20 July 2026
  4. Mapping the Way After a Disaster: The NOAA Navigation Response Team
    12 May 2026
  5. Coastal Conversation: Harmful algal bloom forecasting in Alaska
    21 Aug 2025
  6. Boost Your Blue IQ
    25 Jun 2025
  7. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: 15 Years of Advancing Science
    24 Apr 2025
  8. Moving Mountains
    30 Oct 2024
  9. Marine Debris - Talking Trash
    25 Sep 2024
  10. High Tide Flooding
    13 Aug 2024
  11. Sanctuary Spotlight: Olympic Coast
    22 Jul 2024
  12. Artificial Reefs
    25 Jun 2024
  13. Hurricane Preparedness and Response
    29 May 2024
  14. Behind the Scenes at NGS
    04 Mar 2024
  15. Say Cheese: Wetland Wildlife Inventory
    15 Feb 2024
  16. Coral Bleaching
    5 Dec 2023
  17. Meteotsunamis
    9 Nov 2023
  18. Weird Facts About Oil and Oil Spills
    29 Sep 2023
  19. The Florida Keys: Dive into History
    07 Sep 2023
  20. Digging into the Science of Sand
    31 Jul 2023
  21. Rip Currents: Preparedness and Prevention
    28 Jun 2023
  22. Gliders: Versatile Vehicles for Underwater Observation
    31 May 2023
  23. USACE: Foundational Research on Rebalancing with Blue Carbon
    27 Apr 2023
  24. Seagrass: Ecosystem Services Provider
    30 Mar 2023
  25. Recording Oral Histories
    27 Oct 2022
  26. Capturing Snapshots of the U.S. Population
    20 Sep 2022
  27. Understanding Disease Impacts to Long-Spined Sea Urchins
    28 July 202
  28. Surveying in the Great Lakes
    26 May 2022
  29. Engineering with Nature: USACE, NOAA, and the Value of Partnership
    31 Mar 2022
  30. Water Level Stations and their Role in Tsunami Detection
    31 Mar 2022
  31. 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report
    15 Feb 2022
  32. The Future Ocean Podcast
    16 Dec 2021
  33. Restoration: Replacing What Was Lost
    09 Nov 2021
  34. Marine Protected Areas: Conserving America’s Ocean and Coasts
    02 Sep 2021
  35. Connecting the Dots with Modeling (Part Two)
    20 May 2021
  36. Connecting the Dots with Modeling (Part One)
    20 May 2021
  37. NOAA Custom Chart Tool
    15 Apr 2021
  38. A Laser is Worth a Thousand Words
    25 Mar 2021
  39. Explore Your Ocean with NOAA Ocean Today
    04 Mar 2021
  40. Shipwrecks, Science, and Stewardship at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
    14 Jan 2021
  41. Protecting Culebra's Coral Reefs
    08 Dec 2020
  42. Precision Marine Navigation
    29 Oct 2020
  43. The Microplastic-Mussel Connection: Part Two
    30 Sep 2020
  44. The Microplastic-Mussel Connection: Part One
    30 Sep 2020
  45. From Diving to Data: Close-up with Coral Research
    27 Aug 2020
  46. Breaking Down Barriers: Natural Infrastructure
    30 Jul 2020
  47. Turning the Tide: D-Day from an Oceanographer's Perspective
    24 Jun 2020
  48. Marine Life Counts: The U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network
    28 May 2020
  49. Education Resources
    24 Apr 2020
  50. Understanding Gravity
    19 Mar 2020
  51. Bringing Wetlands to Market
    20 Feb 2020
  52. The Nurdle Patrol: Citizen Scientists Fight Pollution, One Pellet at a Time
    23 Jan 2020
  53. After a Hurricane Hits: NOAA’s Emergency Response Aerial Imagery
    17 Dec 2019
  54. The Nautical Origins of 10 Popular Phrases
    23 Oct 2019
  55. NOAA's Disaster Preparedness Program
    07 Aug 2019
  56. Meteotsunamis: State of the Science
    11 Jul 2019
  57. Ocean Gliders: How NOAA uses autonomous technology to help predict hurricane intensity
    30 May 2019
  58. Navigating the Sea is Safer, More Efficient With Digital Charts
    25 Apr 2019
  59. Making it Count
    21 Mar 2019
  60. Lionfish Invasion
    28 Feb 2019
  61. Fa’a Samoa: The Samoan Way (Part Two)
    04 Dec 2018
  62. Fa’a Samoa: The Samoan Way (Part One)
    04 Dec 2018
  63. All About HABS: Uncovering the Mystery of Harmful Algal Blooms
    14 Nov 2018
  64. Remote Control
    24 Oct 2018
  65. Ocean Noise
    29 Aug 2018
  66. Breaking Down Barriers: Natural Infrastructure
    28 Jun 2018
  67. National Ocean Service's Role in Hurricane Prep, Response, and Recovery
    24 May 2018
  68. Motion in the Ocean: Tides and Currents
    26 Apr 2018
  69. Garbage Patches: How Gyres Take Our Trash Out to Sea
    22 Mar 2018
  70. Dealing with Dead Zones: Hypoxia in the Ocean
    22 Feb 2018
  71. Geodesy: The Invisible Backbone of Navigation
    18 Jan 2018
  72. Marine Debris in Alaska
    16 Nov 2017
  73. Reef Resilience
    23 Aug 2017
  74. Ocean Current Surveys 101
    27 Jul 2017
  75. Historical Maps and Charts
    21 Jul 2017
  76. Celebrating 100 Years of NOAA Corps
    25 May 2017
  77. Marine Animal Telemetry
    11 May 2017
  78. Restoration at Industrial Waste Sites
    04 May 2017
  79. Volunteering with our National Marine Sanctuaries
    17 Apr 2017
  80. GPS on Bench Marks
    23 Mar 2017
  81. Picking the Right Spot: Offshore Wind Energy
    01 Mar 2017
  82. Marine Life Counts: The U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network
    19 Jan 2017
  83. Listen up: What you need to know about ocean noise.
    08 Dec 2016
  84. Bringing Wetlands to Market: the Power of Blue Carbon in a Changing Climate
    04 Aug 2016
  85. Connecting the Dots Between Corals and Humans
    24 Mar 2016
  86. Alaska: Marine Debris in the Wilderness
    28 Jan 2016
  87. Vertical Mapping and Atomic Clocks
    24 Sep 2015
  88. Exploring the Unknown in the Caribbean
    01 Apr 2015
  89. Shipwreck Detectives in California
    15 Jan 2015
  90. Arctic Shield
    01 Oct 2014
  91. Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    26 Jun 2014
  92. Coastal Blue Carbon
    08 May 2014
  93. The Exxon Valdez, 25 Years Later
    21 Mar 2014
  94. Connecting the Dots: Corals and Humans
    15 Sep 2016
  95. Ocean Economy
    18 Aug 2016
  96. Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting
    05 May 2016
  97. Remembering the Titanic
    15 Apr 2016
  98. Shipwreck Detective
    17 Feb 2016
  99. How Invasive Species Are Introduced
    21 Jan 2016
  100. Marine Debris Movement
    24 Nov 2015
  101. A Healthy Eelgrass Meadow is Restored
    29 Oct 2015
  102. Coral Bleaching
    17 Sep 2015
  103. Hypoxia
    18 Jun 2015
  104. NOAA PORTS
    14 May 2015
  105. Tsunamis
    26 Mar 2015
  106. Four Corners
    19 Mar 2015
  107. Coastal Blue Carbon
    12 Feb 2015
  108. Invasive Lionfish
    06 Feb 2014
  109. Restoring Natural Resources
    16 Jan 2014
  110. Reef Resilience
    22 Sep 2016
  111. Microplastics
    30 Jun 2016
  112. Living Shorelines
    07 Apr 2016
  113. Exploring Hawaii's Coral Reefs
    03 Dec 2015
  114. Nuisance Flooding
    22 Oct 2015
  115. Hurricane Katrina: 10 Years Later
    27 Aug 2015
  116. Ocean Economy
    25 Jun 2015
  117. GPS on Bench Marks
    16 Apr 2015
  118. Invasive Species
    26 Feb 2015
  119. Coral Bleaching
    01 Dec 2014
  120. Tides and Currents
    18 Mar 2014
  121. The Intracoastal Waterway
    20 Feb 2014
  122. Planning Ocean Uses
    30 Jan 2014
NOAA Ocean podcast icon

From corals to coastal science, connect with ocean experts to explore questions about the ocean environment.

We also offer episode archives and transcripts for Making Waves and Diving Deeper, two podcasts which preceded the NOAA Ocean Podcast:

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