导航|地址|刷新
Ocean & Coasts

Skip to main content

Main Menu
Home

Weather

Climate

Ocean & Coasts

Fisheries

Satellites

Research

Marine & Aviation

Charting

Sanctuaries

Education

News and features

Our data

Tools & resources

About our agency

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Find your local weather

Change location:

Enter City, State or ZIP code

News

Data

Tools

About

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce

Enter Search Terms

Breadcrumb

Home

Ocean & Coasts

NOAA

NOAA’s National Ocean Service is positioning America’s coastal communities for the future

Latest Features

Ocean & Coasts

VIDEO: What is geodesy?

Ocean & Coasts

The coast is clear-er: NOAA unveils new land cover maps 900 times greater in detail

Ocean & Coasts

Weather

Climate

El Nino and high tide flooding could be 'double whammy' for some coastal communities

About NOAA Ocean & Coasts

Our ocean and coasts affect us — and we affect them. Almost 40 percent of the country’s population lives in coastal shoreline counties. These counties contribute $9 trillion to the U.S. economy. Climate change, sea level rise, more intense storms, and population growth are all challenges for our coastal communities. The National Ocean Service helps decision makers find solutions. We are the nation’s leader in observing, measuring, assessing, protecting, and managing coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes areas.

Go to the National Ocean Service site

Find and listen to our podcasts

More than 80% unexplored

Most of the ocean is unseen by human eyes — more than 80% of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved and unexplored.

Colossal coral reef

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest living organism on Earth and can be seen from the moon.

96% of the Earth’s water

The ocean contains more than 96 percent of the Earth’s water.

95,000 miles of shoreline

The U.S. shoreline is more than 95,000 miles long.

57 tons of debris is equal to 11.4 elephants

Since 1996, NOAA has removed 904 tons of debris from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii including 57 tons from a 2014 mission.

There is only ONE global ocean.

While there is only one global ocean, the vast body of water that covers 71 percent of the Earth is geographically divided into distinct named regions. The boundaries between these regions have evolved over time for a variety of historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific reasons.

Life began here

Life began in the ocean over 3.5 billion years ago.

Show me another fact

Must See

See our high tide flooding outlook for where you live

Focus Areas //

Previous Slider Item

Education

Sanctuaries

Charting

Marine & Aviation

Research

Satellites

Fisheries

Weather

Climate

Next Slider Item

Select Citation Format

- Select citation style -APA (American Psychological Association) 7th editionChicago Manual of Style 17th editionMLA (Modern Language Association) 8th editionPlain Text

Last updated July 9, 2026

Cite this page

Have a comment on this page? Let us know.

NOAA Home

Science. Service. Stewardship.

News

Tools

About

Resources for Tribal & Indigenous Communities

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

Protecting Your Privacy

FOIA

Information Quality

Accessibility

Guidance

Budget & Performance

Disclaimer

EEO

No-Fear Act

USA.gov

Ready.gov

Employee Check-In

Staff Directory

Contact Us

Need Help?

COVID-19 hub for NOAA personnel offsite link

Vote.gov

Stay connected to NOAA

NOAA on Twitter NOAA on Facebook NOAA on Instagram NOAA on YouTube

Back to top
------
导航页打开网址