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A biologist from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary photographs the damage done to a coral reef from a boat that grounded on the reef. An elkhorn coral branch broken in the incident appears in the foreground. (Original Source: National Ocean Service Image Gallery, via NOAA)

Marine Scientific Research

Announcement

  • Due to the COVID-19 situation, all applications for U.S. scientists to conduct marine scientific research in foreign waters must be submitted 6 or more months in advance of the start of research.  For the time being, applications submitted under this timeframe will not be accepted or processed.

  • For all planned marine scientific research related port calls, please refer to the State Department travel advisories.

  • If you are still planning to make a port call as part of your marine scientific research cruise, please contact MarineScience@state.gov.

OPA promotes science and diplomacy, improves maritime domain awareness, and safeguards the interests of the U.S. scientific community through the marine scientific research consent program.

  • Annually, OPA facilitates diplomatic marine scientific research consent for U.S. scientists to conduct more than 300 hundred research cruises in over 70 coastal states.
  • OPA manages the review process which issues consent to dozens of foreign scientists a year to conduct research in U.S. waters.

Discover More

Too much acid in the ocean is bad news for sea life. Acid eats away at calcium carbonite, the primary ingredient of shells and skeletons that many ocean animals depend on for survival. The shell pictured here is a victim of this process. [Photo Credit: NOAA]

Marine Scientific Research Consent Overview

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Marine debris can impact important marine habitats. Large debris items, such as derelicts nets, can smother corals, causing harm to the coral organism and the greater ecosystem. For more information about marine debris and how it can be prevented, visit the NOAA Marine Debris Program website. [Credit: NOAA PIFSC]

About the Research Application Tracking System

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In ideal conditions, kelp can grow up to 18 inches per day, and in stark contrast to the colorful and slow-growing corals, the giant kelp canopies tower above the ocean floor. Like trees in a forest, these giant algae provide food and shelter for many organisms. Also like a terrestrial forest, kelp forests experience seasonal changes. Storms and large weather events, like El Niño, can tear and dislodge the kelp, leaving a tattered winter forest to begin its growth again each spring. (Original source and more information: NOAA National Ocean Service Ocean Facts)

Guidance on Supporting Documentation

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Sorting the catch. (Fall 1999) Photographer: Personnel of the NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN. Credit: NOAA Office of Marine and Aircraft Operations.

Research Application Tracking System Login

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Rapture Reef sits within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. The monument encompasses more than 140,000 square miles of ocean and coral reef habitat. (Original source and more information: NOAA National Ocean Service Image Gallery)

Key Topics

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Useful References

U.S. Department of State

The Lessons of 1989: Freedom and Our Future