Unique aerial of the Offshore-Windpark (OWP) five kilometers off the coast of Copenhagen, Denmark. Converted from RAW.

Congratulations to CSS employee owners supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science for their nomination for the NOAA Gold Medal Award! CSS employee owners have been critical members of the team charged with the rapid development of spatial models that aid in offshore wind planning in the Gulf of Mexico. The team has collected authoritative data, developed maps and spatial models, engaged with partners, and managed the project to inform siting of ocean use, environmental review, and permitting. This effort provides guidance to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the agency responsible for identifying and leasing wind energy areas. This is a tremendous accomplishment that advances the President’s offshore wind energy priority and notably reduces conflict. 

A big congratulations to the entire team of NOAA and CSS employee owners on this well-deserved nomination!

Map of Gulf of Mexico waters showing principal ports and two options for wind energy areas.
Map of Gulf of Mexico showing shipping lanes in blue lines and wind energy areas identified in yellow blocks.

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Satellite image of a hurricane over the Gulf of America

Hurricane Helene One Year Later: Shedding Light on the Impact 

It’s been one year since Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage throughout the southern Appalachia region, especially Tennessee and North Carolina, where several rivers experienced above-record flooding. CSS employee owners (previously Riverside Technology, inc.) supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) helped develop a Hurricane Helene StoryMap, Helene in Southern Appalachia, a dynamic tool that integrates diverse…

A humpback whale swims along the water surface with blow spray hovering just above

Training Marine Mammal Programs to Use Drones to Collect Dolphin and Whale Respiratory Health Data

CSS employee owner and Marine Mammal Drone Specialist supports NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Marine Mammal Health Assessment team with collecting respiratory health data from marine mammals in local waterways. Using specialized drones equipped with petri dishes provides a non-invasive method to collect exhaled breath (i.e. blow) samples from dolphins and whales.…

Bee on a flower

Developing a Database for Ecosystem Service Models 

CSS scientists have been major developers and contributors to the online U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EcoService Models Library (ESML) database since its inception in 2012. The ESML database contains detailed but concise descriptions of ecosystem service models to facilitate the selection of models by ecosystem scientists for a variety of management and research applications. The…