- Success Stories
- Environmental Resource Assessment & Management
Organizing Teams to Monitor Coastal Contaminants
For nearly 40 years NOAA’s National Mussel Watch Program has been monitoring contaminants in coastal waters in over 400 sites around the U.S. by testing sediment and bivalves, such as oysters and mussels. A CSS employee owner organizes and coordinates the regional missions to collect and test samples. This includes developing a schedule and coordinating several teams to collect samples in different subregions for each region as well as shipping equipment and supplies needed for each of the team to carry out their tasks.
CSS employee owners work alongside federal program staff and local partners to collect samples throughout the regions. In fiscal year 2024 CSS staff deployed to the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean, which includes Alaska, Hawaii, and the West Coast. The team adds data they collect during these missions to the Coastal Pollution Data Explorer, a cloud-based ArcGIS platform that allows users to search by location or type of contaminant, generate a report, and download the data. A CSS employee owner serves as the lead developer for this online platform. Learn more about NOAA’s National Mussel Watch Program.
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Monitoring Algal Blooms for Harmful Toxins
CSS employee owners support NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) Sensor Development Team in their efforts to detect and monitor these harmful algal blooms in coastal waters where they are likely to occur. HAB monitoring is critical for detecting harmful toxins produced by some algae. When present in over…
Extensive Support in Hazard Waste Management
For 22 years, CSS has provided support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hazardous Waste Program ensuring safe handling, storage, packing, and shipping of hazardous waste materials within facilities and laboratories. Experienced CSS employees are located on site at CDC campuses in Atlanta, Georgia, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Fort Collins, Colorado and are responsible for collecting waste on a weekly schedule and disposing of waste at various campuses on an annual…
Assisting South Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding Network
CSS employee owner and Marine Mammal Microplastic Specialist supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science assists the South Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding Network in responding to dead marine mammals when they strand on beaches or estuaries throughout South Carolina. This is work is critical for human and environmental health because it provides invaluable samples…