Southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the East Coast are not likely to experience any effects from the remaining oil on the surface of the Gulf as the oil continues to degrade and is hundreds of miles away from the loop current, according to a new NOAA analysis. This analysis assumes the Deepwater Horizon/BP wellhead will remained capped.

Building on the significant actions it has already taken, NOAA today released a formal Corrective Action Plan for its Asset Forfeiture Fund, to ensure that monies collected from fisheries enforcement penalties are properly accounted for and used.

NOAA continues to play a vital role in the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill response, using all the scientific methods at its disposal, including satellites in space, planes in the air, ships on the water, autonomous underwater vehicles and gliders under the water, and scientists in the field.

NOAA has awarded $2.5 million to the University of Notre Dame and its partners to predict the next wave of invasive species likely to enter the Great Lakes and to identify cost-effective countermeasures.

NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) and the U.S. Coast Guard continue to actively enforce the law in federal waters that have been closed to fishing to balance economic and public health needs as a result of the BP oil spill. Since the first closure was announced on May 2, the agencies have worked together to patrol waters and docks to identify violations associated with the closure, leading fishermen to abandon catches to prevent potentially tainted seafood from entering U.S. seafood markets.

NOAA scientists today released a data report on air quality measurements taken in June in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill area. The report summarizes the levels of nearly 100 air pollutants measured with sophisticated air sampling instruments onboard a NOAA WP-3D research aircraft.

NOAA has selected seven graduate students as national recipients of the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships, representing graduate-level scholars in marine biology, coastal resource management, and maritime archeology.

The Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, has appointed 11 new members to the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee. The 30-member committee, which meets twice yearly, is made up of representatives of diverse interests who advise the Departments of Commerce and the Interior on the development and implementation of a national system of marine protected areas (MPAs).

Last month’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature made it the warmest June on record and the warmest on record averaged for any April-June and January-June periods, according to NOAA.

As Arctic ice recedes, countries are looking forward to faster, safer and more efficient sea routes across the top of the world. Responding to a request from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Maritime Pilots and the commercial shipping industry, NOAA sent one of its premier surveying vessels, NOAA Ship Fairweather, to detect navigational dangers in critical Arctic waters that have not been charted for more than 50 years.