All About Nautical Charts: a NOAA Ocean Service tutorial

Solid or dashed lines and labeling typically indicate these areas; anchor-like symbols may be used for anchor-prohibited zones on nautical charts. Anchorage areas may also have other information so vessel operators can determine whether the space is enough to anchor their vessels. **angle of differe

Every line, symbol, and feature that you find on a nautical chart represents the work of scientists, surveyors, and cartographers who collect and analyze the data needed to create these important tools. To ensure that mariners can navigate safely through our coastal regions, the information containe

While the location, shape, and size of structures on land can be determined using satellites, drones, or even our own eyes, the characteristics of the seafloor are hidden underwater, making them more difficult to measure and describe. To solve this challenge, hydrographers rely on a range of impress

If you want to participate in any activity on the ocean or coast, especially one requiring navigation, it’s important to understand tides and how they impact water levels. Tides raise and lower the ocean’s water level due to the Earth’s rotation and the forces exerted by the moon and the sun. But ho

In the early-to-mid 1980s, NOAA created the next-generation data acquisition and processing system called Shipboard Data System, or SDS, III. In 1987, the project was terminated because of scheduling and technical issues. NOAA was left in an awkward situation: though personal computers were commonpl