The U.S. government is closed. This site will not be updated; however, NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained. To learn more, visit 
July 31, 2023
To collect consistent passive acoustic data simultaneously across all major regions of the US, NOAA and the National Park Service scientists have teamed up to create the Ocean Noise Reference Station Network (NRS).
Through vivid imagery and sound clips, NOAA's story map "Listening to the Sea" explores the NRS and its use of passive acoustic instruments to record sound in the ocean.