Poplar Island, a severely eroded remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, has been the site of a major restoration effort supported by CSS client, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), and their partners, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Port Administration. This massive effort utilizes dredge sediment from the shipping channel that leads to Baltimore Harbor to restore land mass lost to sea level rise and erosion. The goal is to rebuild natural habitats including wetlands, uplands, and embayments that provide critical habitat for birds and fish of the Chesapeake Bay. NCCOS and CSS scientists are studying this restored habitat and species that use the environment to help inform this restoration effort.

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.

One person takes a selfie from a dock with people behind him in a boat.
Team prepares to travel by boat to Poplar Island.
Person stands in water next to a boat while cleaning equipment.
CSS scientist cleans the transmitter before deploying the equipment.

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Safety Support To First Responders

First responders put their lives on the line to help others, and our team helps safeguard their protection.  Our team on contract with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Respiratory Protection Program works with staff to test respirators and establish secure fits. Similarly, they provide these fit tests for fire department personnel on a regular…

View over a valley with a fog settled between the mountains

Monitoring Air Quality in California’s San Joaquin Valley

CSS employee owners supported the deployment and operation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality monitoring trailer (WEAVE COM – Western Enhanced Air quality VEhicle for COmmunity Monitoring) in California’s San Joaquin Valley in during late fall and early winter of 2024.  Elevated particulate matter (PM2.5) is frequently found throughout the valley during…

Expanding Our Offshore Wind Team

We’ve recently added several staff to bolster the offshore wind team at NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. With this full team of 13, our employee owners are able to provide more focused support in their areas of expertise, including mapping and spatial modeling, data collection, communications, project management, and partner engagement. Through this…