What ocean and coastal data can I access through IOOS?

Updated

IOOS (the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System) is a NOAA-led network that gathers ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing data and provides public access points to it. Through IOOS you can reach regional data portals, national data access pages, mobile-friendly sites and apps, and specific observing programs covering high-frequency radar, underwater gliders, animal telemetry, marine biodiversity, and harmful algal blooms. The main entry points are the Data Access section and the Regional Data Portals on ioos.noaa.gov, with individual regional associations hosting their own portals.

Start with the main data entry points

The IOOS site organizes access under a Data Access area, which includes:

  • IOOS Data – the central data access page.
  • Data Standards & Requirements – how IOOS data is structured and documented.
  • Regional Data Portals – links out to each region's own data portal.
  • Sites & Apps for Mobile Use – mobile-accessible tools.

If you are not sure where to begin, the Regional Data Portals page is usually the fastest route, because most observations are served by the regional association that collected them.

Data available by region

IOOS is organized into regional associations, each covering a defined geography. You reach their data through the region's portal:

Region Regional Association
Alaska AOOS
Caribbean CARICOOS
Central and Northern California CeNCOOS
Great Lakes GLOS
Gulf of America GCOOS
Mid-Atlantic MARACOOS
Northeast NERACOOS
Pacific Islands PacIOOS
Pacific Northwest NANOOS
Southeast SECOORA
Southern California SCCOOS

Because each association runs its own portal, the exact variables, time ranges, and download formats differ by region. Check the specific regional portal for what it serves.

Observing programs and data types

Beyond the regional portals, IOOS data access covers several named observing efforts:

  • HF Radar – surface current measurements from high-frequency radar.
  • Underwater Gliders – glider-based ocean profiling, including IOOS Hurricane Glider Coordination.
  • Animal Telemetry Network – tagged marine animal tracking data.
  • Marine Biodiversity Observation Network – biodiversity observations.
  • Harmful Algal Blooms – HAB-related observing data.
  • Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed – modeling outputs and related data.
  • QARTOD – quality control standards applied to real-time ocean data.

These are listed under Data Access on the IOOS site, so you can go directly to the program relevant to your question rather than searching the whole network.

Mobile and application access

If you need data on a phone or in the field, the Sites & Apps for Mobile Use page collects mobile-accessible tools. The site also points to the Environmental Sensor Map for checking individual assets and information, and notes that system status is reported as NORMAL with a pointer to ioos.us and the Environmental Sensor Map for asset-level checks.

What to expect and how to verify

  • Official source: ioos.noaa.gov is an official U.S. government website (a .gov domain served over HTTPS).
  • Coverage: ocean, coasts, and the Great Lakes, organized nationally and by region.
  • Access model: national pages plus region-run portals; the region portal is authoritative for that region's data.
  • Status checks: use the Environmental Sensor Map or ioos.us to confirm individual assets.

A practical workflow: identify your region from the region map, open that association's data portal for the variables and time range you need, then use the national Data Access pages (HF Radar, gliders, animal telemetry, etc.) if your question spans regions or a specific observing program.