When more than 90 federal, state, and local governments, universities, nonprofits, and private companies are working on a challenge like finding suitable habitat for oysters in a region as vast and as varied as the Northern Gulf of Mexico, how can they find the specific scientific data they need to make sound management decisions? And is it possible to get them working together to meet their common goals?

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On May 5, NOAA talks harmful algal blooms and forecasting on Reddit. Two NOAA experts are ready to answer your questions about harmful algal blooms and how we forecast blooms. Get your questions ready about HAB science, impacts, how we forecast a bloom, and even what it's like to work at NOAA. Ask them anything! Head to the Reddit Science channel at 1 p.m. on May 5.

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Pocosins are generally found along the Atlantic coastal plain of the United States, from southern Virginia to northern Florida. These areas typically occur in broad, low-lying shallow basins that do not drain naturally. Pocosins are formed by the accumulation of organic matter, resembling black muck, which builds up over thousands of years. This accumulation of material causes the soil to be highly acidic and nutrient-deficient.

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Of the more than 1,400 species of barnacles found in the world’s waterways, the most common ones are called "acorn barnacles." As anyone who’s ever maintained a vessel knows, removing barnacles requires some elbow grease (or a pressure washer). That's why some boaters call them by their slang name: "crusty foulers."

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Boaters rely on NOAA’s nautical charts for depth measurements so they don’t accidently ground on sandbars or other underwater obstructions. NOAA gets these measurements by using hydrographic survey technology from onboard ships and smaller boats. Sometimes, though, the water may be too shallow for safe operation of the survey vessels. Lidar systems systems can be used in some cases, but that technology doesn’t work well in murky water.

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The U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (U.S. MBON), an effort to improve our understanding of changes and connections between marine biodiversity and ecosystems, recently launched a new website. In addition to exploring the vision and themes of the network's demonstration projects, the site offers profiles of projects in progress and outlines future goals for data integration, animated seascape mapping, and technology applications such as new methods for genomic sampling and analysis.

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