NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

Scientists aboard a federal research vessel may have discovered two new species in the Aleutian Islands this summer.

The NOAA research vessel Okeanos Explorer recently stopped by Unalaska. The crew is mapping the floor of the Bering Sea as part of Seascape Alaska, a five-month project that started in May of this year.

The Okeanos Explorer docked in Unalaska last month, after finishing its first of six expeditions, mapping out the deep seafloor around the Aleutian Islands and discovering three gas seeps. According to NOAA, the discovery is crucial because these gas seeps can create unique surrounding habitats and provide potential sources of alternative energy and biopharmaceuticals.

The U.S. Coast Guard had an unusual wildlife spotting off the coast of Unalaska last month: the body of a beaked whale.The whale was found floating near Makushin Bay.

How cold is the water in the Bering Sea? That’s what a group of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to know. NOAA is currently out in the Aleutian Islands running their annual Eastern Bering Sea Bottom Trawl Survey. They've been running annual surveys since the 1970s, mainly to collect data on the distribution and abundance of bottom-dwelling species like crab and groundfish. But this year they’re paying special attention to the cold pool—a section of bottom water that stays cold through the summer. It affects everything from when fish spawn to what part of the ocean they live in.

While Dutch Harbor has been named the nation's top fishing port in terms of volume for the 22nd consecutive year, the port dropped from second to third…

Last month marked the hottest, driest July in the Aleutian Islands in 95 years.The conditions matched the larger trend across Alaska, which experienced…