The NOAA RESTORE Science Program has awarded approximately $15.6 million in grants to four teams of researchers and resource managers from across 20 institutions including universities, federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations to support work on living coastal and marine resources and their habitats in the Gulf of Mexico.

“These awards continue NOAA’s commitment to producing timely and high-quality science to support the management and sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico,” said Steven Thur, director of NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. “Improving our understanding of long-term trends in the Gulf will help us make the decisions now and in the future necessary to ensure the Gulf remains a vibrant resource for the nation.”

The grants are in response to the RESTORE Act, which in July 2012 authorized the use of administrative and civil penalties resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands and economy of the Gulf Coast region.