NOAA Ship Rainier returns to Alaska to conduct sea floor surveys in support of safe navigation. NOAA Ship Rainier has begun a month long survey of the sea floor near Alaska’s Prince of Wales Island as part of a multi-year effort to update nautical charts for the area. In addition to supporting marine navigation, data acquired by the 231-foot hydrographic survey vessel will also support marine ecosystem studies and improve inundation models for areas vulnerable to tsunamis. “We are pleased to return to Alaska to continue these important surveys…