Oceanography: CINMS

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) off the coast of Southern California was designated in 1980. In 2005, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and CINMS were considering six alternatives for adjusting the sanctuary's boundaries. Identifying how the six options overlaid with the distribution of marine resources was a critical consideration. To address this need, we conducted a biogeographic assessment.

The California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) was formed in 1949 to study the ecological aspects of the Pacific sardine population collapse off California. Today, the focus has shifted to the study of the marine environment off the coast of California, the management of its living resources, and monitoring the indicators of El Nino and climate change.

Managing the global threat of ocean acidification on a local scale is becoming a concern for policy makers and managers. With few long-term and baseline ocean pH records in place, it is difficult to understand natural and anthropogenic influences on pH variability. With development of pH sensors, monitoring networks are growing along the west coast of the United States.

The Ocean Exploration Trust used scuba diving, high resolution autonomous surface vessel and ship-based mapping, and remotely operated vehicles to locate and characterize submarine shoreline terraces in the Channel Islands. Our 2017 team will continue their efforts in 2018 and will focus on: (1) locating sea caves at the 103-meter, 110-meter, and 120-meter paleo-shorelines on other submerged banks in the Borderland where the E/V Nautilus has subsequently collected bathymetric and backscatter maps since the 2017 cruise; (2) mapping the interior of several of the caves using a diver guided 3D imaging system; (3) using the ASV to locate possible cave entrances along deeper paleo-shorelines, (4) following that effort with a visual inspection of any new caves using the ROVs, and finally; (5) collecting water and/or sediment samples within selected caves to better understand the fish populations living within the caves through eDNA analysis. 

The objective of this project is to establish a NOAA-operated network of ten ocean noise reference stations (ONRS) in US waters to monitor long-term changes and trends in the underwater ambient sound field.

The Plumes and Blooms Project is aimed at understanding the ocean color roles of sediment plumes and phytoplankton blooms in a complex coastal ocean using satellite and ship acquired data.

Saildrone provides high-resolution ocean data via a fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to NOAA, the Department of Defense, and other US agencies. Saildrone’s USVs are wind-powered vehicles capable of long duration ocean missions (up to 12 months) and carry a sophisticated solar-powered sensor package that streams real-time data to cost-efficiently augment ship-based methods. Saildrone USVs are 23 feet long and 20 feet high, can be launched from any dock, and travel at an average speed of 3-5 knots. The USVs weigh 1200 lbs and have a 7 ft draft.

The Santa Barbara Channel Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (SBC MBON) is designed to provide a complete picture of marine biodiversity in the region. SBC MBON is developing a widely applicable research model that integrates new information with existing data to improve current research and monitoring programs and provide greater insight into marine biodiversity.

The Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research project (SBC LTER ) is an interdisciplinary research and education program housed at the University of California Santa Barbara. SBC LTER was established in April 2000 with the goal of advancing a predictive understanding of how oceanic and terrestrial processes alter material flows to influence the ecology of coastal ecosystems in a changing climate.

This is an ongoing study of potential MPA roles on larval recruitment, larval transport, animal movements and ocean circulation