Highlights
and Accomplishments
Highlights and Accomplishments of the Pacific OCS Region
Environmental Studies Program
The Pacific Outer
Continental Shelf Region (POCS) Environmental Studies Program (ESP)
started in 1973 and has cumulatively funded 189 studies at a value
of almost $124 million. The ESP has pioneered research in the ocean
along the entire Pacific Coast of the Continental United States. In
many cases the results of the ESP represent the only research ever
conducted in the ocean along the coast. The highlights and major
accomplishments of the ESP are briefly described by topical area
below.
Physical Oceanography
- $34,983,000
-
MMS has conducted
the majority of major physical oceanography field programs conducted
along the Pacific Coast.
-
MMS funds have
allowed Scripps to complete a database of virtually all physical
oceanography programs along the Pacific Coast of the US. – The
Scripps Data Zoo is an online searchable database available to
anyone. The Center for Coastal Studies also maintains a
data zoo, a large collection of west coast physical oceanographic data collected by
scientists from Scripps and other organizations as part of the MMS program of physical
oceanographic studies which began in 1981.
-
The MMS –Scripps
research program in the Santa Barbara Channel – Santa Maria Basin is
nationally recognized as the state of the art program in physical
oceanography in the world.
-
The MMS physical
oceanography research has improved oil spill models and is the
supporting research for larval transport such as being done by the
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Study of the Coastal Ocean
(PISCO).
-
MMS expanded the
NOAA meteorological data weather buoys in the 1980s into a Pacific
Coast system monitoring winds, waves, and ocean currents. NWS now
operates the system with NOAA funds.
-
MMS and USGS are
performing much of the state of the art ocean bottom mapping using
sides can sonar. The State of California Ocean Protection Council
has recently voted to funds similar such mapping.
-
Establishment of
a West Coast OCS Meteorological Buoy Monitoring Network
-
CA Shelf Physical
Oceanography Circulation Model
-
CC Nearshore
Currents
-
Santa Barbara
Channel Circulation Model and Field Study
-
CC Coastal
Circulation Study
-
NC Coastal
Circulation Study
-
Modeling
Circulation in the Southern California Bight
-
Coastal Wave
Statistical Database
-
Coastal
Circulation off OR & WA
-
Statistical
Characteristics of Winds and Currents
-
Santa Barbara
Channel-Santa Maria Basin Circulation Study, Phase I
-
Analysis of Phys
Oceanography Data Santa Monica Bay
-
SBC-SMB -Modeling
- Phys Oceanography – Biological Study Support
-
High Resolution
Multibeam Seafloor Mapping
Atmospheric Sciences
- $5,055,000
-
MMS was the pioneering agency (Federal or State) in research
to characterize and model the air quality impacts from offshore oil
and gas activity.
-
MMS research is the basis for improving air quality models is
use today by all coastal counties and California Air Quality Boards
along the coast.
-
SC Bight Air
Quality Modeling
-
Offshore
Meteorological Tracer Measurements
-
SC Air Quality
Model Validation Study
-
SC Air Quality
Trajectory Model Study
-
Offshore
Meteorological & Tracer Measurements in Central California Coastal
Waters
-
CC Air Quality
Model Validation Study
-
Photochemical
Model Evaluation
-
Fugitive
Hydrocarbon Emissions from Pacific OCS Facilities
Fates and Effects -
$2,347,000
-
CA
Commercial/Sports Fish Oil Toxicity Study
-
Adaptation of
Marine Organisms to Hydrocarbon Exposure
-
Oiling in the
Rocky Intertidal Zone of Washington
-
Monitoring
Olympic National Park Beach to Determine Fate and Effects of Spill
-
Effects of OCS
Oil & Gas Production Platforms on Rocky Reef Fishes & Fisheries
Biology - $25,677,000
+ $13,158,000 (BLM Baseline Studies) = $38,835,000
-
MMS has been the only Federal or state agency to fund
collections of organisms along the entire coast of California.
-
The BLM-MMS baseline studies in the mid and late 1970s are
classics and are the only data available for ocean bottom
communities for most of the Southern California region.
-
Sites sampled by MMS researchers along the central and
northern coast of California have never been sampled subsequently.
-
MMS has most recently focused research efforts on
understanding the critical role that oil and gas platforms play in
supporting populations of some of the most endangered species of
California commercial fish.
-
MMS has funded the preparation of major texts in marine
ecology, fish biology, and marine invertebrate taxonomy that are
used in academia and ocean experts.
-
Assessment of
Long-Term Changes in Santa Maria Basin & West. SB Channel
-
Succession and
Seasonal Variation of Intertidal Communities
-
CA OCS Fisheries
Database
-
Monitoring:
Assessment of Long-Term Changes in Biol. Communities, Phase II
-
Ecology of the SC
Bight
-
Biol.
Reconnaissance of Selected Benthic Habitats of Three Planning
Areas
-
Evaluation of
Spawning and Recruitment Patterns of Fishes off NC, OR & WA
-
Fish Assemblages
of Rocky Banks of Pacific Northwest
-
WA, OR, CA OCS
Fisheries Database
-
Taxonomic Atlas
of the Santa Maria Basin Fauna
-
Monitoring:
Assessment of Long-Term Changes in Biological Communities, Phase
III
-
An Updated
Inventory of Biol. Resources of Southern Ca.: SB Channel
-
Ecological Role
of Natural Reefs and Platforms on Rocky Reef Fishes
-
Guide to
Rockfishes of the Northwest Pacific
-
Shoreline
Assessment/Marine
Protected Species -
$12,379,000
-
MMS pioneered the
survey of marine mammals and seabirds with surveys of the entire
California Coast in the late 1970s. These surveys were expanded into
Oregon and Washington in the early 1980s.
-
MMS marine mammal
and seabird surveys are unique long term time series of observations
that are the basis for the recent biogeography analysis of the NOAA
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (and Monterey Sanctuary).
-
MMS funded the
pioneering efforts to study California Sea Otters and to design
methods to treat and rehabilitate oiled otters.
-
MMS has funded
major databases, seabird colony catalogs, training videos and other
information sources used by resource agencies at the Federal and
state level.
-
MMS is currently
working with USGS to bring the marine mammal and seabird database to
the Internet for public access.
-
SC Marine Mammal
and Seabird Survey, Year 1
-
Seabird Nesting
and Seasonal Use Survey for the C & NC Coastal Region
-
C & NC Marine
Mammal and Seabird Study, Years 1-3
-
CA Seabird Oil
Spill Behavior Study
-
Seabird Oil
Toxicity
-
SC Marine Mammal
& Seabird Risk Analysis
-
Observation of
Sea Otter Behavior
-
Population Status
of CA Sea Otter
-
Sea Otter Oil
Spill Mitigation Study
-
CA Seabird
Ecology Study
-
Sea Otter Oil
Spill Avoidance
-
Gray Whale
Monitoring Study
-
Diving Patterns
of Free Swimming Elephant Seals
-
OR & WA Marine
Mammal and Seabird Surveys
-
Biological
Impacts of Translocated Sea Otters
-
Seabird Nesting
Survey for C&N CA and Prep of a Catalog of Seabird Colonies
-
Publication of
the National Atlas of Coastal Water bird Colonies and WA Seabird
Catalog
-
Marbled Murrieta
in California
-
Diving Studies of
Northern Elephant Seals
-
Production of Sea
Otter Rescue Training Videos
-
Brown Pelican
Survey & Breeding Success Following Oil Exposure in the American
Trader Spill
-
Pacific OCS
Marine Mammal and Seabird Database
-
Shorebirds of the
Santa Maria Basin
Social Sciences and
Economics - $5,513,000
-
MMS funded the creation of a unique database of
archaeological and culturally significant marine sites used by other
Federal agencies and the State of California Historic Preservation
Office.
-
MMS has funded the only studies of the growth of the oil and
gas industries and the sociological connections in the Recount
region (Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo).
-
MMS has funded studies about the major factors that affect
coastal recreation and tourism.
-
MMS has funded the potential effects of offshore oil and gas
activities on Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest.
-
Santa Barbara
Channel Prehistoric Mapping Study
-
CA Coastal
Recreational and Aesthetics Study
-
Cumulative
Socioeconomic Impacts of O&G Development in SB Channel Region: A
Case Study
-
Dev. Baseline
Data for Socioeconomic Modeling in Santa Barbara Co and SLO Co
-
Impacts of OCS
Development on Recreation and Tourism
-
Archaeological
Resource Study: Morro Bay to Mexican Border
-
Baseline
Socioeconomic. Profile of CA, OR & WA
-
CA, OR, WA
Archaeological Resources
-
Invent and
Evaluation of WA & OR Coastal Recreation Resources
-
Potential Effects
of OCS Oil & Gas Activities on OR & WA Indian Tribes
-
Social and Econ.
Adapt by Fish harvest in the SBC-SMB area, Calif.
-
Social, Econ. &
Historic Char. of SLO, SB and Ventura Counties
-
The Petroleum
Extraction Industry in Ventura, SB, and SLO
-
Data Analysis and
Synthesis of Tri-County Monitoring Program
-
Coastal Beach
Recreation and Tourism Valuation
Southern California
Educational Initiative and Coastal Marine Institute – University of
California Santa Barbara - $12,655,000
Present and Future
ESP Emphasis
-
The ESP is
presently emphasizing long term monitoring through MINT and MARINe.
-
The ESP is
presently emphasizing research on the role of oil and gas platforms
in the ecology of endangered fish in Southern California.
-
The ESP anticipates
future research into the potential environmental of ocean based
renewable energy projects along the Pacific coast.
Web Master:
Nollie
Gildow-Owens
Page content last updated 08/05/2008
Page last published 08/05/2008 |