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The California Urban Ocean Projectsee: OverviewCalifornia is the most populous state in the union and has a particularly close relationship with its coastal ocean. Two of the five largest metropolitan areas in the nation border the sea and the local citizens are highly dependent upon the sea for recreation, commerce, security, navigation, and waste disposal. As a result of these activities, the ocean and beaches have become contaminated, the coastline has changed, channels and harbors have to be dredged, dredged material (likely contaminated) has to be disposed, and coastal and marine ecosystems have been impacted. Understanding man’s impact on the ocean and the ocean’s impact upon man in the urban setting of California requires a sound understanding of coastal and marine geologic and physical oceanographic processes. These processes act as a continuum affecting geologic particles and man-made materials all the way from their sources in the coastal mountains, plains and cities to their sinks in the continental margins. Along the path human activities change and are changed by the processes. Individual problems could be dealt with on a case by case basis but understanding the link between elements allows better management and planning. Also, following a source to sink approach in tracking particles and substances leads to a better understanding of the processes and the science of sediment transport. In fact, the presence of anthropogenic compounds in coastal sediment transport systems facilitates the tracking of particle movements, along the lines of a vast laboratory experiment.
ObjectivesOur objective is an improved understanding of coastal and marine sediment and contaminant transport processes that have a direct impact on the citizens of California. We follow these processes from source regions, through waterways to coastal estuaries, onto the beaches and continental shelf, and into submarine canyons and basin/fans. These processes include:
These problems are interrelated and benefit from an integrated approach. By pursuing these topics through a multidisciplinary project, we can share resources, integrate our scientific findings, and present a broad scientific view to the local constituents. The whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. In addition, this integrated approach leads to an understanding of the processes that formed the coastal zone as well as producing an improved description of the zone. Based on the improved understanding that is gained we will produce an updated synthesis of sediment and contaminant transport process within, and its impact to, the coastal and urban ocean areas of California. ApproachThis project will investigate sediment and contaminant transport processes in human-impacted areas following a source-to-sink perspective by
We work along the lines of the NSF supported MARGINS project except our environments are near cities and our systems have been changed by man. Our ultimate goal is to understand the relationship of sediment and contaminant transport systems with human and environmental health. We leverage external interests to support much of our field work and data analysis and use appropriated funding to fill in gaps in the externally-supported work to develop comprehensive regional knowledge and models. The current focus of this effort is on southern and central California in an effort to
The project is organized to follow a path through the different components of a source-to-sink system. We consider first the sources of sediment and contaminants on land (Task 2), next estuaries (Task 3), coastal systems (Task 4) and continental shelves (Task 5) and finally canyon/fan systems (sinks, Task 7). Task 6 considers contaminants, their distribution, inventories, budgets, and impact on ecosystems. We have at least one subtask within each component. The choice of which subtask(s) to pursue is based on interest in the local communities, availability of external funds, potential for external funds, and scientific significance. We believe it is important to pursue work in all components because this allows us to deal with the transitions from one system to the next and consider all aspects of sediment and contaminant budgeting. Also, in this way, we can work with external groups in all areas and be able to draw upon their expertise when we ultimately develop synthesis products at the end of the project. In some areas, local expertise and available resources are particularly extensive (e.g., contaminant levels and effects), and we can design our own work so as to maximize its usefulness and impact. Tasks and SubTasks
Products, Results, and PublicationsSanta Barbara/Ventura Coastal Processes Study web site Southern California Coastal Hazards web site The California Urban Ocean Project was formerly known as the Southern California Coastal and Marine Geology Regional Investigations (CABRILLO) Project, from 5/1/1996 - 9/30/2005, and is no longer maintained at http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/cabrillo/ Project Customers
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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/research/projects/urbanocean.html
Page Contact Information: Laura Zink Torresan
Page Last Modified: 10 September 2008 (lzt)
