The Minerals Management Service Pacific OCS Region supports a wide variety of research in the ocean and coastal environment through a cooperative agreement with the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). The Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) at UCSB supports research of interest to MMS and other government agencies through a cost sharing arrangement. Since 1989, more than 70 research projects have been supported in disciplines ranging from social science to subcellular biology and numerical modeling of biological systems.

Scientists from several campuses of the University of California and as far away as Ohio State University have participated in this research program. Proposals for research are reviewed through a rigorous peer review process and the results of research have been published in major scientific journals.

The current CMI studies are listed in Current Environmental Studies.