MMS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM: ONGOING STUDIES
MMS OCS Region: Pacific
Title: MARINe Monitoring of Rocky Intertidal Sites Adjacent to OCS Oil and Gas Platforms in Southern California (PC-04-01)
Total Cost: $750,000-990,000 Period of Performance: Jan. 2004 - Jan. 2007
Conducting Organization:
MMS Contact:
Description:
Background
Biannual monitoring of 70 established rocky intertidal sites by MARINe and its partners now extends from Washington to Baja California. MMS initiated monitoring in Santa Barbara County in 1991; MMS actively funds monitoring of 24 sites along the mainland adjacent to OCS platforms. Through MMS’s involvement in MARINe, the sampling protocol has been standardized across the west coast making it the largest long-term monitoring program on the west coast. Data has been collected at MMS sites since 1991; data on the adjacent Channel Islands has been collected since the early 1980’s. Three panels of scientists advise MARINe on a voluntary basis funded by their individual institutions. A Steering Panel makes recommendations on the scope of the research and ensures data collected meets management objectives; a Science Panel peer-reviews the questions being asked and technical issues related to the data collected; a Database Panel provides expertise on database development. Several accomplishments were made over the past two years:
 
  • All 70 sites were monitored biannually.
  • 50 sites were monitored using the comprehensive protocol in the same calendar year so that broad characterizations outside the established plots can be made.
  • A subset of BLM Baseline sites were revisited and monitored using the Littler protocols on both the mainland and island sites.
  • A common database has been developed and will be completed by Summer 2003.
  • Standardized protocols for scoring data and for optional species monitoring have been adopted.
  • Voucher collections have been initiated for placement in California and at the Smithsonian.
  • A UCLA post-doc is being hired to assist the MARINe Science Panel in jointly publishing a series of peer-reviewed papers analyzing the broad dataset.
  • The MMS-hosted MARINe website is currently being updated. Photos of the species monitored, publications; thumbnails of the trends of each species monitored, and a manual documenting standardized protocols for sampling and scoring data, site maps and other information will also be available on the website.
  • Several papers have been published and presented at technical conferences.

In addition to funding by each of the sponsors to continue monitoring at each MARINe site, additional joint funding for MARINe includes $2-300,000 in FY 04/05 from the National Park Service for preparing complete inventories of southern California species. Historic voucher specimens and current vouchers will be examined and revisions made to update. Continued partial funding of MMS-funded technicians by PISCO working at UC Santa Cruz and shared funding of transportation costs by PISCO provide direct funding at MMS-funded sites. New Regional Water Quality Control Board funding to support collection and tissue analysis of mussels at paired MARINe sites along the Central coast is estimated at $40,000/year for 5 years. Other MARINe partners continue to support ongoing monitoring of the remaining 46 sites.
 
Objectives
This study will provide for the continued monitoring of the 24 rocky intertidal sites on the mainland shore immediately adjacent to OCS facilities. Continued support for a post-doc for an additional year to continue peer-review publication of the large MARINe dataset and overall coordination of MARINe is included. Information generated provides the basis for evaluating impacts to the shoreline from OCS activities including accidental oil spills.
 
Methods
Sites are monitored biannually by teams of field biologists, including the MMS MINT team. Barnacles, mussels, seastars, black abalone, surfgrass, limpets, turf weed, rock weed and other algae are either photographed in fixed plots in the field, or measured and counted in irregular, circular or band plots. The sampling protocols are standardized across MARINe and are used by all MARINe field teams. Data is placed in a common database and is reviewed and published by the Science Panel.
 
Importance to MMS
This information allows MMS to directly assess impacts to the coastline from OCS operations. It also fosters continued partnerships with local, State and Federal government agencies involved in monitoring research and the data is actively used by many entities for planning shoreline projects, marine protected areas, and reserves. It helps fulfill MMS’s mandate to monitor the marine and coastal environment adjacent to OCS operations as described in the OCS Lands Act.
 
Current Status:
Website updated trends of species across Southern and Central California, peer-reviewed publications on significant regional trends, reports for local, State and Federal decision makers on the health of the shoreline. Decision makers across the State are very interested in MARINe data in the establishment and monitoring of multiple marine protected areas and reserves.
 
Final Report Due: Information will be used immediately to assess impacts from a spill from OCS facilities if and when a spill occurs. Information is being used by multiple agencies to make decisions about marine protected areas, reserves, planning and permitting activities along the coast.
Publications:
Affiliated WWW Sites:
Revised date: February 2003
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