science | SEAS

SEA Surveys - Pelagic Habitat

SEA Surveys - Pelagic Habitat, are designed to investigate the relationship between hydrographic conditions, physical features and the distribution and abundance of marine organisms in the vicinity of the Gulf of the Farallones region and the coastal and pelagic region west of Sonoma County. One of the primary objectives is to monitor the abundance and distribution of species impacted by chronic and acute oil pollution, such as seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, and their trophic relationship and the population dynamics of euphausiid shrimp or krill. Another objective is to link local abundance and distribution data sets with associated habitats, oceanographic features, and occurrence and distribution of human activities. Phytoplankton are also monitored to inventory introduced species and detect harmful algal blooms.

Information from SEA Surveys adds to our knowledge of ocean circulation patterns and the influences and dynamics of oceanographic processes on biological resources of the sanctuary. SEA Survey data contribute to the information-base necessary to identify resources at risk to oil spills, identifies ecologically significant pelagic areas, aids in understanding appropriate use and impacts of oil spill response measures such as use of in-situ burning and dispersants, aids in identifying sources of disturbance, improved mapping of deposition patterns, helps to assess effectiveness of restoration activities, provides data for long-term monitoring of abundance and distribution of key and sensitive resources, and contributes to identification of pelagic introduced species.

The linked document "Standardizing At-sea Monitoring Programs for Marine Birds, Mammals, Other Organisms, Debris, and Vessels, in West-Coast National Marine Sanctuaries" (348KB PDF) was developed for the West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries, funded from a research mini-grant from the National Marine Sanctuary Program.

The purpose of this report is to recommend standard at-sea monitoring protocols for use in four West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries (WCNMS's): Olympic Coast (OCNMS), Cordell Bank (CBNMS), Gulf of the Farallones (GFNMS), and Monterey Bay (MBNMS). Methods from six past or on-going shipboard monitoring programs were reviewed and differences in protocols were compared to develop these recommendations. Additional goals of this report are to establish a database for use by all programs which will allow comparison of data using different taxonomic and other categories and various alpha-code systems; make recommendations for the establishment of the Sanctuary Ecosystem Assessment Surveys (SEAS) at-sea observer program within the Gulf of the Farallones NMS; develop a data-entry computer program specific to WCNMS protocols; and explore methods for integration of data from different programs into a single data set, for eventual on-line access, query, and down-loading by sanctuary managers and the public.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Peter Pyle, ppyle@birdpop.org or Jan Roletto, Jan.Roletto@noaa.gov