MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary May 10th, 2002

Research Activity Panel Meeting Summary
Chris Harrold, Monterey Bay Aquarium, RAP Chair

MAY 2002 RAP MEETING

Members

• Jeff Paduan, Naval Postgraduate School – Vice Chair
  
• Andrew DeVogelaere – RAP Coordinator
  
• Greg Cailliet, MLML
  
• Steve Moore, CSUMB
  
• Dan Costa, UCSC
  
• Mark Carr, UCSC
  
• Fiorenza Micheli, Hopkins
  
• Jan Roletto, GF/CB NMS
  
• Rick Starr, UC Sea Grant
  
• Mark Stephenson, CDFG
  
• Geoff Wheat, NURP
  
• Caroline Pomeroy, UCSC
  
• Charlie Wahle, MPA Center
  
• Aaron King, MPA Center

Guests

• Erica Burton, MBNMS
  
• Kelly Newton, MBNMS
  
• Sarah Lyons, MPA Center
  
• Lydia Bergen, UCSC
  
• Eric Van Dyke, ESNERR
  
• Sean Morton, MBNMS
  
• Chris Essert, MBNMS
  
• Satie Airame, UCSB
  
• Dan Fernandez, CSUMB
  
• Mike Dalton, CSUMB
  

PRESENTATIONS

Institutional Update: California State University, Monterey Bay (Steve Moore)

CSUMB opened in 1995 with 650 students; the current enrollment is approximately 3000. There are 12 majors & 4 graduate programs. The Earth Systems Science and Policy (ESSP) major has approximately 250 students. The major contains 3 concentrations that all emphasize applied, interdisciplinary, and environmental science. A new Science Academic Center is currently being built. It will be the first new building on campus and will be home to physics, life sciences, and chemistry. Projected completion is Fall 2003. Sanctuary related research at CSUMB includes seafloor mapping, Elephant Seal studies at Ano Nuevo, and biogadgetering. Dan Fernandez gave an overview of his research on HF radar measurements in Monterey Bay. CODAR sites are located at Long Marine Lab, Moss Landing, and Point Pinos. They are used to take large-scale measurements of ocean surface currents. The radar has also been used to track ships through the Sanctuary. For more information please see http://www.csumb.edu

Biogeography / Ecolinkages report for the Joint Management Plan Review (Satie Airame)

A draft “Ecolinkages” report was presented to the RAP. This literature review is intended to cover biogeography of the Sanctuaries, and to describe species, habitats, and their relationships. The study area for the report is beyond Sanctuary boundaries, from Pt. Arena to Pt. Arguello. Habitats included in the study are bays and estuaries, sandy beaches, rocky intertidal, kelp beds, continental shelf, pelagic communities, and deep sea. Important linkage factors identified are rivers and estuaries, onshore and deep sea, and upwelling areas. The draft report will be broken into sections and distributed to RAP members and other researchers for review. A final product should be available in the fall.

DISCUSSIONS

SAC priorities for the MBNMS Management Plan (Sean Morton)

There were 12,000 comments received during the Scoping Period for the Management Plan Review. These comments have been broken down into a list of priority issues that the Sanctuary should tackle in the next 5 years. The information will be mailed out the week of May 14. Working groups will be developed and some RAP members will be asked to participate.