MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary January 13th, 2006

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

MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary, January 13, 2006

Host: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Location: MBARI - Pacific Forum

Date: Friday, March 10, 2006; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

In Attendance:

* Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Primary)
† Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Alternate)

CONSENT ITEMS

• Introductions/modifications to the agenda (Chris Harrold)

PRESENTATIONS

2000, 2003, 2006 Observing Monterey Bay (Jim Bellingham/MBARI & Tom Curtin/ONR)

• 2003 Field Program - Multi-institution, many observation assets; modeling with very recently collected data; up to two months of measurements; eventually to predict what is happening in the ocean environment; in an applied sense, would allow prediction of spill trajectories; the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network web page can be found at www.mbari.org/aosn/
• The data sharing model of this project could be a precursor to IOOS
• Action - There may be a possibility to link this 2006 project with Sanctuary West Coast Obs. Because the existing program has no close to shore measurements
• MB 06 project will be a larger scale project than the 2003 effort, with end goals of environmental now casting, and finding/tracking and detecting discrete objects (e.g., fish, submarines); developing a database system that can handle and share the data is key; the operational area is between the Santa Cruz and Pescadero Marsh region, north of Monterey Bay
• For permitting, the project team is developing a spreadsheet of instruments in the water, and potential impacts
• Action - Jim Bellingham will email web addresses of potential collaborative relevant to wave modeling with USGS and fish surveys by NMFS
• Action - It may be good to do a Mac II biological survey at the same time as the MB06 project (turtles? birds? whales?)

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Sanctuary Currents (Chris Harrold & Andrew DeVogelaere)

• Date: March 4 at CSUMB
• Program Overview: MPAs, SIMoN update
  • Ecosystem function
  • Research into MPAs
  • Community perspectives
  • Creating a network of MPAs in CA (MLPA/National MPA Center)
• Ricketts Lecture Award
  • The email vote is due January 19
• Science Award
  • Action- Send out criteria, ask for paragraphs, due date
• Poster Session
  • Posters abstracts due January 20

RAP Information Binder (Andrew DeVogelaere)

• Action - RAP information binders have to be sent out to RAP members and alternates not present at the meeting
• Action - Send the RAP members an electronic file of the permit summary in the binder
• Action - RAP members want bulleted notes up on web within 2 weeks

RAP Membership Refinement (Chris Harrold)

• Action - Review Research Priorities of Sanctuary to RAP- DeVogelaere do it; followed by a discussion of how it should be modified, need to know assets available. Then RAP members say what they think the priorities are.
• RAP wants to discuss priorities of Sanctuary research before addressing membership

UPDATES

MLPA Update

• see www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/mlpa/phase1.html

SAC Update (Chris Harrold)

 

SUGGESTED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Past, Current, and Future Agenda Items:

• Status of research permits in the sanctuary
• Update on Sanctuary Currents
• Designation of RAP members and alternates/attendance
• COAST Hyperspectral Ocean Color project- Raphael Kudela could give the RAP an update on this new system that may come into the Monterey Bay region
• PaCOOS (Grimes and Chavez) and CeNCOOS updates
• What are the current MBNMS Research Priorities
• Half-hour more detailed updates on item within the RAP binder
• Update from MBNMS staff on effectiveness of water quality protection programs
• Update from John Stephens, Adjunct Professor at Cal Poly, on his southern MBNMS (Cambria) studies
• Impacts of Benthic Trawling: Needs of the MBNMS
• Status of the Ocean Observatory system
• Implementation of the new RAP Purpose and Protocols
• Marine reserves and MLPA update