MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary September 14th, 2007

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

Host: Kerstin Wasson - Estuarine Ecology (Elkhorn Slough NERR and Foundation)

Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Date: Friday, September 14th, 2007; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

In Attendance:

† Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Alternate)

Absent:

* Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Primary)

CONSENT ITEMS

Introductions/modifications to the agenda (Larry Breaker)

Announcements

• ESNERR: new buildings
  • Research Center
  • studio/kitchenette available for visiting scientists in area
  • http://www.elkhornslough.org/esnerr.htm
• ESNERR: Two documents were handed out
  • Document with the major questions that ESNERR scientists will be addressing 2006-2011, through long-term monitoring and short-term applied research
  • Document containing interesting questions that could be addressed in term papers or thesis research
  • To download, see http://www.elkhornslough.org/research.htm
• Burton passed around 2008 meeting/host sign-up sheet (follow-up w/email)

PRESENTATIONS

Monitoring Elkhorn Slough Tidal wetlands: water levels and marsh elevation (Eric Van Dyke)

• Historical changes in Slough (~1870-2000); from Salicornia-dominant to unvegetated state
• Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Strategic Plan, available on web
  • http://www.elkhornslough.org/tidalwetland/strategic_plan.htm
• Changes in tidal inundation a major influence in the Slough (duration and/or frequency); and changes in land elevations an influence
• Two new tide gauges in Elkhorn Slough (Kirby park; portable gauge)
  • real-time data to ~mm
  • http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/station_retrieve.shtml?type=Tide+Data
  • In Left Column, Click on California, Click on Elkhorn Slough
• Vertical Control Network installed (measures movements in Slough)
  • Plate Boundary Observatory: continuous GPS Station (P210) on web
  • http://pboweb.unavco.org/shared/scripts/stations/?checkkey=P210
• Monitoring Water Levels (tied to datums, more useful than just tidal gauge)
• Looking at tidal choking (longer or more frequent inundation; high tides backed up on each other)
• Monitoring Marsh Elevation, using the following
• ESNERR needs money to keep new tide gauge (few $1000/year)
• MBNMS Institutional Permit has worked well for ESNERR

A closer look at regime shifts in North Pacific based on coastal observations along the west coast of North America (Larry Breaker)

• Examined regime shifts: 1925, 1946, 1976 (major)
• Looked at cumulative sums of daily time series data of sea surface temperature (SST) at Hopkins Marine Station and Scripps Pier; a different way to define/measure regime shifts
• Examining the periodicity at which a pattern is detectable, can look at daily, weekly, and monthly data, but cannot detect with less frequent data (ie., CalCOFI data cannot detect shifts)
• Breaker, L.C. 2007. A closer look at regime shifts based on coastal observations along the eastern boundary of the North Pacific. Continental Shelf Research 27(17):2250-2277.

Research Priorities - Recommendation to MBNMS Superintendent (Larry Breaker)

• See Appendix - Research Priorities

State of the Nation's Marine Managed Areas: West Coast Focus (Lisa Wooninck/MPA Center & NMFS)

• Executive Order: enhance management and conservation of marine resources through effective use of mpas as ecosystem tool
• MPA center working on National Marine Managed Areas (MMA) inventory
  • www.mpa.gov/pdf/helpful-resources/factsheets/mma_analysis_oct06.pdf
• The Report, "The State of the U.S. Marine Managed Areas Along the West Coast" will be published at the end of 2007.

STAFF/SAC REQUESTS TO RAP

Advice to Staff on MPAs in Federal Waters (Huff McGonigal)

• Over the past ~5 years the MBNMS MPA working group has been discussing MPAs in the MBNMS (state and federal waters)
• The State process is complete and new MPAs have been designated
  • http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/ccmpas_list.asp
• The MPA working group has not come to consensus on the need for MPAs in federal waters
• The Superintendent (Paul Michel) distributed a letter to the SAC and MPA working group members identifying the state of non-consensus, and has laid out a plan for the near future to get input from the SAC and working group members
• At the October 18th-19th SAC meeting, there will be presentations on the regulatory framework by Paul Reilly (CDFG; state), Steve Ralston (NOAA Fisheries; federal), and Sean Hastings (CINMS)
• At December 13-14th SAC meeting, the 3 constituent groups (fishing, conservation, research) will make presentations; SAC will make decision/input (not consensus) the following day, on whether the MBNMS should move forward with the MPA designation process in federal waters
• At the February SAC meeting, the MBNMS will present the decision on whether the MBNMS will be moving forward on MPA designations in federal waters
• Staff requested from the RAP:
  1. To understand the two MPA designation processes (state and federal) to inform their colleagues as needed
  2. To be informed on MPA science so they can assist in any future staff questions related to the topic
• The RAP discussed how to be better informed on the MPA process and science in federal waters?
  • They requested an executive summary of 5-year process and products of the MPA working group
  • A series of potential presentations to the RAP include:
    • Summarize the points of consensus and non-consensus of the working group
    • How social sciences are related to federal MPAs
    • A review of the new state MPAs, goals, monitoring, effectiveness
    • Review the state MPAs that reach federal waters, and what might it add to sanctuary goals by extending them
    • The problems motivating the federal effort (the need)
    • The problems that might be addressed by MPAs
    • Why not wait for results from State MPAs before implementing in federal waters
• In the future, the RAP may be asked for advice (e.g., when will we know if state MPAs working?)
• This item will be continued at the next RAP meeting

Future Agenda Items:

• Water Quality
  • Findings tracking pathogens in sea otters and connection to FW flows (CDFG, UCDavis?)
  • Critical coastal areas presentation (ASBS, areas water quality impaired, areas in good state; Ross Clark)
  • CCLEAN summary (Central Coast Long-term Environmental Assessment Network; Dane Hardin/Applied Marine Sciences)
• Food Safety Measures and Affected Wildlife (Mary Yoklavich)
• SIMoN: future monitoring (JMPR or beyond)
• SIMoN Special Status Species Project (Jennifer Brown)
• Role of offshore MPAs
• Ed Thornton to speak on coastal armoring and coastal erosion
• Linking SIMoN to management (Amber Szoboszlai; January 2008)
• Ed Ricketts Memorial Award/Lecture & Sanctuary Currents Reflection Award (Science; AMBAG)
• Science acronyms in the MBNMS (Erica Burton)
• RAP discussion on MPA process and advice