MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary July 9th, 2010

Research Activity Panel: Meeting Summary
Chris Harrold, RAP Chair

Host:
Erika McPhee-Shaw - Physical Oceanography (Moss Landing Marine Labs)

Location:
Moss Landing Marine Labs
Seminar Room
8272 Moss Landing Road
Moss Landing, CA 95039

Date: Friday, July 9th, 2010; 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 (Harrold)

• New RAP Member
  • Marine Policy (alternate): Aimee David, Ocean Conservation Policy Manager, Center for the Future of the Oceans, Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Modifications to the Agenda
  • "Enhanced Ecosystem-based Management Initiative" agenda item presented by Lisa Wooninck (NMS West Coast Region)
  • "CeNCOOS Update" (Ramp) - Canceled

HOST PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION

New Research at Moss Landing Marine Labs (McPhee-Shaw)

• McPhee-Shaw presented physical oceanography research at MLML, including:
  • Boundary mixing in the deep Monterey Canyon
  • Research question: are canyons mixing hotspots
  • Monterey Canyon: site of confirmed boundary-interior exchange consistent with bulk mass conservation arguments and with localized mixing of stratified fluids
• McPhee-Shaw presented student research, including:
  • Decade of oxygen in Monterey Bay (Ashley Booth; received best graduate student poster award at Sanctuary Currents 2010)
  • Nitrate transport to coastal Monterey Bay (Tanya Novak)
  • Movement of sooty shearwaters in response to variability in winds in California current (student)
  • Santa Cruz wharf observatory (student)

ENHANCED ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

SAC Subcommittee Update and Research Workshops (Lisa Wooninck/NMS West Coast Region)

• Wooninck provided summary of Enhanced Ecosystem-based Management Initiative goals
  • Protect unique and rare places within MBNMS in their natural state for future generations
  • Protect areas within MBNMS where natural ecosystem components are maintained and/or restored
  • Establish research areas within MBNMS that can be used to differentiate between natural variation versus human impacts to ecological processes and components
  • Promote ecologically and economically sustainable uses, including fisheries, in the Sanctuary
• Basic steps of initiative to achieve broad ecosystem-based management goals
  • Step 1: Information gathering and analyses
  • Step 2: Propose and implement strategies/actions
  • Step 3: Monitor, assess, and adapt strategies
• We are currently in Step 1 phase: information gathering and analysis
• Wooninck presented a draft schedule of Step 1 phase
  • October 2010: A workshop to discuss 'Research Areas' will be held
  • November 2010: A workshop to discuss 'Unique and Rare Places' may occur
• SAC subcommittee formed (includes John Hunt) to provide input on Initiative (as a whole), and to suggest research experts in various fields
• John Hunt posed the question: should the IEA and Enhanced EBM Initiative be the focus of the RAP and Research Program for the next 3 years?
  • Chris Harrold suggested this could be the RAP's focus, RAP has latitude to change focus on any MBNMS issue
  • Erica Burton stated that this issue will probably not refocus the MBNMS research program and probably not the RAP’s focus; the issue will continue to be a standing item on the RAP agenda; there are many Action Plans in the MBNMS Management Plan that the research program will address, and may request input from the RAP; the Initiative is just an element of the Management Plan
• To view Wooninck's June 17th SAC presentation see, http://montereybay.noaa.gov/sac/2010/061710/agenda.html

SANCTUARY RESEARCH UPDATE

None

SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE

SAC Update (Harrold)

• Harrold reported on two items of interest to RAP:
  • Enhanced Ecosystem-based Management Initiative: Lisa Wooninck provided update to SAC (as presented above)
  • Artificial Reefs: Jay Straith (recreational diver, lawyer) gave presentation to SAC outlining the pros and cons of sinking a large vessel off San Carlos Beach for dive opportunities
  • To view these June 17th SAC presentations see, http://montereybay.noaa.gov/sac/2010/061710/agenda.html

SANCTUARY CURRENTS SYMPOSIUM 2011

Theme and Ricketts Award Nominations (Erica Burton/MBNMS)

• Burton requested suggestions for the 2011 Symposium Theme and nominations for the Ricketts Award
• RAP would like to see list of past theme suggestions, and Ricketts nominees
• Burton will send email to solicit ideas of both
• RAP had several other ideas to improve the Symposium:
  • How about getting MBCORC involved in planning/partner (Storlazzi)
  • And others – Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University (Harrold)
  • Poster session has eroded over time; give it more time and space (Starr);
  • Exhibitors have dropped off, and we may want to continue to decrease or eliminate; high school involvement has grown and we should continue to encourage (Harrold)
  • Perhaps the Symposium should be divided into two events: 1) Public event (high school and exhibitors); 2) Science event that is more science centric with regional scientists; maybe MBCORC hosts a science symposium (Storlazzi)
  • MBARI open house successful, perhaps have a multi-institutional open house (Haddock)
  • Perhaps use a more public-centric venue – e.g., maritime museum, hotel (McPhee-Shaw)

NRDA COLLABORATORS and LONG-TERM MONITORING PROGRAMS

Updating the Regional Collaborators List (Erica Burton/MBNMS)

• Burton reminded the RAP that a list potential Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) collaborators with long-term monitoring programs was created in 2007, in response to the 2006 central coast Safe Seas Oil Spill Drill
• This list is out of date, and will be updated
• Burton will send out an email poll of those individuals/institutions interested in collaborating during an oil spill event and subsequent NRDA, using existing long-term monitoring data and programs

SUGGESTED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

• Sanctuary Currents: follow-up to email poll on theme, awards (Burton)
• CeNCOOS update (Ramp)
• Ken Johnson work in Elkhorn Slough (per McPhee-Shaw)
• Any science presentation should have 5 minute discussion on policy or social science implication; or specifically any emerging science coming out of MBNMS that has policy implication or management (per Scorse); or any marine policy issue may need science input (MBNMS focused or other local issue; per Hunt)
• Aimee David volunteered to provide list of policy issues that are current (from D.C., Sacramento) that may need science input
• High-res climate models by UCSC; not necessarily Cayan or Dettinger (per Storlazzi)
• GFNMS Climate Change report (John Largier, CeNCOOS), what differences MBNMS might see (per Starr)
• Focus a meeting on climate change (per McPhee/ Storlazzi):
  • Global view
  • CA coast (Lisa Sloan, UCSC; sea level rise, Breaker)
  • GFNMS/CBNMS (Largier)
  • Local/MBNMS (who? Curt?)
• Perhaps MBCORC hosts a 1 or 2 day science meeting (per Storlazzi)

Future Agenda Items (running list):

• Water Quality
  • Critical coastal areas presentation (ASBS, areas water quality impaired, areas in good state; Ross Clark)
• SIMoN
  • SIMoN Special Status Species Project (Jennifer Brown)
• Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS)
• Data integration across monitoring programs (e.g., water quality, PISCO, MARINe, IOOS), and availability to the public
• Recent event: Supreme Court allows Navy Sonar (per John Hunt)
• Predicting sea level rise for the state of California (Larry Breaker, JPL, OPC)
• CeNCOOS update (new website: activities)
• High-res models of CA (Cayan or Dettinger/USGS)
• National Weather Service Forecast Office (Tom Evans, Warning Coordination Meteorologist)
• Presentation on IEAs (e.g., Phil Levin, Frank Schwing, John Stein), including IEAs that have been implemented (per Yoklavich)
• MPAs
  • State MPA monitoring projects (Jason Vasques)
  • Marine Spatial Planning presentation (per Harrold); Fio Micheli recently heard Marine Spatial Planning talk from Massachusetts; or speaker from Center for Ocean Solutions (Meg Caldwell)