The CeNCOOS MBON: Marine biodiversity information in support of a healthy Blue Economy in the central California Current

PI: Chavez, Francisco (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
Start Year: 2022 | Duration: 5 years
Partners: NOAA, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System, University of California Santa Cruz, Point Blue Conservation Science

Project Abstract:

We propose to integrate remote sensing products, in situ data and models in support of a healthy Blue Economy in the Central California Current (CCC). Targeted users include NOAA California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (CCIEA), National Marine Sanctuary Programs, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the State of California. Our goal is to quantify relationships between climate, the ocean environment (physics, chemistry) and marine food webs (from microbes to fish and top predators), with the aim of providing predictive understanding of marine ecosystem responses to environmental change. The proposed team has been expanded from current ongoing MBON efforts, adding new observations by participants of the Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) and from deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems. The team includes members from academic/research and development (UCSC, MBARI, Stanford, Point Blue, Humboldt State), federal government (NOAA) and IOOS Regional Association (CeNCOOS) institutions. In situ data will be collected, processed and provided by NOAA Fisheries, academic and private non-profit research institutions, including traditional (nets, microscopes), animal tagging and innovative (eDNA, acoustics, video) approaches. These temporal and spatial in situ data will be integrated with remote sensing products and numerical model output to develop time-varying species habitat models and biodiversity ecoscapes for central California. The information and products developed will be managed and served by the CCIEA and CeNCOOS and support National Marine Sanctuary condition reports as well as a wide variety of users. These products will benefit sustainable development of fisheries, proposed renewable energy systems in the marine environment and evolving challenges in ecosystem management arising from climate variability and change. New data from surveys (including eDNA where available) animal telemetry will be processed routinely and delivered to local, national and international repositories. A similar process will be followed for externally supplied data to our MBON project. Products generated from our modeling framework will inform potential improvements to EcoCast and WhaleWatch and made available through CeNCOOS data portal systems, established with user engagement to guide their format, display and delivery.