Bridging Boundaries Through Regional Marine Research (2000) / Chapter Skim
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4 Regional Marine Research Programs
4 Regional Marine Research Programs
Pages 44-62
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From page 44... ...
NUTRIENT ENHANCED COASTAL OCEAN PRODUCTIVITY (NECOP) CASE STUDY Goals The NECOP program was initiated in 1989 as part of the Coastal Ecosystem Health theme of the newly established Coastal Ocean Program (COP)
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From page 45... ...
This region was selected based on four criteria: a clear anthropogenic signal in the distribution of nutrients, elevated phytoplankton biomass, demonstrable impact on water quality due to enhanced productivity, and the presence of regional living resources of significant value. It is interesting to compare the goals of NECOP with those established through the RMRP process that gave rise to the Gulf of Mexico Regional Marine Research (RMR)
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From page 46... ...
The second call for proposals targeted the following areas for funding: assess the importance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon in limiting phytoplankton productivity and biomass; determine seasonal variation in the rates of new and regenerated productivity; enhance the modeling effort by determining fluxes and physical linkages among various study regions; enhance research on hypoxia by expanding studies on the effects of low oxygen on living resources; and assess the impact of hypoxia on socioeconomic conditions in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Of the 26 proposals submitted, 17 were funded.
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From page 47... ...
The review committee concluded that: . The problem of coastal nutrient enrichment is important and requires a focused, multidisciplinary study, such as NECOP; · The rationale for defining the limits of the study area and selecting the current mix of funded projects was not clear; · The sampling program is unlikely to provide the data needed to determine characteristic scales of variability in river discharge and plume dynamics; · The project does not appear to be well coordinated.
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From page 48... ...
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From page 49... ...
A sampling program that was inadequate for documenting important scales of variability and the physical and ecological dynamics of the coastal plume. Among other things, variations in larger scale coastal circulation are likely to have a substantial impact on plume dynamics and the relationships between nutrient inputs, phytoplankton production, and oxygen depletion.
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From page 50... ...
The 10-year program goal was to "work toward development of a suite of models that collectively simulate how the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and its interacting components function naturally and under stress." Achievement of these ambitious goals was still below the horizon when the program terminated after 5 years. The broad societal concerns to be addressed by the GOM-RMRP were that contamination of the Gulf of Maine degrades living marine resources or alters ecosystem structure and that physical changes to habitats in the Gulf of Maine alter ecosystem structure and functioning.
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From page 51... ...
As far as can be inferred from the titles of the proposals, 19% of the research funding went to projects explicitly concerned with harmful algal blooms (HABs) , 22% to contaminant-related studies, 26% to physical oceanography, and 22% to studies of primary productivity and chemical oceanography not specifically related to HABs or contaminants.
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From page 52... ...
. The RMR Board, which included representatives from universities, state, and federal agencies, developed the RMR Plan based on the draft prepared by RARGOM and other regional planning activities.
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From page 53... ...
Based on these criteria, the RMR Plan included a table of research priorities related to the four major scientific questions. The highest priority issues were listed in the ARO; and reviewers were instructed to consider the table of priorities when evaluating the proposals.
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From page 54... ...
However, there has been no final synthesis of the results. There has not been much tangible progress toward the 10-year goal stated in the RMR Plan, "to work toward development of a suite of models that collectively simulate how the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and its interacting components function naturally and under stress." With funding provided for only 5 of the 10 years of the program, completion of the goals cannot be expected.
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From page 55... ...
substantial progress has been made on the question: what are the causes of noxious phytoplankton concentrations? Another accomplishment of the RMRP has been to lay a foundation for further studies of harmful algae, such as those sponsored by The Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (EcoHAB)
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From page 56... ...
Although many of the PIs continue to interact on other collaborative research projects and at planning exercises for future Gulf of Maine research, there is no impetus or funding to work on syntheses of RMRP data. Only minor funding (some from the harmful algal bloom proposals, some from a stand-alone project)
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From page 57... ...
This dredging is subject to state permits issued by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFBRWQCB) and federal permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies.
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From page 58... ...
This review was adequate, but the efforts were limited by budget constraints (Steve Goldbeck, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, via telephone conversation and electronic mail in April 1999~. Despite these limitations, the studies have provided a technical basis for designating the ocean disposal site, evaluating upland disposal options, helping to determine the best locations for limited in-bay disposal, and providing information for the policy environmental impact statement (EIS)
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From page 59... ...
From 1990-1994, the project focused on responses to point-source and diffuse nutrient inputs to the estuary, in terms of nutrient cycling, the production and fate of phytoplankton biomass, water quality, and the development of a nutrient budget that identified major pathways of nitrogen and phosphorus input and export and major sinks within the system. In 1995, the emphasis shifted to the effects of physical processes on scales of meters on the coupling between primary and secondary production.
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From page 60... ...
. In part, PNCERS emerged as a result of the planning activities undertaken as part of the Pacific Northwest Regional Marine Research Program.
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From page 61... ...
In late 1996, the PMT further refined the program goal and objectives based on the workshop. The new program goal is "to improve the understanding of natural variability and anthropogenic stressors on coastal ecosystems that support Pacific salmon, and to translate that understanding into improved management of resources and activities that affect coastal ecosystems." The program was further focused as follows: (1)
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From page 62... ...
Investigators focused on Oregon and Washington estuaries have collaborated with the relevant state agencies and researchers on plankton, fishes, and seabirds in the near shore domain have developed ties with both state and federal (NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service [NMFSi, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS]
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