Project Information

Title: Long-term Monitoring of Marine Conditions and Injured Resources 20120114

Project Year and Number: 2020: 20120114

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2022: 2222LTRM, 2021: 21120114, 2019: 19120114, 2018: 18120114, 2017: 17120114, 2016: 16120114, 2015: 15120114, 2014: 14120114, 2013: 13120114, 2012: 12120114

Principal Investigator (PI): Mandy Lindeberg (NOAA)

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://gulfwatchalaska.org/

Research Location: Gulf of Alaska

Restoration Category: Monitoring, Research

Injured Resources Addressed: Black Oystercatchers, Clams, Common Murres, Harlequin Ducks, Intertidal Organisms, Killer Whales, Kittlitz's Murrelets, Marbled Murrelets, Mussels, Pacific Herring, Pigeon Guillemot, Sea Otters, Sediments, Subtidal Organisms

Abstract:

The Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) program directly addresses the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council’s focus area, integrated long-term monitoring of marine conditions and injured resources services. The overarching goal of GWA is to provide sound scientific data and products that inform management agencies and the public of changes in the environment and the impacts of these changes on injured resources. GWA has a consortium of 12 projects organized in the following functional groups: three monitoring components (environmental drivers, pelagic, and nearshore), a program management team, a science review panel, a science coordinating committee, and an outreach steering committee.

The program has five primary objectives: 1) sustain and build upon existing time series in the EVOS-affected regions of the Gulf of Alaska, 2) provide scientific data, data products and outreach to management agencies and a wide variety of users, 3) develop science synthesis products to assist management actions, inform the public and guide monitoring priorities for the next 15 years, 4) continue to build on collaborations between the GWA and Herring Research and Monitoring (HRM) programs, as well as other Trustee program focus areas including the data management program, lingering oil and potential cross-program publishing groups, and 5) leverage partnerships with outside agencies and groups to integrate data and expand capacity through collaborative efforts.

To date in FY19, all field sampling projects have been completed as planned and science synthesis efforts are underway among GWA components and with HRM. PIs continued to leverage GWA funding and resources to enhance collaborative efforts and the program management team has completed reporting requirements, continued development of data products, and conducted outreach activities to engage stakeholders.

Overall, there are no changes to GWA program management and outreach. We are requesting additional funding for two existing projects: 1) to continue upper trophic level surveys on the now combined Seward Line and Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research oceanographic cruises, and 2) to address unanticipated increased operational costs of an agency research vessel for the nearshore ecosystem component. In addition, we are proposing a lingering oil project in FY20 as part of the recommended monitoring schedule by GWA’s previous FY2012-16 lingering oil project.


Proposal: View (2,287 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report: View (624 KB)
Final Report: See Project 21120114

Publications from this Project: None Available