Project Information

Title: Long-Term Research and Monitoring Program 17120114

Project Year and Number: 2017: 17120114

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2022: 2222LTRM, 2021: 21120114, 2020: 20120114, 2019: 19120114, 2018: 18120114, 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, Subsistence, Subtidal Organisms

Abstract:

This program proposal directly addresses the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council’s (EVOSTC’s) focus area, long-term monitoring of marine conditions and injured resources. We are proposing to continue the successful Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program into the next 5 year period, FY 2017-21. The overarching goal of the GWA program is to continue 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. The organization of GWA includes: three monitoring components (environmental drivers, pelagic, 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 (GOA). 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. 5. Leverage partnerships with outside agencies and groups to integrate data and expand capacity through collaborative efforts. Highlights from the first five years of the GWA program show significant development of program infrastructure and compilation of scientific information. Internal and external program communication tools were developed, including a program workspace, intranet, website and data portal. Four (soon to be five) years of monitoring data have been collected for the northern GOA ecosystem. A three-year program synthesis report was completed and submitted to the EVOSTC along with numerous peer reviewed journal publications. Outreach highlights include three community outreach events each year, ongoing development of teaching resources for marine science such as virtual field trips, videos of scientists in the field, numerous classrooms visits, and over 200 presentations. Coordination and collaboration with the HRM program and many other research efforts has proven beneficial to all and these collaborations will continue to grow over time.


Proposal: View (6,786 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY17: View (250 KB)
Final Report: See Project 21120114

Publications from this Project: None Available