Whats New: Phase II Report Complete and Available to Download

Contact
Carol Keiper, Oikonos

Funders and Collaborators

Tracy Gill, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and National Marine Sanctuary Program http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov/projects/assess/ca_nms/
David Ainley and Larry Spear, HT Harvey and Associates
Lisa Ballance, National Marine Fisheries Service
Glen Ford and Janet Cassey, RG Ford Consulting Company, Oregon
Sarah G. Allen, Point Reyes National Seashore

Project Description

The waters off central California are among the most spatially and temporally complex of the California Current System, a major eastern boundary current regarded as one of the major upwelling regions of the world (Bakun 1996). The hydrography is driven by seasonal, coastal upwelling (Husby & Nelson 1982, Brink 1983, Huyer 1983, Schwing et al. 1991. Smith 1992. CCS waters also are affected by large-scale, multi year processes associated with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (McLain and Thomas 1983, Barber & Chavez 1983, Breaker & Mooers 1986, Hayward 1993, Schwing et al. 1991, Lynn et al. 1998).

Diverse assemblages of marine birds and mammals are found off central California, including more than one third of the world's cetacean species, six species of pinnipeds, and populations of some seabird species that are among the largest of western North America, south of the Aleutians (Carter et al. 1992), comprising 103 species, 30 of which are dominant (Briggs et al. 1987).

This region has received special protection through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuary Program. Three National Marine Sanctuaries in the region (Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, Monterey Bay) have conducted a review process to update their respective sanctuary management plans. To support this review, The National Center for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Biogeography Team worked with local experts to organize and synthesize the best available data and information to characterize and identify important biological areas and time periods within the study area, and in turn, integrate these results into the revised sanctuary management plans.

Orcinus orca travels within the west coast National Marine Sancturaries. Photo Carol Keiper

Final Products

This assessment was lead by the NCCOS Biogeography Branch, but included over 90 contributors and 25 collaborating institutions, including Oikonos - Ecosystem Knowledge.

Phase 1 included 1) hundreds of maps, tables, and analyses; 2) an ecological linkage report on the marine and estuarine ecosystems along the coast of north/central California; and 3) related geographic information system (GIS) data and other summary data files, which are available for viewing/download in several formats:

Phase 2 included 1) a chapter on the environmental and ecological setting; 2) updated bird colony and roost maps and summaries of marine bird colonies; 3) updated at-sea (1980-2003); 4) updated mammal maps and descriptions; 5) new overall density maps for eight mammals species; 6) new summary pinniped rookery/haulout maps; 7) new maps on at-sea richness for cetaceans and pinnipeds; 8) revised text in mammal chapter; 9) new summary tables for mammals on population status and spatial and temporal patterns.

Link to Documents
http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/canms_cd/htm/products.htm


Results of this assessment are being used to assist the National Marine Sanctuary Program and the State of California in addressing changes in management strategies or administration, and evaluating potential modification of reserve and sanctuary boundaries.

Credits, Partners, and Collaborators
http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/canms_cd/htm/credits.htm

Papers and Citations

Keiper , C.A., D.G. Ainley, S.G. Allen and J.T. Harvey. 2005. Marine mammal occurrence and ocean climate off central California, 1986 to 1994 and 1997 to 1999. Marine Ecology Progress Series Vol. 289:285-306.

Keiper, CA. 2001. Marine mammals off central California relative to hydrography;1986-94, 1997-99. MS thesis, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories San Jose State University, CA.

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) 2003. A Biogeographic Assessment off North/Central California: To Support the Joint Management Plan Review for Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries: Phase I - Marine Fishes, Birds and Mammals. Prepared by NCCOS's Biogeography Team in cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Silver Spring, MD 145 pp. Also available on CD-ROM and On-line (URL:http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov/products/canms_cd/).

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCC)S) 2007. A Biogeographic assessment off North/Central California: In Support of the National Marine Sanctuaries of Cordell /Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay. Phase II - Environmental Setting and Update to Marine Birds and Mammals. Prepared by NCCOS's Biogeography Branch, R.G. Ford Consulting Co. and Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, in cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Silver Spring, MD. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 40. 240 pp.

Northern fur seal, an offshore pinniped species in the west coast National Marine Sanctuaries.
Photo by Carol Keiper