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Funding Opportunities
Habitat Related Projects
Bathymetric Mapping, Habitat Characterization, and Geohazards Assessment of the San Juan Archipelago: a U.S. - Canadian Cooperative VentureSan Jose State University Foundation, California The San Jose State University Foundation and the NOAA Coastal Services Center have entered into a cooperative agreement to study and carry out the best ways to obtain state-of-the-art, high-resolution multibeam bathymetric and backscatter data, side-scan sonographs, and seismic-reflection profiles that can be used to improve navigation charts, characterize Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), and map faults and potential landslides that may be a geohazard on both sides of the Canadian-American International Boundary and within the western San Juan Archiplelago. These data are being used to produce maps and spatial databases that can support NOAA navigational charting efforts, characterizations of marine habitats, and delineations of submarine geology and geohazards. The Coastal Services Center is maintaining strong collaborative relations with the Foundation to help develop digital data sets that will be placed on NOAA Web sites. The NOAA Coastal Services Center's role in this project is to help the San Jose State University Foundation develop and populate a NOAA Web site with digital data sets, specifically ArcView shapefiles and comma-delimited ASCII files stored on CD-ROMs and associated metadata, to inform the public of project results and for public education and outreach efforts. The Coastal Services Center is helping the Foundation plan, execute, and evaluate the survey results. Both parties are working to ensure that quality control measures are developed and properly implemented. The Center is serving as a conduit for receiving geospatial data from the San Jose State University Foundation for use within the NOAA nautical charting system. Hydrographic Data Acquisition for the Design and Management of Two Proposed California State Marine Protected AreasCalifornia State University at Monterey The Seafloor Mapping Lab at California State University, Monterey, and the NOAA Coastal Services Center have entered into a cooperative agreement to develop high-resolution, digital seafloor bathymetry data suitable for classification and delineation of benthic habitats and to help the navigation of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) sampling platforms at a series of reference sites along the California coast. The Lab and the NOAA Coastal Services Center are collaborating to develop accurate, high-resolution, 3-D habitat maps that can be used by California environmental agencies and other groups to assess habitat quality and to implement effective ROV and diver sampling strategies. The outcomes of this agreement include the development and launch of a Web site populated with marine mapping products and bathymetric data and the delivery of geographic information system (GIS) themes to the California Department of Fish and Game and to other public groups. The NOAA Coastal Services Center's role in this project is to help the university's Seafloor Mapping Lab and the Marine Mapping Users Group develop and populate a Web-based GIS server capability for sharing geospatial data and products derived from and related to hydrographic surveys of California proposed Marine Protected Area sites. NOAA Coastal Services Center employees are responsible for working with staff at the Sea Floor Mapping Lab to develop, launch, and populate a Web-based GIS capability suitable for Internet delivery of bathymetric survey products generated. Center staff is assisting university staff as they work to locate and establish this new GIS service that will allow public access to all marine mapping products created through the cooperative agreement. Information for Management of the Rock Islands, PalauPalau Conservation Society The Rock Islands are an important economic and cultural resource for Palau; they provide food for 75 percent of Palau's resident population and are the base of Palau's tourism-driven economy. Beyond their local importance, the Rock Islands are also an important site for biodiversity conservation on a regional and global scale. Recognizing the cultural, economic, and environmental importance of the Rock Islands to Palau and to the world, the States of Koror and Peleliu have declared the area a Management and Conservation Area. Both states have jointly recognized that measures currently in force are not adequate to support long-term sustainable management and work is in progress to develop a long-term and comprehensive management plan for the area. This project will contribute to the long-term goal of sustainable management of Palau's famed Rock Island region by providing essential scientific information required to develop the long-term management plan for the area. This will be accomplished by conducting resource inventories of four key sites, developing monitoring frameworks for these same four sites, and conducting a study of subsistence harvest activities. Integrated Spatial Data Model Tools Set for the Auto-Classification and Delineation of Species-Specific Habitat Maps from High-Resolution, Digital Hydrographic DataCalifornia State University at Monterey The Seafloor Mapping Lab at California State University, Monterey, and the NOAA Coastal Services Center have entered into cooperative agreements to develop and field-test a suite of spatial data modeling, image processing and geographic information system (GIS) tools that can use a linked species/habitat preference database to query hydrographic digital elevation models, sidescan sonar imagery, and oceanographic data for the purpose of predicting the distribution and abundance of a given species under present and anticipated conditions, such as El Nino or climate change. The outcomes of this cooperative agreement include publishing the results of this investigation, and the new spatial data modeling tools will be made available to federal and state environmental agencies and other public groups, such as the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Services, the California Department of Fish and Game, (California) Marine Life Management Act working groups, and (California) Marine Life Protection Act working groups. The NOAA Coastal Services Center is responsible for working with the university's Seafloor Mapping Lab to identify and develop additional spatial data model tools for evaluation and modification based on iterative testing with species distribution data collected by the lab. The Center is also working with the lab to integrate the suite of GIS and spatial data model tools into a linked protocol for habitat and species mapping. Kelp Forest Restoration ProjectSanta Monica BayKeeper, California In response to degradation of once-prolific kelp habitats from human impacts, this project provided support to the restoration and protection of kelp forests within Santa Monica Bay. The BayKeeper's kelp restoration project mobilized teams of volunteer community divers to survey, map, and begin restoration efforts. In addition, the project provided support to the giant kelp cultivation labs. These lab-cultured plants are an integral part of subtidal restoration endeavors. Since October 2000, over 600 cultured kelp plants have been outplanted into the Malibu restoration area, providing food, shelter, and oxygen for indigenous marine organisms. The inclusion of a local school into the kelp program has resulted in 415 students participating in the mariculture of giant kelp from spore inoculation to the development of juvenile sporophytes. In addition, a permanent educational exhibit was constructed at an environmental science museum and wildlife rehabilitation center called STAR Eco-Station. To further increase citizen awareness of the importance of the bay's coastal marine ecosystem, an annual KelpFest was begun. Maintaining Standards of Quality at National Estuarine Research ReservesStephan F. Austin State University, Texas Managers in the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) system have an obligation to maintain a healthy environment. Equally important is the human dimension of estuarine management. Because coastal sites are so popular with visitors, balancing human use with resource protection can be a formidable task. While many estuarine reserve managers have received training in conservation biology and the biophysical sciences, they may not know how to conduct research and monitoring to identify the scope, severity, and cause of human-induced impacts. In partnership with the Old Woman Creek Reserve in Ohio, this project will provide a mechanism to increase awareness among NERR managers of valuable social science research and techniques applicable to estuarine reserve management. This effort will be accomplished through a decision-making tool to help managers address human-induced impacts to estuarine ecosystems and visitor experience, a training course for NERR managers, and a coastal decision-maker workshop for local stakeholders. Nearshore Rocky Reef Habitat Survey using Multibeam SonarMarine Resource Program The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the NOAA Coastal Services Center have entered into a cooperative agreement to map a shallow water rocky reef area off of Oregon using multibeam sonar for the purpose of defining important fish habitat; and the department are collaborating with the NOAA Coastal Services Center on ways to best study and develop high quality hydrographic data that will support NOAA Ocean Service nautical chart data collection programs. Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) video footage, shaded-relief bathymetry maps, maps depicting relevant topographic models, and written descriptions of the habitat are being produced. The development of the habitat maps will help Oregon public agencies better manage the state's groundfish fishery. The final product of this project will consist of raw and edited multibeam and related tidal survey datasets (e.g. tide data, velocity data) readable in CARIS HIPS and other formats specified in NOAA Ocean Service hydrographic survey standards. The Center is collaborating with the investigators to ensure that survey and field descriptive reports and mapping products are produced according to NOAA hydrographic survey standards. The NOAA Coastal Services Center's role in this project is to work with the investigators to ensure that survey and field descriptive reports and mapping products are produced according to NOAA hydrographic survey standards. The following are four specific responsibilities of the Center: 1) facilitate coordination with other NOAA branches that have connections to the project work, 2) provide support for metadata development, 3) develop a Web site with spatially referenced video clips from the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) work, and 4) help develop and distribute a CD-ROM of the final products. A Recreational Boater-Based Method for Re-designing the NOS Small-Craft Chart: Promoting Safe Navigation and Stewardship of Coastal ResourcesUniversity of Florida, Florida Sea Grant Program NOAA entered into this partnership project with the Florida Sea Grant Program to identify chart information needs of recreational boaters, fishers, divers, resource managers, and environmentalists; develop prototype small-craft map guide products; evaluate the prototype product's utility through a boater survey; and assess the prototype product's ability to change boaters' environmental perception, attitudes, behavior, and knowledge. One of the end products of the study, the Prototype Photo-Chart, was produced for study purposes by NOAA's Marine Chart Division in collaboration with the University of Florida Sea Grant Program and the NOAA Coastal Services Center. The Prototype Photo-Chart covers the southwest Florida coast from lower Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. The chart's design incorporates top and bottom half-sections, which are further subdivided into a navigational chart and environmental and boating map panels showcasing anchorage locations, bridges, boat ramps, sea grass, marsh, shellfish harvesting, depth zones, and speed zones. Additional boater information products were developed, distributed, and evaluated.To learn more about this project, click here for the final report. |
