| Even with just 15 percent of the Gulf of Maine currently mapped, managers point out examples of the new imagery's power in aiding decision making. |
New technologies capable of accurately and cost-effectively mapping large areas of the seafloor are helping to revolutionize coastal resource management. Coastal and marine managers and researchers in the Gulf of Maine have formed an international partnership to figure out how to best collect and use this imagery in the region.
"We are undergoing a revolution," says Brian J. Todd, a research scientist for the Geological Survey of Canada. "The introduction of multibeam sonar mapping in the 1990s is the equivalent of the introduction of aerial photography post World War I, which revolutionized the way humans saw the world. We are now at that stage in the world's oceans."
The technology is important for coastal managers, says Susan Snow-Cotter, assistant director of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, because with only crude maps of the seafloor to assist with decision making, "agencies that have the responsibility to manage ocean habitat have been managing virtually blind."
Even with just 15 percent of the Gulf of Maine currently mapped, managers point out examples of the new imagery's power in aiding decision making. These include using seafloor maps to successfully route fiber-optic cable through a national marine sanctuary and to assist Canadian fishermen in precisely targeting scallop habitat, thus saving time and money, and reducing ecological damage.
The Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative (GOMMI) is a collaborative proposal by U.S. and Canadian researchers and coastal and marine resource managers to provide the framework for mapping the remaining 85 percent of the gulf. The initiative's detailed strategy is set to be released in June.
The Power of a Map
In the Gulf of Maine, trawling, dredging, aquaculture, mining, fiber-optic and electric power cables, oil and gas pipelines, wind farms, and other activities can affect seabed habitats, which support a diversity of animals and plants.
Successfully managing these activities to balance ecological impacts and conflicting uses requires detailed maps of seafloor characteristics, says Page Valentine, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "Any application you can think of is vastly improved by having a detailed map of the bottom."
Snow-Cotter points to proposals to build energy-producing wind farms off Massachusetts' coast as an example of how difficult it is to make management decisions without adequate maps.
"We're being asked to evaluate the impact of the wind farms, but we lack high-resolution maps of the area where these facilities are being proposed," she explains. "The pressure is high for us to make a decision, but with the absence of information, it's very difficult."
The Right Tool
Recent technological advances allow seafloor mapping on an unprecedented scale, says Tom Noji, division chief of the Ecosystems Processes Division of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service.
New technologies are enabling researchers to survey large underwater areas to produce high-resolution bathymetric, geological, and ecological maps, which can be extremely useful as a tool for coastal and marine resource management and research.
Multibeam sonar, satellite remote sensing, Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI), Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), side-scan sonar, single-beam sonar, laser line sonar, and subbottom profiling all are technologies that can be used to map the near- and offshore seabed. "The technology to do this exists now and is improving rapidly," Noji says.
A Little Here, a Little There
Some seafloor mapping of the Gulf of Maine has already been conducted. Canada, in particular, has embraced the technology and is rapidly mapping its side of the border. Previous mapping efforts, however, were done piecemeal with no regionally coordinated effort.
The mapping that has been done so far has clearly demonstrated its usefulness as a management tool.
Valentine notes that when a private company wanted to place a fiber-optic cable through Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in 2000, managers were able to provide maps of the sanctuary floor so that a route could be found that had the least environmental impact.
"We provided them with highly detailed imagery and a suggested route, and they followed our advice," Valentine says. "Without the map, who can say what the outcome would have been. They may have been forced to go around the sanctuary." There is no question, he says, that having the map decreased project costs and ecological impacts.
Canada's Brian Todd points to the success of a government partnership with several scallop companies to map Browns Bank off Nova Scotia. The resulting three-dimensional maps of bathymetry, sediments, and benthic habitat are helping fishermen target scallop habitat, reducing fishing times and fuel usage, lessening the total area that is dragged by 74 percent, and decreasing bycatch.
He adds that the maps help the fishermen avoid hazards, reducing lost gear, and that fisheries managers are able to use the maps to monitor individual scallop beds and improve stock assessments.
Seeing the Light
When it became clear just how useful this technology was going to be, the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, a U.S.-Canadian partnership of government and nongovernment organizations, held a workshop in 2001 bringing together scientists, researchers, and managers, each of whom have specific mapping needs.
The result of the workshop was GOMMI, a multiyear project to secure funding for and conduct a comprehensive mapping program of the region.
Snow-Cotter says, "The intent is to work together within the Gulf of Maine region to get managers and researchers together to develop a common approach for developing seafloor maps and enhancing outreach, education, and resource management."
The Gulf of Maine Council agreed to serve as the umbrella organization for the effort. Todd, Snow-Cotter, Valentine, and Noji are part of the GOMMI steering committee.
Where to Begin
Using NOAA National Ocean Service funding, GOMMI produced an easy-to-understand fact sheet that "laid out the problem, approaches for solving the problem, and our vision of the initiative," Valentine says. This four-page "science translator" was extensively distributed in the region and has been used to generate support for the initiative.
The steering committee has developed a pilot strategic plan, which includes ideas on how the initiative can be implemented. A draft plan was distributed to a peer committee for review in March 2003, and the final plan will be released at the Gulf of Maine Council meeting in June.
The plan calls for tracking and coordinating existing mapping efforts in the region, and prioritizing both coastal and offshore areas to be mapped in order to address the needs of the most users.
It also recommends that the initiative be funded over a number of years. "It's not necessary to have a large sum at the beginning," Noji says. A smaller amount received annually, or a larger amount spread out over a number of years, would help bring GOMMI to fruition.
The next step, Noji says, is to garner funding for the proposal. The steering committee also is planning another workshop to bring together researchers, managers, and users of the information, including commercial and recreational fishermen and other groups, to help prioritize areas to be mapped.
While it will still be some time before data for GOMMI-initiated regional mapping are collected, Valentine says, "It's never too early to start planning this thing. These maps will be valid for 20 years. Planning now ensures they will be useful for everyone."
For more information on GOMMI, point your browser to http://sh.nefsc.noaa.gov/gommi/. To view mapping data, images, and information from Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, go to http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/stellwagen/. For a directory of information about seafloor mapping in the Gulf of Maine, go to www.gulfofmaine.org. You also may contact Susan Snow-Cotter at Susan.Snow-Cotter@state.ma.us.
