On World Ocean's Day, CA Sea Grant Fellow, Melissa Abderrahim participated in a panel discussion focused on answering the most web-searched question about the Pacific Ocean. This bilingual event (EN/SP) was one of three interactive live events hosted by the Virtual Blue Decade initiative that day.
OPC-SAT member Arielle Levine coauthored an op-ed on the importance of oceans in climate solutions. The Teal Deal article was published in Capitol Weekly and emphasizes ocean's importance in climate solutions as well as economic investment opportunities. The op-ed was adapted from a recently published Conservation Letter.
The latest issue of Renewable Resources Journal highlights the work of the West Coast Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel, convened by OST from 2013-2016. The article summarizes recommendations from the Panel report “Major Findings, Recommendations, and Actions” released in 2016.
As the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) kicks off this week in Madrid, we are proud to share California’s secret weapon against climate change in a recent Op-Ed in the San Francisco Chronicle co-authored MPAs and Climate working group member Dr. Fiorenza Micheli, Stanford University.
Lake County News covers a new report exploring seagrass and kelp as an ocean acidification management tool in California, produced in partnership with the Ocean Protection Council.
No state has done more than California to curb greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and sea-level rise. A new reported presented to the Ocean Protection Council this spring includes sea-level rise projections to assist state agencies and local governments respond to this "slow-moving emergency."
“Climate change already has hit California’s coast," said Tom Maloney, executive director of Ocean Science Trust, and "this report creates an important benchmark to help state resource managers make informed decisions that support ocean health.” Victoria Kertz covers the report and ensuing community tour.
Just released: What is billed as the most comprehensive study to date on Southern California’s coastal ocean. “The South Coast baseline study period included two years of record-breaking high ocean temperatures,” notes Tom Maloney, executive director of Ocean Science Trust, quoted in the OC Weekly.
Researchers this week issued a sort of almanac of the ocean off Southern California in wide-ranging report on the region’s marine protected areas established in 2012. “MPAs and monitoring of MPAs represent a globally important commitment to our ocean,” said Tom Maloney, executive director of California Ocean Science Trust.
“California has made a big investment in a network of marine protected areas,” says the executive director of the Ocean Science Trust. The organization is supporting the state in trying to understand how climate change will change ocean conditions. This article focuses on work by the UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab.
It's an "all hands on deck problem," says Francis Chan of the West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel in this interview with KQED's Rachael Myrow.
Humboldt State researchers received $2.2 million to lead investigations for seven projects in marine protected areas on California's North Coast.
How changing oxygen levels are affecting ocean life. You'll look at it as a major reshaping of the ecosystem, says Jack Barth of Oregon State University. Read more here.
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Karina Nielsen and Dr. Alexis Jackson to our Board of Trustees and looking forward to leaning on their ideas, support and guidance as we tackle the pressing issues facing our coastal communities and ocean ecosystems.
We are proud to have worked with the OPC Science Advisory Team to release a statement highlighting California’s marine resources as essential assets in our roadmap to economic recovery from the pandemic, and the importance of applying an environmental justice lens to economic stimulus. Read the statement here.
Ocean Science Trust is pleased to be selected as one of the 2021 California State Sea Grant Fellow host offices. Deadline for Fellow applications is July 27, 2020.
OST recently convened a new working group focused on developing a risk assessment framework for microplastic pollution in California and providing scientific guidance to understand the source, fate and transport, toxicological impacts, marine species impacts, and ecosystem and human health impacts of microplastics.
Science Director Lida Teneva participated in an opening discussion alongside Dirk Rosen, Marine Applied Research and Exploration, Mike Sutton, and the Goldman Environmental Foundation. Discussion focused on the benefits humanity derives from oceans and highlighted the importance of science-based management solutions.
Science Director Dr. Lida Teneva spoke at the UN FAO’s Fisheries Sustainability Symposium: Strengthening the Science-Policy Nexus. In the session on fisheries and technologies, she highlighted the importance of data science capacity, social equity issues, and enforcement efficiency in governing fisheries for sustainability.
OST staff Melissa Kent and Hayley Carter chaired a special session "Advancements in MPA Science" and judged student research talks and posters at WSN's 100th annual meeting in Ensenada, Mexico. The theme of the conference this year was "Science without Borders."
OST staff Hayley Carter shared lessons learned from our ocean acidification work at the International OA Alliance “Coast to Coast State Workshop on Ocean and Coastal Acidification” September 26-27, 2019 at the New York Aquarium. The workshop convened over 60 participants from 14 states.
OST brings together scientists and decision-makers from across the US West coast to launch new project exploring spatial and ecological vulnerability to changing ocean chemistry. An initial workshop ensured that the research trajectory best aligns with relevant imminent resource management and policy decisions.
In collaboration with OPC, we will chair a session (ME004) that will bring together experts from around the country and globe to discuss how their region is exploring marine protected areas as tools to build climate resilience in a variety of ecosystems. Deadline 9/11 to submit abstracts.
We are chairing an OAH Science-to-Action session in collaboration with OSU, OPC and ODFW, at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in February 2020 in San Diego, CA. We encourage submissions that focus on OAH mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency. Deadline 9/11 to submit.
OST is hosting a public modeling webinar to share results from a 6 year effort to develop an integrated model of the CA Current System. Panelists will share early applications of the model and discuss how it can inform management in California! Join us on September 3, 2019 at 10:00 AM.
On July 16th, OST convened a workshop to launch an exploration of policy and management options to address climate change impacts on fishing communities in California. Participants included policymakers, scientists, industry experts, and NGOs, with expertise ranging from local to international climate adaptation.
We’re thrilled to welcome Mark Gold, Executive Director, Ocean Protection Council to his new role and to the OST Board of Trustees. We’re looking forward to a continued strong partnership with OPC.
Update: current hiring round closed. Are you passionate about working at the science-policy interface to accelerate progress toward healthy coasts and oceans in California? We're looking to grow our team; join us as Science Director or Science Officer/Senior Science officer.
With OPC support, the OAH Science Task Force term has been extended through 2021. We will be conducting an assessment of future decision-focused monitoring needs, and exploring innovative science and tools to support OAH action in California.
We are collaborating with state partners to convene two working groups of the OPC Science Advisory Team to develop: (1) a scientific framework for the 2022 management review of California’s marine protected area network, and (2) a roadmap for exploring the role of California’s MPA network in imparting climate resilience.
We are thrilled to launch a new chapter in our role as OPC Science Advisor. New activities to increase funding sources, to align graduate education programs with state needs and to promote diversity in marine science sit alongside ongoing work to develop scientific syntheses and recommendations.
OST conducted the largest new member selection process for the OPC Science Advisory Team to date. New members include expertise in social science, economics, climate science, fisheries, coastal adaptation, toxicology, and public health.
We're excited to share our new strategic vision 'Ocean Science Trust 2020' and welcome comments, discussion and feedback!
In its latest report, the OAH Science Task Force highlights key recommendations to help enhance California's OAH monitoring network. Each recommendation includes action items that would effectively enhance existing OAH monitoring assets and could help improve management and decision-making.
Along with our many partners, we are proud to contribute to 10 years of action on ocean acidification. Our recent progress report to the OPC reviews California’s major achievements to better understand, mitigate, and adapt to OA.
The summary report is now available for the OST-convened July workshop exploring policy and management options to address climate change impacts on fishing communities in California. The report summarizes anticipated impacts, discussed policy & management tools and solutions, and information needs for continued efforts.
OST hosted a public modeling webinar to share results from a 6-year effort to develop an integrated OAH model of the CA Current System. Panelists shared early model applications and discussed how it can inform management in California. Access Panelist presentations and the video recording here.
A summary of the latest research on ocean acidification impacts to important species and ecosystems in California, from crab to squid, rockfish to urchins, developed to support decision-makers in prioritizing efforts to address impacts.
The State of California Ocean Acidification Action Plan, developed in partnership with the Oean Protection Council, articulates a 10-year vision for addressing ocean acidification designed for integration into public agency operations.
This report communicates emerging scientific understanding of the ability of seagrass and kelp to ameliorate ocean acidification (OA) in a California-specific context. It provides guidance on next steps for the State as it considers future nature-based actions to reduce the negative impacts of OA in California and beyond.
Explore findings from eleven projects conducted across North Coast MPAs--focused on biological, ecological, oceanographic, and socioeconomic conditions--to create a comprehensive understanding of the region.
We are pleased to share the "Responsibilities and Working Procedures" of the OPC Science Advisory Team (OPC-SAT). This document describes how the OPC-SAT participates in its activities, forms collaborative groups and expert panels, and reviews and approves its work products.
We provide a suite of peer review options that can be widely applied to meet California’s existing and future fishery management needs.
A new report from an Ocean Protection Council Science Advisory Team working group provides a framework for understanding the ecological costs and benefits of proposed research activities to determine whether they can be permitted within marine protected area boundaries.
We led a 13-member team of experts to analyze potential impacts of climate change on California fisheries in the next few decades. Our new report provides the State with the best-available science on impacts to fisheries, including commercially important species such as crab, squid, and sardines.
Co-authored by our Director of Science and Strategy, Liz Whiteman, this new paper explores next steps decision-makers can take now to enhance resilience in marine ecosystems. This work emerged directly from the West Coast Ocean Acidification & Hypoxia Science Panel.
This report provides a summary of ecological and socioeconomic conditions in the South Coast near the time of marine protected area (MPA) implementation in 2012. It provides key findings from South Coast MPA baseline monitoring projects, which occurred from 2011 to 2015.
The purpose of the report is to help the State understand what happened during the 2015-2016 domoic acid bloom, and frame opportunities going forward to address this critical problem more holistically.
The latest of the South Coast MPA Snapshot Reports features nearshore ecosystems. Check out "Life Under the Canopy: Kelp and Shallow Rock" here.
Throughout this summer and fall we will be releasing a series of Snapshot Reports that highlight the great work coming out of the investment by the State and many other partners in South Coast MPA monitoring.
On April 18th 2016, the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) Science Advisory Team (SAT) met in Oakland, CA for a workshop, Bracing for a Changing World. Topics included responding to ocean acidification and hypoxia, and climate change and fisheries.
Peer review is a tool we regularly employ so that ocean resource management decisions can be based on credible, defensible scientific information. This guide was informed by our experience conducting successful reviews on a diverse range of topics.
OST staff member Hayley Carter presented at the Oregon MPA Sizing and Spacing workshop, hosted by The Nature Conservancy, on our working group exploring climate resilience of California’s MPA network.
Ocean Science Trust staff participated in a range of activities at OSM 2020, from co-chairing sessions on ocean-based solutions and managing protected areas in light of climate change, to convening a town hall to share tools and resources for careers in applied science.
How can local communities be involved in their marine protected areas? We joined fishermen, tribes, local governments, and more to explore this topic at the forum hosted by the Collaborative Implementation Project.
This year, we joined Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary for a symposium on what it means to be a citizen scientist. Find out more about our work linking citizen science to MPA monitoring on OceanSpaces.org.
Marisa Villarreal of Ocean Science Trust reports back on the inaugural Citizen Science Association Conference in San Jose, California. Find out how we're linking citizen science to coastal and ocean resource management.