NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Prioritizing Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping, Research, and Exploration Offshore of California, Oregon, and Washington

Spatial information about the seafloor is critical for decision-making by marine resource science, management and tribal organizations. Coordinating data needs can help organizations leverage collective resources to meet shared goals. To help enable this coordination, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) developed a spatial framework, process and online application to identify common data collection priorities for seafloor mapping, sampling and visual surveys offshore of the West Continental United States Coast (WCC). Twenty-six participants from NOAA’s West Coast Deep Sea Coral Initiative (WCDSCI) and Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) entered their priorities in an online application, using virtual coins to denote their priorities in 10x10 minute grid cells. Grid cells with more coins were higher priorities than cells with fewer coins. Participants also reported why these locations were important and what data types were needed. Results were analyzed and mapped using statistical techniques to identify significant relationships between priorities, reasons for those priorities and data needs. Ten high priority locations were broadly identified for future mapping, sampling and visual surveys. These locations were distributed throughout the WCC, primarily in depths less than 1,000 m. Participants consistently selected (1) Exploration, (2) Biota/Important Natural Area and (3) Research as their top reasons (i.e., justifications) for prioritizing locations, and (1) Benthic Habitat Map and (2) Bathymetry and Backscatter as their top data or product needs. This ESRI shapefile summarizes the results from this spatial prioritization effort. This information will enable NOAA WCDSCI, EXPRESS and other WCC organization to more efficiently leverage resources and coordinate their mapping of high priority locations along California, Oregon and Washington.

This effort was funded by NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) through its WCDSCI. The overall goal of the project was to systematically gather and quantify suggestions for seafloor mapping, sampling and visual surveys for the WCDSCI and EXPRESS. The results are expected to help WCDSCI, EXPRESS and other organizations on the WCC to identify locations where their interests overlap with other organizations, to coordinate their data needs and to leverage collective resources to meet shared goals.

Collaborators - These organizations were invited to participate in this project:

• US DOI; Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM); Pacific Region: Jeremy Potter, Chima Ojukwu

• US DOI; United States Geological Survey (USGS); Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC): Danny Brothers, Guy Cochrane, Nancy Prouty

• US DOC; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

o National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS):

 National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI): Barry Eakins

o National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS):

 Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP): Tom Hourigan

 Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC): Liz Clarke, Curt Whitmire, Chris Harvey

 Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC): Tom Laidig

 West Coast Regional Office (WCRO): John Stadler

o National Ocean Service (NOS):

 Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IOCM): Ashley Chappell

 National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS): Arliss Winship

 Office of Coast Survey (OCS): Corey Allen, Meredith Payne

 Office of National Marine Sanctuaries:

• Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS): Chris Caldow

• Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (CBNMS): Danni Lipski

• Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS): Jan Roletto

• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS): Chad King

• Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS): Jenny Waddell

• West Coast Regional Office (WCRO): Karen Reyna

o Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR):

 Office of Exploration and Research (OER): Amanda Netburn

 NOAA OAR Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL): Richard Feely, Bill Chadwick, Susan Merle

o Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO): John McDonough

• Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), Marine Resources Program: Dave Fox, Scott Marion, Arlene Merems

• Hoh Tribe: Wendy Largent

• Makah Tribe: Katie Wruble

• Quileute Tribe: Jennifer Hagen

• Quinault Indian Nation: Joe Schumacker

• California State University: Richard Kvitek, Gary Greene

• Oregon State University: Chris Goldfinger

• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: Charlie Paull

• Ocean Exploration Trust: Nicole Raineault

Partners:

• US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; DSCRTP; West Coast Deep Sea Coral Initiative (WCDSCI)

• Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS)

Funding:

• US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

• US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP)

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