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Credit: Michael Carver, CBNMS

Scientists monitor the status and condition of marine life and habitats to detect trends within the sanctuaries. Most sanctuaries have monitoring programs tailored to the information needs of the sites. In addition, some monitoring activities apply to more than one sanctuary.
Click here to find out more about Monitoring within the National Marine Sanctuary Program.

Credit: Steve Howell

The Cordell Bank Ocean Monitoring Program (CBOMP) was initiated in 2004 to gather information on the spatial and temporal variability in the oceanographic system of the Cordell Bank region. Physical and biological characteristics of the pelagic system are measured along transects using a CTD (vertical profiles of salinity, temperature, chlorophyll-a, light levels), TSG (continuous surface values of salinity, temperature, chlorophyll-a), and EK60 echosounder (continuous measurements of relative abundance of zooplankton), while marine birds and mammals are recorded by observers. Monitoring is conducted on a monthly basis from Sanctuary vessels.

Since 2002, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary has been conducting a long term study to classify habitats and monitor fishes and invertebrates on and around Cordell Bank. Underwater surveys of macrofauna and habitats are conducted using direct observation and video transects from an occupied submersible (Delta). Similar surveys are done in soft bottom habitats using camera sled transects. Partners: U.S. Geological Survey, National Marine Fisheries Service, California Department of Fish and Game.

Credit: Michael Carver, CBNMS

The Cordell Bank Buoy was deployed through a collaboration between Bodega Marine Laboratory and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The system is comprised of sensors for water velocity, water temperature and salinity, turbidity and chlorophyll fluorescence, and wind velocity. The mooring was placed at 85m depth, on the northern part of Cordell Bank, about 20 nautical miles west of Point Reyes. This buoy provides near-real-time data that are linked with regional coastal ocean observing systems and are used by Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary staff, research oceanographers, and local communities to better understand offshore ocean conditions.

Further, over time, this mooring will provide an invaluable record of fluctuations and change in the ocean environment that supports the highly productive marine ecosystem in this region.
Partner: University of California-Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory

Pelagic Marine Debris Monitoring

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary conducts monthly surveys in the Sanctuary to assess the distribution and abundance of marine birds and mammals relative to changes in seasons, ocean conditions, biological productivity, and human use patterns. NOAA and other agencies have sponsored several at-sea monitoring programs for mammals and birds in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and have recently supported the establishment of long-term, observer-based programs within the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Although debris is commonly noted during these surveys, there had been no attempt to collect data on the type, quantity or seasonal abundance of the debris. The objective of the current project is to develop protocols for the monitoring of pelagic debris and to add these protocols to the standardized methodology employed by all at-sea surveys within National Marine Sanctuary waters.

Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Program

Credit: Michael Carver, CBNMS

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary collects samples during the monthly Cordell Bank Ocean Monitoring Program that contribute to the Marine Biotoxin Monitoring and Control Program. This program is managed by the California Department of Health Services and is a state-wide effort involving a consortium of volunteer participants. The Phytoplankton Monitoring Program is a state-wide program designed to detect toxin producing species of phytoplankton in ocean water before they impact the public. The phytoplankton monitoring and observation effort can provide an advanced warning of a potential toxic bloom, allowing agencies to focus sampling efforts in the affected area before California's valuable shellfish resources or the public health is threatened.