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A Biogeographic Assessment off North/Central California, In Support of Revisions to Sanctuary Management Plans for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
| CD-ROM Product | Schedule | Work Plan | Review Analyses |
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OBJECTIVES
- Identify and collect relevant biological and physical data sets in the study area in order to conduct a biogeographic analyses. Organize the data sets into a Geographic Information System (GIS).
- Conduct a marine biogeographic analysis of available data to identify important biological areas ("hot spots") and time periods, based on species distributions, abundance, habitats, and their ecological function. Produce a summary assessment report of the GIS analyses and results.
- Produce a report on the ecological components, links, and processes of the estuarine and marine regions off north/central California.
- Support development of a GIS capability/tool to assist sanctuary staff in developing and evaluating resource analysis scenarios.
- Support ONMS staff in the integration of biogeographic assessment products into the revisions of the sanctuary management plans.
DESCRIPTION
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) is currently updating sanctuary management plans for the three north/central California sanctuaries: Cordell Bank (CBNMS), Gulf of the Farallones (GFNMS), and Monterey Bay (MBNMS). The management plans for these sanctuaries have not been updated for several years and the status of the natural resources and their management issues within the sanctuaries may have changed. In addition, significant accomplishments in research and resource assessments have been made over that period. It is important to incorporate this new and expanding knowledge base into the management plan revisions.
NOAA's Biogeography Program (BP) is supporting ONMS by conducting a biogeographic assessment of marine waters off northern and central California. The assessment will identify important biological zones, time periods, and ecological linkages within an analysis area that will include the three national marine sanctuaries extending from Point Arena in the north to Point Sal in the south.
CONTACT INFORMATION
| Technical/Administrative Contact: Mark E. Monaco, Ph.D. 1305 East-West Highway SSMC-IV, 9th Floor Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-713-3028, Ext. 160 mark.monaco@noaa.gov |
Technical Contact: Tracy Gill 1305 East-West Highway SSMC-IV, 9th Floor Silver Sprint, MD 20910 301-713-3028, Ext. 150 tracy.gill@noaa.gov |
Sanctuary Contact:
Mitchell Tartt
1305 East-West Highway
SSMC-IV, 10th Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-713-3145, Ext. 184
mitchell.tartt@noaa.gov