1 Introduction: Oceanography Monitoring Efforts
Data are not presented from oceanographic monitoring efforts. Rather, the goal of this report is to introduce the available long-term oceanographic data acquired and ongoing at each of the marine reserves, describe available summaries of data, and discuss the challenges and lessons learned of oceanographic monitoring efforts at Oregon’s Marine Reserves.
2 Available Data
The ODFW Marine Reserve program began oceanographic data monitoring at the Redfish Rocks and Otter Rock Marine Reserves and their associated comparison areas in 2010 as part of baseline monitoring. Continued oceanographic monitoring at both sites has been paired with collaborative juvenile fish sampling at both sites leading to eight years of oceanographic data from the Otter Rock Marine Reserve and ten years of oceanographic data from the Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve.
Monitoring efforts at the Cascade Head Marine Reserve have been intermittent. Monitoring began in 2013 as part of baseline monitoring but then were discontinued after 2014 in an effort to refine monitoring efforts based on staff capacity and expertise. With encouragement from PISCO, oceanographic data collection efforts began again in 2018, and have continued through 2020.
PISCO researchers at OSU have maintained oceanographic moorings in the Cape Perpetua region for more than 20 years, including in what is now the marine reserve. It is the only marine reserve with moorings gathering subtidal data on ocean acidification and hypoxia. Although 20 years of data are available from PISCO, we provide a summary table starting during the baseline monitoring period from the marine reserve perspective, i.e. from 2012 onwards.
Oceanographic monitoring efforts began at the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve in fall of 2018, as part of a collaborative research project funded by the commercial fishing industry. Monitoring continued in the spring of 2019 at both the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and the Cape Meares (low fishing pressure) Comparison Area. However, only the Cape Falcon mooring was recovered in the fall of 2019. Monitoring efforts in 2020 (spring - fall) resulted in successful data collection in both the marine reserve and the comparison area.
3 Reports Available
Several reports and data summaries have been completed with oceanographic data over the ten years of the program.
Buckley, S. (2013). Oceanography of Oregon Coast Marine Reserves. A report for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Newport, Oregon. 1-29.
Chan, F., Barth, J., Lubchenco, J., Kirincich, A., Weeks, H., Peterson, W., Menge, B. (2008). Emergence of anoxia in the California Current large marine ecosystem. Science 319: 920.
Grantham, B. A., Chan, F., Nielsen, K.J., Fox, D.S., Barth, J.A., Huyer, A., Lubchenco, J., Menge, B.A. (2004). Upwelling-driven nearshore hypoxia signals ecosystem and oceanographic changes in the northeast Pacific. Nature 429: 749-754.
ODFW (2014). Oregon Marine Reserve Ecological Monitoring Report 2010-2011. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Marine Resources Program. Newport Oregon. 1-131.
ODFW (2015). Oregon Marine Reserve Ecological Monitoring Report 2012-2013. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Marine Resources Program. Newport Oregon. 1-126.
ODFW (2020). Understanding Ocean Changes at the Cascade Head Marine Reserve. Cascade Head Marine Reserve Newsletter 2020. Newport, Oregon. 1-2.
ODFW (2021). A Look at Cape Falcon Oceanographic Data From 2020. Marine Reserves News. Oregonmarinereserves.com
PISCO: Hypoxia Off the Pacific Northwest Coast
Two additional reports are included in as part of the Appendix to the 2021 Marine Reserve Synthesis - one from Cape Perpetua and the other from Cape Falcon - where we’ve begun initial analyses to explore pairing biological and oceanographic monitoring data in these marine reserves. Please see these reports in the respective Cape Perpetua and Cape Falcon Marine Reserve Appendices.
4 Challenges and Lessons Learned Discussion
Our program successfully collected oceanographic data at eight sites in Oregon nearshore waters that previously had no oceanographic monitoring.
The Marine Reserves Program oceanographic data collection efforts resulted in new data on temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen at eight sites in Oregon State waters. These sites previously had no spatially explicit, in-situ oceanography data available. These sites include four marine reserves- Redfish Rocks, Otter Rock, Cascade Head and Cape Falcon - and four comparison areas - Humbug, Orford Reef, Cape Foulweather, and Cape Meares. These efforts have expanded the spatial coverage of in-situ oceanography data in State waters, while also expanding the oceanographic variables collected throughout the water column.
Baseline data collection efforts at Redfish Rocks and Otter Rock highlighted that comparison areas are similar from an oceanography perspective to their respective marine reserves.
Our program gathered oceanographic data in 2010 - 2012 at Redfish Rocks and Otter Rock Marine Reserves to determine if these areas experienced similar oceanographic conditions to their respective comparison areas. The first Ecological Monitoring Report (ODFW 2014) concludes that temperature, salinity and oxygen measured in the Redfish Rocks and Otter Rock Marine Reserves are similar to those found in their respective comparison areas. Since the reserves and comparison areas experience similar temporal variation in oceanographic parameters, it suggests that ocean water masses act on all areas equally.
Initial data summaries from Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and its comparison area near Cape Meares, suggest these areas are similar oceanographically.
Although not formalized in a report, the first data summaries from the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and its comparison area near Cape Meares show similarities in temperature and oxygen values, suggesting that from an oceanographic perspective these two areas are similar. In 2020, the only year with successful data retrieval from both sites, temperature changes followed similar trends through time at both sites, and neither site experienced low oxygen (hypoxic < 1.4 Ml/L) conditions.
We trialed many different types of sensors and deployment methods based on evolving budget priorities, staff capacity and expertise.
Over the years of oceanographic data collection efforts we have trialed six different types of oceanographic sensors and five types of sensor deployment platforms. Challenges we faced with sensors included fouling with encrusting organisms that skewed data, a lack of staff capcity and expertise with pre and post calibration procedures, a lack of timely service and support for certain brands of sensors, and the need to replace batteries every 4-6 weeks on certain types of deployed sensors. Challenges we faced with deployment platforms included platform loss because of rough ocean conditions, inconsistency in maintenance and re-building of moorings, the need to service sensors on platforms with divers, and a lack of staff capacity to support deployment, retrieval and in-season maintenance activities. After learning and adapting oceanographic data collection at each site, the use of moorings to deploy simple oceanographic sensors (e.g. ones that can be deployed for the whole season without servicing) work best for our program.
Our program relies on PISCO for oceanographic data collection at Cape Perpetua, however improved data reporting specific to marine reserve priorities is needed.
The coastal ocean off of Cape Perpetua is known for its unique oceanographic features, and researchers at the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) have been monitoring oceanographic conditions here for more than 20 years. Historic datasets such as these were part of the reason Cape Perpetua was selected as a marine reserve site, since long-term monitoring was already occurring in this area. Our program relies on PISCO for oceanographic monitoring at the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve, and indeed this historic dataset provides the backbone of our understanding of changing ocean conditions, and combined with historic ROV data, its influence on marine organisms. Because this long-term monitoring program was established independent of the marine reserve at Cape Perpetua, there is not currently a streamlined process for data reporting on yearly conditions in the marine reserve. We are currently working with PISCO to determine effective data management and reporting for oceanographic monitoring both at the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve and at other marine reserve sites.
We maximized oceanographic data collection efforts by building on opportunistic collaborative research projects.
Oceanographic data collection efforts are expensive; the sensors are expensive as are deployment, servicing and retrieval operations. As implementation of other marine reserves occurred (2014 Cascade Head and Cape Perpetua; 2016 Cape Falcon), the ecological monitoring staff had to refine sampling and could not dedicate budget and staff to oceanographic data collection. We were able to maximize some data collection efforts by building on opportunistic collaborative research projects - such as placing oceanographic sensors on juvenile fish or telemetry moorings that already had funding committed for deployment, servicing and retrieval. These collaborations led to continued or in one case (Cape Falcon) initial data collection efforts that otherwise would not have occurred.
Oceanographic data collected during days of biological sampling proved useful for combining biological and oceanographic data.
Starting in 2018, we began partnering with PISCO to deploy oxygen sensors on crab pots during biological sampling efforts in response to reports of a potential wide-scale hypoxic (low oxygen) event. The crab pots were deployed in either the marine reserve or comparison area while biological sampling was conducted during a given day. It was unclear at the time of these efforts whether the data would be useful beyond an initial snapshot of oxygen conditions in the fall of 2018. We continued these efforts in 2019, which led to the analysis exploring biological hook and line data at Cape Falcon with oxygen data (See Cape Falcon Hook and Line Oceanography Appendix Report). In 2019, even though we had oceanographic moorings deployed at the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and the comparison area close to Cape Meares (Low Fishing Pressure Comparison Area), we did not recover the mooring off Cape Meares that year. Therefore the oxygen and temperature data collected by the crab pot deployment efforts on days of hook and line sampling were valuable substitute data that supported analysis of hook and line and oceanographic data from the comparison area despite the data lost on the missing mooring.
Staff capacity for effective data management and reporting of oceanographic data is limited.
Current staff capacity for effective data management and reporting of oceanographic data is limited. Because data collection efforts, sensors and platforms were inconsistent across years and sites, the protocols and data management of oceanography data were not well organized. Additionally oceanographers commonly use Matlab to process, manage and analyze oceanographic data, and staff turn-over in the ecological monitoring team has resulted in changing skillsets away from Matlab software to R statistical software. Since oceanography is not considered a core monitoring tool, data management and reporting for these data were not prioritized. We are currently working with PISCO to determine a more efficient path forward for data management and reporting of oceanographic data; however these efforts did not yield results that could be included in the Synthesis Report in a timely manner. An increase to staff capacity would allow internal efforts to increase from data collection to include data management and reporting; alternatively an increase to the research budget could result in contracting out data management and reporting in a timely manner.
Our program lacks the staff capacity and expertise for necessary sensor calibrations.
Almost all of the oceanographic sensors owned by the marine reserves program require calibration before and after deployment. For some sensors when budget allowed, we were able to send them back to the manufacturer for calibration prior to deployment. However, we typically lacked the funding to calibrate the sensors post-deployment. A lack of staff expertise in oceanographic data collection and in the sensors themselves, at times resulted in a lack of understanding of that post-calibration procedures were needed. This was particularly true with the Odyssey salinity sensors and on several occasions resulted in non-useable data. As our program has expanded oxygen monitoring efforts, these sensors also need pre and post deployment calibrations. We had some success in later years partnering with PISCO to have our sensors included with theirs when PISCO technicians performed calibrations procedures. Our staff currently lack the expertise to conduct the necessary sensor calibrations and this will continue to be a challenge for the program, since oceanographic monitoring is not considered a core tool. Therefore to continue with salinity and oxygen data collection our program will need either an increase to the budget to send the sensors away for calibration and/or to rely on partners such as PISCO to continue to perform them. Alternatively, the program could stop its efforts to collect salinity and oxygen data at marine reserve sites other than Cape Perpetua, or only collect such data opportunistically as collaborations arise.
Additional capacity or budget is needed to turn current data collection efforts into an effective long-term oceanographic monitoring program that includes data management and reporting.
Is the role of the ODFW Marine Reserves ecological monitoring team to focus on oceanographic data collection, management and reporting efforts into the future? Oceanographic monitoring is not considered a core monitoring tool, and therefore staff capacity and the available research budget are not prioritized for these activities. We have had success with varied data collection efforts over the years, despite variable resources in support of these activities. Climate/Ocean change is Oregon’s biggest resource management challenge and the marine reserve program is uniquely positions to track biological nearshore responses to such change. It is also on the brink of providing spatially explicit oceanography data to fully understand biological responses to changing ocean conditions in each of our marine reserves and associated comparison areas. Currently the marine reserves ecological monitoring program has prioritized biological data collection, data management and reporting efforts. In order to also prioritize oceanographic data collection, data management and reporting within the program itself, additional capacity or budget is needed. Alternatively without additional capacity or budget, we will continue to opportunistically collect oceanographic data when and where we can, but data management and reporting will continue to be slow and problematic. The newly passed funding bill (HB3114) by the Oregon Legislature has provided funding to support monitoring efforts related to ocean acidification and hypoxia in Oregon’s Marine Reserves by groups other than ODFW, and requires a reporting component to such efforts. Moving forward, ODFW will explore the best ways to address continued oceanography capacity issues, in order to further oceanographic data collection, data management and analyses, and to more fully integrate oceanographic data with biological data collected in the marine reserves.
### This can be a useful function to play a sound at the end of a long script
#beepr::beep()