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NEWSWAVE NEWS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: OCEANS, COASTS AND

IN THIS EDITION: Sandy Winter 2013

Superstorm Sandy...... 1 Interior Leadership and Expertise Support the Nation Help for Hatchlings...... 2 By Ann Tihansky-DOI 30 Years of Coastal Change...... 3 Hurricane Sandy made Pacific Ocean Use Atlas...... 4 over on , Marine Invasive Species ...... 4 2012. The hurricane brought high Japanese Dock in US...... 5 winds, and coastal impacts to much of the Eastern Coral Killing Disease ...... 5 United States, including Shifting Sands...... 6 City. Restoring the Gulf ...... 7 USGS tidal sensors measured Great Lakes Agreement...... 7 record-setting storm surge peaks Interior leaders meet at the Statue of with floodwaters completely over- Liberty during the Secretary’s tour to Risky Coastal Development...... 9 topping some of the gages. inspect Hurricane Sandy’s damages. Left Tribal Youth Program ...... 10 to right, Superintendent The Statue of Liberty, located on David Luchsinger, NPS Director Jon Flow of Information ...... 11 Liberty Island, a 12-acre island Jarvis, and Secretary Ken Salazar. Photo Ocean.Data.Gov...... 11 located a mile south of lower credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI. , was in the direct Gas Hydrate Research...... 12 The Statue of Liberty’s 126 year-old iron of a massive storm surge. High- framework designed by Alexandre- Fish at the Top of the World....13 water marks flagged by USGS Gustave Eiffel withstood the storm’s Public Science Festival...... 16 crews show storm surge levels intense winds, but surge and waves flooded and destroyed support facilities, Drilling Program...... 16 docks and walkways. See Superstorm Sandy page 15 News from the Regions...... 18 Tribute to Abby Sallenger...... 20 Science for Emergency Managers...... 21 Dialogue on Disasters ...... 22 The Surfing Bison...... 24

With the skyline in the background, this dock at Liberty Island demonstrates the destructive power Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge had on the northeastern U.S. coastal region. Photo credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI. NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 For more information Visit us online: http://www.doi.gov/pmb/ocean/index.cfm about ocean and coastal activities at DOI contact: Help for Terry Holman, Coordinator Sea Turtle DOI Ocean and Coastal Activities, Hatchlings 1849 C Street, NW, Mail Stop 3530 By Shayne Banks-BLM Washington, D.C. 20240, Telephone: 202-208-1944, The Southeastern Fax: 202-208-4867 States Field Office of [email protected] the Bureau for Land Are you interested in contribut- Management adminis- ing to NEWSWAVE? ters several small beach Visit: http://www.doi.gov/pmb/ front tracts in south ocean/news/Newswave/index.cfm Alabama where feder- Please contact Ann Tihansky with ally threatened Logger- Volunteers from “Share the Beach” move a Loggerhead any questions, comments or to head sea turtles nest. sea turtle nest inland to ensure a higher survival rate of hatchlings. Below, a Loggerhead sea turtle heads back receive NEWSWAVE via email. Because turtles lay into the sea after laying her eggs on the beach. Photo [email protected], eggs at night, locating credit: Mike Reynolds. 202-208-3342 or 813-727-0841 a sea turtle nesting spot Winter 2013 Contributors and watching a hatching is rare. Volunteers from “Share the Beach” help Ann Tihansky, Editor, DOI patrol the beaches and watch for signs of turtle nesting. Once nests are Tami Heilmann, DOI found they are flagged and monitored. Sometimes it is necessary to move Liza Johnson, DOI Seth Sykora-Bodie, DOI nests farther away from the water to ensure a more successful hatch. Shayne Banks, BLM In 2012, three Loggerhead sea turtle nests were located on BLM tracts. Bob Wick, BLM Rebecca Beavers, NPS One nest, A-39 was found on June 25, and the nest “boiled” on August Mary Foley, NPS 23. Eighty-nine babies hatched and made it to the water. This was a 98 Patricia Rafferty, NPS percent hatch rate! Loggerheads nest anytime between March and Oc- Betsy Boynton, USGS Theresa Burress, USGS tober, but mainly between June and August. Females may nest several Monique Fordham, USGS times during a season, laying between 100 to 145 soft, round white eggs Ben Gutierrez, USGS per nest. The eggs incubate in the sand for about 48 to 70 days. Hatch- Cheryl Hapke, USGS lings emerge from the nest mostly at night, running quickly toward the Heather Henkel, USGS Brian McCallum, USGS open ocean. Sea turtles can have a life span of between 30 to more than Sandra Morrison, USGS 50 years. http://www.blm.gov/es/st/en.html Nathaniel Plant, USGS Chris Polloni, USGS Jessica Robertson, USGS Gail Moede Rogall, USGS Barry Rosen, USGS Jonathan Sleeman, USGS Paul Slota, USGS Hilary Stockdon, USGS Pamela Telis, USGS Rob Thieler, USGS Thierry Work, USGS Katie Niemi, USFWS Bret Wolfe, USFWS Dana Wright, USFWS JP Zegarra, USFWS Mary Boatman, BOEM Nancy Deschu, BOEM Sara Guiltinan, BOEM David Gray, Wampanoag Tribe Terry Lilley Mike Reynolds A Loggerhead sea turtle heads back into the sea after laying her eggs on the beach. Photo credits: Mike Reynolds. 2 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 30 Years of Coastal Change in One Blow Coastal Change on Provides Opportunities for Improved Understanding of Coastal Dynamics By Ann Tihansky-DOI, Cheryl Hapke-USGS, Rebecca Beavers-NPS, Mary Foley-NPS, Patricia Rafferty-NPS More than 30 years of coastal morphology data, collected as part of a long-term study at Fire Island National Seashore, put A new breach on Fire Island created by Hurricane Sandy is being monitored by an the impact of Sandy into histori- interagency research team. The breach has provided an opportunity to study coastal cal perspective. Measurements at processes to help inform management strategies. Photo credit: Rebecca Beavers, NPS. coastal profile data stations along at Fire Island National Seashore Fire Island creating a new inlet. the shoreline made both before and said, “The reports generated from Through coordinated efforts, Inte- after Hurricane Sandy recorded the this research are valuable tools for rior’s Sandy Incident Management magnitude of the powerful storm’s land managers and stakeholders to Team (IMT), the NPS Northeast impact on the beaches. “The entire consider when maintaining coastal Regional Office and Fire Island coastline along Fire Island has resources, especially in the face National Seashore science staff, basically been reconfigured. The of sea-level rise and other global USGS and Stony Brook University dunes have moved substantially impacts. Studies of have been working together to col- landward. A lot of the beach has the ocean bottom and sand move- lect information that informs both eroded. And it’s very dramatic in ment along the shoreline help to in- the science and the management terms of the amount of change dur- form management decisions along strategies for coastal resources. ing the course of just one storm,” a dynamic coastline, The Breach Contingency Plan USGS Geologist Cheryl Hapke like Fire Island.” team, which includes NPS, USGS, said, “On average, the dunes at As an example, Sandy’s power- USFWS, the USACE and the State Fire Island eroded back 70 feet ful waves and surge also breached See Thirty Years page 23 - the equivalent of 30 years of change. Our data also showed that dunes lost as much as 10 feet of elevation. This rapid response data was used to help the assess the areas of the coast that were most vulnerable to a nor’easter that impacted the coast a week after Sandy.” Impacts from Sandy also provide scientists an opportunity to moni- tor and evaluate coastal change processes to inform management strategies. Scientific information Beach profiles from location C-8 (shown on page 23) on Fire Island comparing 1969 like this can be transferred to other with those measured before and after Hurricane Sandy show the dramatic effects of coastal areas and used as part of a the storm. The dune area did not experience much change from 1969 to 2012 (before larger coastal management strat- Sandy), but changed drammatically in response to the storm. The orange stars on the egy. Chris Soller, Superintendent profiles mark locations of the 2-meter elevation contour and document that erosion from Sandy was nearly twice as much as had eroded in the previous 43 years. Graphic: USGS. 3 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Collecting Expert Community Knowledge A Database to Help The Pacific Regional Ocean Uses Atlas Track Marine Invasive By Sara Guiltinan-BOEM Species By Seth Sykora-Bodie-DOI Learn more: http://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/PROUA-Fact-Sheet.pdf For the past several years, the Na- The Pacific Regional Ocean Uses In Oregon, the geographic scope of tional Park Service (NPS) has been Atlas Project is an interagency the project will be the OCS, and in collaboration between the Bureau Hawaii, data will be collected for partnering with the United States of Ocean Energy Management coastal waters and the OCS for the Geological Survey (USGS) and (BOEM) and NOAA designed to Main Hawaiian Islands. Mapping The Nature Conservancy (TNC) document where coastal commu- workshops in Washington have to keep track of marine invasive nities use the ocean across a full been scheduled for April 2013 and species within National Parks us- range of typical human activities will be followed by Oregon work- ing the new NPS Marine Invasive and sectors. The primary purpose shops in early summer. Species Database. of the project is to enhance ocean MIS Database: http://www.nature. planning for offshore renewable Target List of Pacific nps.gov/water/marineinvasives/ energy development and inform Regional Ocean Users: MISdatabase.cfm other ocean planning strategies that Industry/Military Sector Based on research completed by require insight into how and where •Renewable Energy TNC, NPS is compiling data to ocean areas are used for recre- •Military Operations & Ordnance Disposal analyze both how these species are ational, commercial, and industrial invading, and which ones pose the activities. To minimize potential •Mining and Mineral Extraction •Underwater Telecommunication & greatest threat to the local environ- use conflicts and to help identify Power Cables ment. Marine areas are separated suitable operating areas for new •Commercial Shipping (including into 17 separate eco-regions based and emerging uses, including vari- Towing & Barging) •Designated Dumping & Outfall on similarities between the spe- ous forms of offshore renewable cies located within each. Users energy, it is critical to understand Sites •Underwater Pipelines can choose one of these regions the patterns and implications of •Mariculture through interactive maps and ac- ongoing and future human uses of cess information about marine the ocean. The project team will Fishing Sector •Commercial Fishing with Benthic invasive species that have been employ participatory mapping Mobile & Fixed Gear documented in each NPS unit. techniques and capture the knowl- •Commercial Pelagic Fishing They can also see which potential edge of ocean use experts, com- •Commercial Dive Fishing invasive species have been identi- munity stakeholders, and cultural •Commercial Seaweed Harvest fied in the wider eco-region but are use practitioners. The project offers •Commercial Shore-Based Harvest •Recreational Dive Fishing not yet within park boundaries. The a proven, flexible, and scalable •Recreational Fishing from Boats database also includes a tool TNC approach that empowers coastal •Recreational Shore-Based Harvest developed that incorporates quan- communities to paint an accurate •Kayak Fishing titative data into a calculation of picture of human use on a scale •Indigenous Fishing the risk each species may pose to a appropriate for local-, state-, or Non-Consumptive Sector specific ecosystem. regional-level ocean planning. •Motorized Boating •Sailing One species that is included in the The geographic focus of the Pa- •Paddling new database, Wakame (Undaria cific Regional Ocean Uses Atlas is •Surface Board Sports pinnatifida), is an invasive alga offshore the states of Washington, •SCUBA/Snorkeling that has recently gained attention. Oregon, and Hawaii. In Washing- •Swimming •Wildlife Viewing at Sea While Wakame is most well- ton, BOEM and NOAA have part- •Tide Pooling known for its slightly sweet flavor nered with the Washington state •Shore Use and use in Japanese dishes such as agencies and ocean uses data will •Indigenous Cultural Use Miso soup, it is also a highly fe- be collected for coastal waters and •Tourism Cruise Ships the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). See Invasives page 21 4 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Large Dock from Japan Cyanobacterial Disease Washes Ashore in Killing Coral on Kauai, Olympic National Park Hawaii Wilderness By Jonathan Sleeman-USGS,Thierry Work- By Bret Wolfe-USFWS USGS, Paul Slota-USGS, and Gail Moede Rogall-USGS On December 17, 2012, the U.S. An unusual coral mortality event Coast Guard reported that a mas- on the north shore of the Hawaiian sive concrete dock had washed island of Kauai is currently being ashore in a remote Wilderness Area investigated by a collaborative of Olympic National Park. team including the USGS National The National Park Service led a Wildlife Health Center Honolulu multi-agency team in a reconnais- Field Station (HFS) and the Hawaii sance trip to the site to determine Institute of Marine Biology at the its origin, access impacts and iden- University of Hawaii. Scientists tify non-native species. With help have visited two different sites from the Japanese government, the near Hanalei Bay to take multiple team concluded that the dock was samples and document extent one of four missing from the fish- of the damage. Analysis has ing port of Misawa following the determined that a cyanobacterial 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsu- infection is associated with coral nami. The first dock was found on Above, a large (see people in image at lower right for scale) Japanese dock that tissue loss and death. At both sites, a nearby Japanese island, while the was transported to the Washington coast coral reefs were heavily degraded second was found washed ashore after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and with overgrowth of turf algae as near Agate, Oregon in June 2012. tsunami is sampled and decontaminated well as sediment deposits. The fourth and final dock may by an interagency team led by the This coral disease outbreak is the have been spotted off the coast of National Park Service. Photo credit: Bret Wolfe, USFWS. first instance where cyanobacterial Hawai’i in September. disease on a large scale has been In addition to being located within documented in corals in Hawaii. The interagency team has com- a designated wilderness portion of Lesions are covering 10 – 80 pleted three trips to the grounding Olympic National Park, the dock is percent of affected colonies. The site to neutralize potentially inva- also within Olympic Coast Nation- consistent presentation of gross sive species and to assess removal al Marine Sanctuary and adjacent and microscopic lesions and the options. Initial laboratory testing to an important bird nesting colony absence of this disease in corals in the Washington Islands National results have identified 30-50 plant Wildlife Refuge Complex that was and animal species on the dock See Corals page 8 designated as an UNESCO Bio- that are native to Japan but not the sphere Reserve in 1976 recognizing United States, including species of its global ecological significance algae, seaweed, mussels, and bar- to the area. In order to minimize nacles. The team attached a NOAA damage to the coastline and marine tracking buoy in case the dock habitat, Federal agencies are mov- washes back out to sea. ing forward with plans to remove To follow the continuing Japan the dock. It is currently grounded tsunami marine debris story or to in a very remote and inaccessible learn what you should do if you location far from any roads and has encounter marine debris visit: been heavily damaged by battering USGS scientist Thierry Work takes a http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/tsu- sample from diseased coral at Tunnels around on rocks. namidebris/ Reef on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii. Photo credit: Terry Lilley. 5 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Shifting Sands-Perspectives from USGS Coastal Geologists By E. Robert Thieler, Nathaniel G. Plant and Hilary F. Stockdon Superstorm Sandy has taken a tragic toll on the residents of island, this new elevation reduces the chance of inunda- the mid-Atlantic’s barrier islands. The impact is not unlike tion from the next storm. And as New Yorkers learned, a many other destructive recent storms in the United States, couple of feet can make all the difference between inconve- such as Ivan, Katrina and Ike. So what can be done? In their nience and catastrophe. As the army of bulldozers and other natural state, the barrier islands that line about half of the earth-moving equipment deployed along the coast suggests U.S. coast, including most of the region affected by Sandy, current efforts appear headed to restore the islands to their are mobile and change constantly in response to wind, pre-storm state. Pushing the sand off the streets and back waves, tides and sea level. In fact, these islands owe their onto the beach removes the elevation that would have added very existence to storms and the long-term rise in sea level freeboard above future floods. On a developed shore, this of the past several thousand years. But much of today’s excavation of the roads is absolutely necessary to regain the coastline is a complex hybrid of a natural, dynamic landform dunes that are the first line of defense. But, everyone must overprinted with decades of immobile human development. understand that by resetting the island back to pre-storm Taking the dynamic nature of these barrier islands into ac- conditions, the long-term risks are increased. count as we rebuild after major storms can help reduce the Then there is the issue of rising seas. Sea level has risen 6 to vulnerability of the local infrastructure to the inevitable next 9 inches along the New Jersey coast since the last big storm big storm. in 1962 (the Ash Wednesday storm). Some residents say the Beaches and dunes are the first line defense from ocean 1962 storm barely reached their doorstep, while this time waves and storm surge, protecting the island’s interior. Superstorm Sandy flooded them by a foot. Although Sandy When dunes erode and fail, much of the sand is carried up and the 1962 storm differ in their details, 50 years of sea-lev- onto the island as overwash. While a failed dune in a coastal el rise certainly allowed water to reach areas that would not community makes it more exposed to the next storm, dune have been reached otherwise. What we know about storms, failure can make an undeveloped barrier island stronger by sea-level rise and barrier island response can be applied to adding elevation to its core. This is how the barrier islands redevelopment of the New Jersey coast. We can either try were built in the first place. During Superstorm Sandy, broad to thwart the natural response -- requiring increasing invest- swaths of the coastline from to ment in construction and maintenance of storm protection experienced dune failure and massive overwash. The sand structures -- or adapt by relocating farther away from the washed onto and across the barrier islands, filling roads, beachfront and upward as the barrier islands move. There is yards and living rooms. This overwash sand instantly added historical precedent for adaptation by moving. In New Jer- several feet of elevation to the islands. On a natural barrier sey, some pre-WWII beachfront communities had moveable houses. In 1888, the Brighton Beach Hotel on was moved several hundred feet back from the ocean by six steam locomotives. There are difficult choices to be made in our response to Superstorm Sandy. Doing nothing other than rebuilding is an easy choice and least expensive in the near-term, unless the next “superstorm” comes next year, or even this win- ter. Hundreds of miles of the East Coast where dunes were eroded or no longer exist are now more vulnerable than ever. Protecting the entire coast with coastal structures like sea walls is not feasible or even desirable; there are aspects of coastal armoring that have negative consequences. A practi- cal response will be a blend of all the realistic options. This requires identifying which areas can adapt best, prioritiz- ing which will receive the most protection and which will The Coastal Barrier Resources Act receive the least, or even none. This will be a challenging A natural resource management tool to discourage process. But, if undertaken jointly by citizens, policymakers development in high risk areas that is harmful to fish and scientists, it could be a refreshing response and yield a coastal environment that is more resilient and economically and wildlife, and costly to the American taxpayer. and environmentally sound. www.fws.gov/CBRA http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/shifting- Related story page 9 sands-sandys-lessons-in-coastal-geology/

6 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Restoring the Gulf after US and Canada Update the Deepwater Horizon Historical Great Oil Spill Lakes Water Quality By Nanciann Regalado-USFWS Agreement RESTORE ACT: Resources and Ecosystem By Sandra Morrison-USGS Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Nearly 20% of the world’s fresh States Act surface water supply is contained in the Great Lakes--the largest Interior has a major role in freshwater system on Earth. This The RESTORE Council’s first meeting restoring the Gulf of Mexico after vital resource is shared between the the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon in Mobile, Alabama December, 2012 focused on ensuring the long-term U.S. and Canada and in the 1960s oil spill damaged the Gulf of health, prosperity, and resilience of when the two countries observed Mexico’s natural resources and Gulf Coast communities. Keep up with trends of deteriorating water qual- impacted state economies and meeting schedules and additional ity, they joined together to develop information at www.restorethegulf.gov communities relying on healthy the Great Lakes Water Quality Gulf ecosystems. Learn more about the RESTORE ACT: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press- Agreement (GLWQA). Signed Passed in 2012, the RESTORE Act office/2012/09/10/executive-order-gulf- in 1972, the Agreement’s overall is an historic piece of legislation coast-ecosystem-restoration purpose was “to restore and main- that directs 80% of all civil and tain the chemical, physical and administrative penalties paid by the pal Deputy Assistant Secretary for biological integrity of the waters” responsible parties under the Clean Fish and Wildlife and Parks rep- of the Great Lakes. It provided a Water Act to the newly created resented Secretary Salazar along framework for cooperative action Gulf Coast Restoration Trust rather with other Council members who to restore, protect and enhance the than to the Oil Spill Liability Trust are working with States and local water quality of the Great Lakes Fund. The RESTORE Act requires communities to identify projects and promote the ecological health the collected funds directly benefit and programs that will restore the of the Great Lakes basin. Over the Gulf region for the purposes of region’s natural resources and help time, this Agreement has become ecosystem restoration, economic benefit jobs, communities, and a model of bi-national cooperation recovery, and tourism promotion. economies those resources support. and collaboration that has made Interior staff manned the Ocean, significant reductions of pollutant The RESTORE Act created the Coasts and Great Lakes Program discharges and improvements to RESTORE Council, comprised exhibit, sharing information about water quality in the Great Lakes. of governors from the five af- the critical role Interior is play- The Agreement is periodically fected Gulf States, the Secretar- ing in Gulf restoration to over 500 revised to address new and emerg- ies from the U.S. Departments of members of the public who attend- ing threats to water-quality and Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, ed the meeting. related issues. In September, 2012, and Homeland Security as well as the agreement was updated with the Secretary of the Army and the On January 29, 2013, the Council includes new provisions to address Administrator of the U.S. Envi- released, “The Path Forward to the health of the Great Lakes eco- ronmental Protection Agency. The Restoring the Gulf Coast: A Pro- system through attention to aquatic Gulf States selected and President posed Comprehensive Plan”. This invasive species, habitat degrada- Obama appointed the Secretary of document reflects the deliberations tion, and the effects of climate Commerce to serve as the Coun- of the Council to date in develop- change. It also supports continued cil’s Chair. The Council is commit- ing a more detailed initial Compre- work on existing threats to human ted to including the public through- hensive Plan. The collective focus health and the environment includ- out the restoration process. is on ensuring the long-term health, prosperity, and resilience of the ing harmful algae, toxic chemi- In December 2012, the Council Gulf Coast. Read it here: http://www. cals, and discharges from vessels. held their first meeting in Mobile, restorethegulf.gov/release/2013/01/29/ The amended agreement sets out Alabama. Rachel Jacobson, Princi- path-forward-restoring-gulf-coast See Great Lakes page 15 7 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013

These fish, known as sand lance, are important food for Arctic seabirds, Coral colony in Makua, HI showing examples of live coral (blue dot), macroalgae beluga whales, ice seals, and other Arctic (green dot) and tissue loss associated with cyanobacteria (red dot). Photo credit: species. Learn more about Arctic fish.See Thierry Work, USGS. related story, page 12. Coral continued from page 5 Subscribe to the Federal Watch USGS video on Youtube: elsewhere in Hawaii indicate that Ocean.Data.Gov’s Newsletter this outbreak is an epidemic cur- Receive monthly updates about the “Tracking Pacific Walrus: rently limited to the north shore National Ocean Council's data por- Expedition to the of Kauai. The HFS has archived tal. Support ocean, coastal and Great Shrinking tissues of a similar disease in Ha- Lakes information sharing and plan- ning. See related story, page 11. Chukchi Sea Ice” nalei Bay from 2009 indicating that cyanobacterial disease in corals on Contact Laura Muhs A documentary film ex- Natural Resource Specialist north Kauai has been around since plores walruses in their [email protected] that time. habitat and follows Below- An adult female walrus on ice USGS researchers study- Since 2001, HFS has been moni- floe in the US waters of the eastern ing them in the Arctic. toring coral disease in Hawaii and Chukchi Sea, Alaska. Sparse summer The USGS-produced film U.S. Territories, Commonwealth, sea ice in the Arctic over the past five contains exclusive foot- years has caused behavioral changes in and Freely Associated States in age of the large mammals the Pacific. A significant part of Pacific walruses according to research published by U.S. Geological Survey in their natural habitat. this effort is dedicated to applying and Russian scientists. Photo credit: B-roll footage also available. standard biomedical tools used in S.A. Sonsthagen, USGS. Learn more: http://www.youtube.com/ wildlife disease investigations of http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article. watch?v=pF-aNYhCr8k corals in attempts to identify poten- asp?ID=3453 tial etiologic agents associated with coral mortality. While degradation of coral reefs is well documented in Hawaii, this is the first instance where a potential etiologic agent has been documented with a coral disease epidemic in the region. If you see similar phenomena elsewhere in the Hawaiian Islands, please contact the USGS Honolulu Field Station at 808-792-9520 or Eyes of the Reef at 808-953-4044. Learn more: http://www.usgs.gov/ blogs/features/usgs_top_story/cor- al-disease-outbreak-in-hawaii/

8 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Discouraging Risky Coastal Development By Katie Niemi and Dana Wright-USFWS Historically, the American people have been drawn to the coasts for their natural beauty, recre- ational value, and fish and wildlife. Around the mid-20th century, the development of the nation’s hur- ricane prone and biologically rich coastal barriers, the low-lying land- forms located at the interface of land and sea, began to take off in earnest. By the early 1980’s, Con- gress and the federal government recognized that such development was unsustainable, and that certain federal actions and programs were subsidizing and encouraging this risky development. Congress addressed these chal- lenges thirty years ago with the enactment of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) of 1982, which established the Coastal Bar- rier Resources System (CBRS), now comprised of more than 3.1 million acres of relatively unde- veloped coastal barrier habitat covering 2,500 miles of shoreline along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Great Lakes, , and U.S. Virgin Islands. The Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), is re- sponsible for administering CBRA. CBRA encourages the conservation of coastal barriers and their associ- Storms and rising sea levels threaten human life and property in many U.S. coastal ated aquatic habitat by restricting areas. Costs associated with these risks and with maintaining supporting infrastructure federal development subsidies is unsustainable. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982 encourages conservation of within the CBRS such as new flood undeveloped areas by restricting federal subsidies of coastal development activities. insurance; development grants; and Photo credits: Ann Tihansky, DOI. funding for infrastructure, dredging other non-federal parties bear the coastal environment and keep and beach nourishment projects. full cost and risk. people out of harm’s way. Howev- CBRA does not regulate or prohibit CBRA is more relevant now than er, CBRA is a map-based law and the development of coastal barri- ever before as our nation looks for because the majority of the official ers. Areas within the CBRS can be common-sense, fiscally-responsi- CBRS maps were last updated in developed if private developers or ble ways to preserve our important See CBRA page 20 9 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 USGS Partners With Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Tribal Educational Program By Chris Polloni-USGS, Ben Gutierrez-USGS, and Monique Fordham-USGS The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) to develop and deliver a pilot summer science Above: Mashpee Wampanoag tribal youth and tribal culture keepers, support staff, tribal educational program, “Native and USGS personnel at the closing ceremony for the 2012 Native Youth in Science Youth in Science—Preserving Our program. Photo credit: David Gray, Wampanoag Tribe. Homelands.” Fourteen Mashpee Wampanoag students participated Marine and Arctic in the program. News--Subscribe to IUCN’s The program emphasized ‘hands- “Marine News” on’ experiences through classroom and field presentations designed Marine News is the International to help reconnect Mashpee Union for Conservation of Na- Wampanoag youth with the ture’s Global Marine and Polar ecology and geology of their Programme (GMPP) e-newsletter. traditional homelands. By weaving It includes news stories related scientific information and data to a diversity of marine-related collection together with traditional topics such as climate change ecological knowledge provided by Mashpee Wampanoag students learn mitigation and adaptation; tribal culture keepers, the program about traditional food preparation threatened marine species; provided a context that stressed through the ‘Native Youth in Science’ energy and industry; marine educational program. Photo credit: the ancestral relationships between David Gray, Wampanoag Tribe. protected areas; marine invasive the Wampanoag people and the species; fisheries and aquacul- ecosystems of their homelands. rials; ethnobotany: people, plants ture; ocean governance and the It also highlighted how science and ecosystems; marsh ecology; Arctic. It also highlights recent can be used as a tool to protect topographic mapping and explora- marine expeditions and out- and preserve the ecosystems tion of local geographic features standing marine photographs. and homelands of the Mashpee important to Wampanoag cultural The IUCN’s Global Coasts Wampanoag Tribe. history. Initiative is the focus of Issue 9 Six “experience units,” had an This unique project and effective – September 2012, celebrates the overarching focus on traditional team has laid a foundation for more last 10 years and new advances ecological knowledge and includ- collaborative tribal educational in global marine protected area ed: sources and quality of water; initiatives in the future. coverage and reports on GMPP’s geologic history of and work around the world as well Learn more: ties to the Wampanoag creation as that of the IUCN’s Regions, story and ancestral homelands; http://soundwaves.usgs. Commissions and partners. climate change, sea-level rise and gov/2012/12/outreach.html Subscribe here: http://www.iucn. shoreline change; regional geologic org/about/work/programmes/ control on ecosystems and tradi- marine/gmp_newsletter/ tional tribal use of rocks and mate- 10 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Data Management Keeps Information Flowing By Ann Tihansky-USGS, Heather Henkel- USGS, Barry Rosen-USGS, and Pamela Telis-USGS Data management doesn’t often steal the limelight, but a solid foundation for storing, sharing, and combining information from various sources can enhance resource management, preparedness, response, and An example of web accessible hydrologic data through USGS’s Coastal EDEN showing decision making. A great example monitoring sites and real time salinity values for the Everglades in south . highlighting the value of shared Image source: USGS. Learn more about EDEN: http://sofia.usgs.gov/eden/ data management comes from inform stormwater infrastructure Ocean.Data.Gov the Everglades restoration effort design, population safety, and wa- in south Florida. The Interior ter supplies. Not a Prototype Anymore! By Mary Boatman-BOEM Department, through USGS and Many users look daily at the values NPS, plays a lead role in bringing to help manage and understand Great things are happening with together data from multiple water in the ecosystem. This au- Ocean.Data.gov! The prototype sources in one centralized place. tomated process provides for an sign just came down and the site The Everglades Depth Estimation easy visual way to monitor hydro- has a new look. As part of the up- Network (EDEN) is a powerful logic conditions. Stakeholders can date and redesign, we migrated to tool for all stakeholders working receive an email notifying them Drupal 7 like all Data.gov web- on the Greater Everglades when or where conditions reach sites. This open source software ecosystem restoration effort. specified water level elevations at simplifies access to all users and “EDEN combines information one or more locations. It has been contributors. Another migration from a network of data collec- so successful, EDEN has been scheduled for the end of March tion sites across the landscape and expanded into the coastal region will make it even easier for agen- presents it in a graphical format in (called Coastal EDEN) with net- cies to contribute their data. near real time to show us, in one work monitoring capabilities serv- Currently, Data.gov draws meta- glance, how and where manage- ing up changes in water levels, sa- data from several catalogues. ment actions affect the hydrologic linity, and other parameters, to help This organization of the metadata conditions across the Everglades resource managers and planners will be replaced by open source watershed,” said Barry Rosen, a monitor effects of sea-level rise software called CKAN and the Biologist with the USGS South- along with effects of management metadata catalogues will become eastern Regional Office. Managers actions. Such visualizations give a single catalogue. Unifying the can look at hydrologic responses water managers a quick assessment catalogues will make it much for overall ecosystem health or of salinity trends that could impact easier to search for the data you during specific time periods that drinking water supplies for resi- want and will improve the process may impact individual species of dents in the South Florida region. for each agency to submit data. concern, such as a flooding during These examples demonstrate the Many of you may remember that nesting periods or salinity changes enormous potential and benefits Geospatial One-Stop was migrated on fisheries. Tribal communities of sharing Federal information to the Data.gov effort. Ocean.Data. are able to protect historical burial in centralized locations. Shared gov draws from the geospatial grounds by understanding how data enhances our ability to man- catalogue. The CKAN software changing water levels affect spe- age resources in the long-term will also make searching for data cific areas. Understanding trends time frame as well as improve our in rainfall and storm events can response to specific events. See Ocean.data.gov page 12 11 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 SOFIA- South Florida Gas Hydrate Research Information Access- International and Collaborative Integrated Science for By Jessica Roberston-USGS Everglades Restoration A new project in Japan is helping By Heather Henkel-USGS scientists make significant progress SOFIA provides easy and free in studying gas hydrates. access to scientific information in The collaboration continues a support of research, decision-mak- ing, and resource management for USGS serves up a broad array of the Nation’s Greater Everglades scientific information on-line in support Ecosystem Restoration effort. of restoration and water management Since 1995, SOFIA has provided decision making through South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) and the access to a wealth of data and Everglades Depth Estimation Network information for the USGS’s work (EDEN). Photo credit: Heather Henkel, in the Everglades. Related websites USGS. include examples that demonstrate the value of collaborative data management. (See related story on EDEN page 11) Because of it’s dedicated data management staff, SOFIA has become one of the top places to find data, metadata, publications, and other associated information. These data management capabilities also sup- Scientists prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates port non-USGS entities, such as the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee research project in Japan. Left to right: National Wildlife Refuge’s Enhanced Water Quality Monitoring and Efthymios Papadopoulos (Georgia Tech), Modeling Program. Yoshihiro Konno (AIST), and William Winters (USGS). Photo credit: USGS. Keep up with new developments by following SOFIA News. Updates include announcements of new publications and data sets, upcoming long-standing relationship between meetings and other related information.Subscribe on-line: research programs in Japan and http://sofia.usgs.gov/sofianews.html the U.S., but is the first time that U.S. researchers have been directly involved in studying Japanese gas Ocean.data.gov continued from page 11 Examples using ocean data to sup- hydrate samples. outside the Federal catalogue easier port ocean planning: Gas hydrates are a naturally-occur- and will include data collected by  http://northeastoceandata. ring solid form of methane gas --an States and other governments such org/?page_id=769 ice-like substance formed when as Canada and Mexico. methane, and sometimes other gas-  http://portal.midatlanticocean. es, combine with water at specific We are also developing a map org/explore/needs gallery to highlight data sources pressure and temperature condi- that are used by the regional portal tions. Gas hydrates are widespread teams such as the Northeast We’ve also added a Feedback in marine sediments beneath the and Mid-Atlantic regional data page where users can suggest how ocean floor and in sediments within portals for supporting ocean plan- to improve the site and a virtual and beneath permafrost areas. ning. This will help other regions bulletin board where we can share These pressure-temperature condi- set up their portals by providing an stories about how data are being tions keep the gas hydrate “stable,” initial list of common data sources used. We continue to hunt for new meaning it is intact and gases are to address ocean planning needs. data sources and look forward to contained in its solid form. Gas hearing from you. For more details, hydrates sequester large amounts please visit: ocean.data.gov See Gas Hydrates page 17 12 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Fish at the Top of the World: Top 10 Fish Themes for the U.S. Chukchi and Beaufort Seas By Nancy Deschu-BOEM Catherine W. Mecklenburg, Academy of Sciences, contributed to this article. Leatherfin lumpsucker. Wattled eelpout. Bearded warbonnet. Arctic cod sheltered in Beaufort ice habitat. These are just a few of the lesser- Leatherfin Lumpsucker. Photo credit: Sara Photo credit: Shawn Harper, UAF. known fish species that occur in Carroll, UAF. U.S. Arctic waters, along with their 200 miles of shore are very deep, relatively famous relations such as down to thousands of meters. In the Arctic cod and pink salmon. contrast, the Chukchi Sea has a If we had to cram for an exam on broad continental shelf and most Arctic fishes in the U.S. Chukchi of the waters within the 200-mile and Beaufort seas, we would do limit are shallower, generally 200 well to focus on these 10 themes. feet or less. 1. The fish are small. 4. About 100+ species described Snailfish. Photo credit: UAF Norcross Lab. Fishes on the Arctic continental so far. shelf (in waters generally less than More than 100 fish species have 500 feet deep) tend to be small. been identified in the U.S. Arctic The majority of fish caught on the seas within the U.S. 200-mile limit. continental shelf in U.S. Chukchi Most of the species, including the Sea and Beaufort Sea surveys are Arctic cod, saffron cod, and Bering less than 6 inches long. flounder, inhabit both the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Numerous deep- 2. The fish are numerous. water species are found in the U.S. Sailfin sculpin. Photo credit: NOAA-Alaska. Although the fishes on the con- Beaufort Sea, including bigeye tinental shelf are small, they are sculpin and Arctic skate. Some spe- numerous, especially Arctic cod, cies, like the smoothcheek sculpin capelin, sculpins, and eelpouts. and Sakhalin sole, are adapted to 3. The Chukchi and Beaufort the warmer waters on the Chukchi shelves are different. Sea shelf and do not inhabit the The topography of the continental cooler Beaufort Sea. shelf and slope affects what species 5. Sea ice is an important factor. occur and where. The Beaufort Sea The presence or absence of ice continental shelf is relatively nar- plays a role in which species occur, row so most of the waters within Antlered Sculpin. Photo credit: FishBase.org See Arctic Fish page 14

Wattled Eelpout. Photo credit: NOAA-Alaska. Two bearded warbonnets. Photo Credit: John Moran, NOAA-Alaska. 13 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013

Arctic cod sheltered in ice habitat. Photo credits: Elizabeth Calvert Siddon, UAF/NOAA.

Fish Habitat in the U.S. Arctic Seeing into a fish’s world Fish habitat is complex. There are the horizontal (area) and vertical (depth) components of the water column. There is also the seafloor habitat, which actually has some depth because some fish burrow into the sediments. Then there is a time element – fish move over time and they change life stage over time - from egg, to larva, to juvenile, to adult. And when a fish changes life stage, it often moves to a different habitat. Then, to make Arctic fish habitat even more complex, there is sea ice. The Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (as amended) mandated the development of area fishery management plans, and the designation and protection of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). Two fishery management plans apply to the U.S. Arctic: The Fishery Management Plan for the Arctic (2009) and the Salmon Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Alaska (1990). Under these two plans, EFH was designated for Arctic cod, saffron cod, opilio crab, and five species of Pacific salmon (pink, chum, sockeye, chinook, and coho). In cases where enough information is available, EFH is designated for the various life stages of a fish species. Consequently, EFH for different life stages of the same species may be in very different habitats. So, protecting fish habitat means thinking about the water surface, the water column, and the seafloor and about all of a fish’s life stages, the time of year, and the breadth of a fish’s travel over its entire life. Graphic by Betsy Boynton

Arctic Fish continued from page 13 however, they lay their eggs on the saffron cod are a few of the fish bottom and the eggs develop there. species that are important prey for and when they occur. Arctic cod, these animals. arguably the most abundant fish 7. Marine, migratory, anadro- in the Arctic seas, are commonly mous and freshwater species 9. Fish are an important subsis- associated with ice. Arctic cod feed occur. tence food. on small prey on the underside of In addition to the species that are Fish are an important subsistence the ice, juveniles seek shelter in entirely marine, several migratory, food for Arctic communities. ice crevices, and it is thought their anadromous, and freshwater fish Arctic cisco, whitefishes, Dolly eggs and larvae develop at the species occur in the U.S. Arc- Varden, rainbow smelt, and salmon underside of the ice. tic. Pacific salmon occur in both are species commonly taken for the Chukchi and Beaufort seas subsistence. 6. Most fish have benthic life and spawn in Alaska’s rivers and stages. 10. Climate change affects fish. streams. Arctic cisco are coastal The majority of Arctic fish species Distribution, time of spawning, migrators, moving east and west depend on the benthic environ- and diet are a few aspects of Arctic along the Beaufort Sea coastline, ment for parts of their lives. Flat- fish ecology that will likely have crossing the boundary between the fish adults live on the bottom and effects on Arctic fish. U.S. and Canada. typically release their eggs into the Fish research in the Arctic can plankton drift. Most eelpouts and 8. Fish are important prey. be challenging given the rough sculpins dwell on the bottom and Fish are important prey for many weather conditions, presence of their eggs, larvae and juveniles seabird species, beluga whales, sea ice, short open-water season, develop on the bottom. Saffron ice seals, and fishes. Arctic cod, cod adults occur at various depths, capelin, sand lance, herring, and See Arctic Fish page 23 14 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Superstorm Sandy continued from page 1 that informed emergency manag- reached 18.98 feet at Long Branch, ers ahead of the storm’s landfall. NJ. Nearby in Battery Park, water By working with the emergency rose 13.8 feet (4.2m). On Liberty management community, evacu- Island, that meant nearly 75% of ations and preparations greatly the Island was under water accord- reduced the risks to human lives. ing to Statue of Liberty Superin- The USGS has confirmed that tendent David Luchsinger. Both these pre-storm models did a good Ellis and Liberty Islands are closed job predicting vulnerable coastal and further south, NPS sites in areas and how Sandy would alter the Gateway National Recreation the coastline. USGS continues to Area, including the , assess how well the models pre- Bay and the dicted these impacts and to moni- New York beach community after Units were also hard hit. Many are tor coastal zone response in these Hurricane Sandy. Photo credit: USGS still closed as repairs are made. areas. The USGS worked closely with the National Park Service to from Virginia to Massachusetts Visit the NPS page to check prog- continue to respond to Hurricane ress. http://www.nps.gov/stli/after- gather field data on pre- and post- storm conditions at Fire Island Sandy’s aftermath. Crews are re- hurricane-sandy.htm trieving data, cleaning up damages, Expertise across the Interior De- National Seashore on (See related story, page 3). repairing facilities, monitoring partment prepared for and contin- recovery, and working with part- ues to respond to Sandy’s impacts. Other impacts from the storm are ners to inform long-term rebuilding USGS scientists contributed an less obvious. “We tend to think of efforts and resource management array of tools in support of national events like Sandy in terms of the decisions. Scientific information storm readiness including: map- ephemeral effect of the wind, rain, is also being used to inform com- ping of coastal elevations, storm waves, and even snow as it swept munities and resource managers tide, and flood levels, landslide through our communities, but in on how best to prepare for the next alerts, water-quality sampling and fact this superstorm can have a lon- storm. By informing recovery and analysis, and continuous real-time ger-term effect in the large pulse of rebuilding activities with scientific data monitoring. sediment and associated pollutants findings and monitoring, we are Recently highlighted as a sea-level swept into our waterways,” said working to make our nation more rise hot spot USGS scientists indi- McNutt. A stormwater pulse can resilient to future storm impacts. cated the northeast US region was be a major issue for water man- Learn more about USGS Sandy highly vulnerable to a storm like agers, because it can cause algal efforts: http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/ Sandy. See previous story: http:// blooms that increase costs to treat features/usgs_top_story/sandy/ www.doi.gov/pmb/ocean/news/ drinking water, limit recreational sandy/?from=image newswave/upload/DOI_Newswave- activities, and threaten valu- Summer-2012-FINAL-2.pdf able commercial and recreational Great Lakes continued from page 7 fisheries. Increased sediment can a shared vision for a healthy and As Sandy approached, the USGS cause costly changes in shipping predicted more than 90 percent of prosperous Great Lakes region and channels, where new sediment can expands opportunities for public the sandy beaches from the mouth require additional dredging. “It is of to Long Is- participation in Great Lakes is- particularly important to quantify sues. Many Interior programs at land would experience significant the input of this one unusual event coastal change. More than 20 per- the NPS, USFWS and USGS were before concluding that certain ef- instrumental in informing the need cent of New Jersey and the Del- forts to reduce pollutant run-off marva peninsula were expected to for this revision and will continue from year to year have or have not to support the vision through sci- experience extreme coastal change been effective,” said McNutt. due to inundation by storm surge. ence-based resource management On October 29, USGS posted real- Interior’s scientists, resource man- and decisionmaking. Learn more: time predictions of coastal impacts agers, technicians, and specialists http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/glwqa/ 15 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Celebrating Science with the Public USGS shares more than a decade of experience By Theresa Burress-USGS The St. Petersburg Science Festival has been awarded a two-year grant to expand the three-year old community science festival in exchange for serving as a model and mentor for 12 new science festival initiatives that are being launched across the country. St. Petersburg Science Festival Co- USGS has been instrumental in bringing community partners together to get the public Chairs E. Howard Rutherford (Pier excited about science. Here, a young visitor can see how waves are created in “Surf’s Up”, an exhibit about storms and coastal change. Photo credit: Kate Bradshaw, USGS. Aquarium President and CEO) and Theresa Burress (CNTS contractor to USGS) will create guidelines to be even bigger with new events Secretary Salazar help smaller communities launch planned and new partnerships with Launches Expedited similar successful science festivals national science education orga- Assessment of Offshore nationwide. nizations underway. The USGS Drilling Program in the http://www.sciencefestivals.org/ has been sharing science with the community supported by staff Beaufort and Chukchi After 14 years of hosting it’s an- from other USGS and US Fish and Seas nual Public Open House, USGS Wildlife Offices. USGS continues As part of its continued com- joined forces with the first St. Pe- that strong commitment as a lead mitment to rigorous oversight of tersburg Science Festival in 2011. collaborator and exhibitor for the oil and gas activities in the Arc- The event was held in conjunction upcoming event. tic, Secretary of the Interior Ken with the annual open house for the Salazar announced January 8, 2013 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conser- The science festival concept dem- that the Department has launched vation Commission’s (FWC) Fish onstrates impacts of science on our an expedited, high-level assess- and Wildlife Research Institute. It everyday life and inspires curios- ment of the 2012 offshore drilling was a marine-science themed col- ity in learners of all ages through program in the Beaufort and Chuk- laboration among the 14 marine- interactive activities that astonish chi Seas to review practices and science focused institutions that to- audiences. Combined contributions identify challenges as well as les- gether comprise the St. Petersburg from local government agencies, sons learned. The review, which is Ocean Team including the USGS academic institutions and techni- expected to be completed within 60 St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine cal businesses offer a wide range days, will pay special attention to Science Center, the USF College of entertaining, hands-on scientific challenges that Shell encountered of Marine Science, the National demonstrations of technology, in connection with certification of Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- engineering, and math-related its containment vessel, the Arctic istration (NOAA) National Marine (STEM) activities. The event is Challenger; the deployment of its Fisheries Service Southeast Re- free to the public. containment dome; and operational gional Office, the Florida Fish and Read more: http://soundwaves. issues associated with its two drill- Wildlife Commission and Wildlife usgs.gov/2013/02/outreach.html ing rigs, the Noble Discoverer and Research Institute, among others. the Kulluk. The review of Shell’s Attendance at the 2012 event was Arctic activities will be led by estimated at more than 12,000. The 2013 event is expected to See Arctic drilling page 22 16 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Gas Hydrates continued from page 12 of methane, making them a poten- tially significant source for natural gas around the world. In the current phase of this project, an international group of scientists from Japan, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Georgia Insti- tute of Technology (Georgia Tech) are using cutting-edge technology to study rare gas hydrate samples recovered deep beneath the sea- floor. “This research will not only help us understand the character International gas hydrates study team in Japan. Kneeling: Jun Yoneda (AIST). Front of gas hydrates in Japan, but we row, standing, left to right: Yoshihiro Konno (AIST), Jiro Nagao (AIST), Marco Terzariol (Georgia Tech), William Winters (USGS), Junbong Jang (Georgia Tech), Kiyofumi can also apply that knowledge as Suzuki (JOGMEC), Sheng Dai (Georgia Tech), Tetsuya Fujii (JOGMEC), and Emile well as this innovative technology Bergeron (USGS). Back row, standing, left to right: William Waite (USGS), Efthymios and approach to understand the Papadopoulos (Georgia Tech), David Mason (USGS), and Carlos Santamarina (Georgia potential in the U.S. and around Tech). Photo credit: William Winters, USGS. the world,” said Brenda Pierce, USGS Energy Resources Program now analyzing the cores using a Gas Hydrates Technical Coordinator. “This project brings key tool, the Instrumented Pressure Collaboration together international experts, Testing Chamber, which was the each with specialized knowledge first device capable of measuring The program is being led by the to share.” “The USGS is excited certain properties of pressure cores Japan Oil, Gas and Metals Na- that our Japanese colleagues have without first depressurizing them. tional Corporation (JOGMEC) invited us to participate in this and Japan’s National Institute Testing these instruments in Ja- project along with Georgia Tech.” of Advanced Industrial Science pan will also help prepare for the and Technology (AIST). A multiyear, premier research pro- analysis of pressure cores that gram is currently underway in Ja- may be obtained in the future from The project is being conducted pan. Last year, Japanese research- hydrate deposits in the deepwater in collaboration with the USGS ers used innovative technology Gulf of Mexico and on the Alaskan Gas Hydrates Project and to retrieve and preserve sediment North Slope. researchers from the School of samples containing gas hydrates. Civil and Environmental En- The USGS has a globally recog- These samples were obtained from gineering at Georgia Tech. It nized research effort studying gas layers beneath the deep seafloor in is one component of an ongo- hydrates in many different settings the Nankai offshore Japan. ing Japanese collaboration on around world. Research loca- methane hydrate research with Such well-preserved samples are tions include Japan as well as the the U.S. Department of Energy extremely rare. They are preserved U.S. Beaufort Sea, Alaska’s North (DOE) and the Gulf of Mexico as “pressure cores,” with the gas Slope, India, Korea and the north- Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Proj- hydrates kept as if they were still at ern Gulf of Mexico. ect (JIP). the natural conditions in the sub- Learn more: http://www.usgs.gov/ surface where they formed. Scien- This collaborative research in blogs/features/usgs_top_story/ tists have been working since the Japan was financially supported groundbreaking-gas-hydrate- 1990s on sophisticated techniques by MH21, USGS, DOE, and the research/?from=image to retrieve and preserve samples. multinational Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrates JIP. U.S. and Japanese researchers are

17 NEWSWAVE • Summer 2012 News from the Regions Across the Nation, the Interior Department provides leadership and coordination for ocean, coastal and Great Lakes activities. Federal partners support state- led regional ocean partnerships and efforts to address common concerns within the regions. There are nine regional planning areas: 1-The Northeast, 2- Mid-Atlantic, 3-South Atlantic, 4-Caribbean, 5-Gulf of Mexico, 6-West Coast, 7-Great Lakes, 8-Pacific Islands, 9-Alaska/Arctic.

The CSC partners are encouraging col- Ocean laborative projects or work across CSC Council (NROC) units that leverage or develop expertise Bob LaBelle (BOEM) and projects that would have impacts (,, Massachusetts, beyond local scale. Visit the Northeast Rhode Island, ) Climate Science Center: http://www.doi. http://collaborate.csc.noaa.gov/nroc/ gov/csc/northeast/index.cfm default.aspx Learn more about Interior’s Climate Sci- On January 9, Interior’s Climate Science ence Centers: http://www.doi.gov/csc/ Centers announced 2013/2014 research index.cfm funding opportunities. The Northeast Climate Science Center (CSC) held two Governor’s South Atlantic stakeholder meetings in January at op- Alliance (GSAA) posite ends of the geographic Region (Minneapolis, Minnesota and Amherst, Eric Strom (USGS) Massachusetts) to discuss the overall (North Carolina, , Climate Science Center’s science strategy Georgia, Florida) with potential partners. The meetings http://www.southatlanticalliance.org attracted a diverse group of stakehold- A pier on battered ers including leadership from USGS, Fish The three Federal Co-Chairs supporting by waves and surge associated with and Wildlife Service, the National Park the Governors’ South Atlantic Alliance extreme storms. Photo credit: Ann Service, NOAA and Sea Grant programs, (GSAA) are DOI, NOAA and USEPA. Fed- Tihansky, DOI. Tribes, as well as multiple members of eral leadership has rotated from NOAA to the USEPA for the next 1-year term state, federal and forestry interests, aca- Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) demic partners and a strong contingent (2013). Department of Interior is sched- of state and urban interests. uled to assume the Federal Co-Chair leadership role in 2014. Leadership of Linda Kelsey (USFWS) The regional CSCs are intended to oper- the State Steering Group also rotated (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missis- ate as a network in which expertise at from North Carolina to Georgia and Mark sippi, ) one CSC can be leveraged against exper- Williams with the Georgia Department http://www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org/ tise at other CSCs. Further, identification of Natural Resources will now assume of projects that can be scaled up or com- Read about Interior’s involvement in the lead role. There will be a face-to-face bined with other projects to not only ad- the Gulf of Mexico restoration efforts meeting of the entire Executive Planning dress the local science issue, but increase through the RESTORE ACT . Story on Team of the GSAA in Raleigh, NC, March understanding of regional and national page 7. 13-14. The agenda and announcement implications of climate impacts will help will be posted soon at: ensure best use of limited resources. www.southatlanticalliance.org See Regional News page 19 18 NEWSWAVE • Summer 2012 continued from page 18 technical workshops: 1) Pacific Marine Arctic Synthesis/Soar (PacMars/Soar); 2) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GRLI) Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean ShoreZone- BOEM - North Slope portion; Council (MARCO) 3) Arctic Ecosystem Integrated Survey; 4) Beaufort/Chukchi Meteorology; 5) Phyllis Ellin (NPS), Norman Arctic Cod Spawning. BOEM provided Grannemann (USGS) Maureen Bornholdt (BOEM) an exhibit booth where staff also shared (Illinois, , , Minnesota, (Maryland, New York, New Jersey, information about BOEM research ef- New York, , , ) Delaware, Virginia) forts and partnerships. Abstracts and http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/glri/ http://www.midatlanticocean.org/ workshop descriptions are on-line: www. Read about the Great Lakes Water Quality MARCO, in collaboration with federal alaskamarinescience.org/workshops.html Agreement, page 7. agencies, is convening a Mid-Atlantic regional workshop on April 4-5 in Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Arlington, VA. The workshop will foster Partnership (PROP) dialog among stakeholders and govern- ment entities and develop a common Richard Hannan (USFWS) understanding about regional ocean (American Samoa, Commonwealth planning. On December 12, BOEM held of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, a conference call with the Mid-Atlantic Hawaii) Regional Planning Body (RPB) desig- The Pacific Islands Regional Planning nees to become acquainted with one Body (RPB), held a workshop in Hawaii another and share the progress toward in October 2012 to bring stakeholders ocean planning already underway in together and move forward. While NOAA the region. This was also an opportunity Pewetole Blowhole at the California is taking the lead in organizing the RPB, to voice initial ideas, questions, and Coastal National Monument. Photo Interior (FWS, BOEM, NPS, and USGS) concerns. The Bureau will hold more calls credit: Bob Wick, BLM. are actively involved. Similar workshops or information exchanges with the RPB See more images: http://www.blm.gov/ are envisioned for American Samoa, members before the April workshop. ca/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/nm/ CNMI and Guam. The Pacific RPB seeks to ccnm/photo_gallery/regular.html support the Governors’ Pacific Regional Ocean Partnership (PROP) to promote Alaska regional sustainability of oceanic and West Coast Governor’s Alliance coastal resources through cooperation Jim Kendall (BOEM) (WGCA) and collaboration on all aspects of ocean and coastal-related research and ocean BOEM was a contributing sponsor and Joan Barminski (BOEM) management. active participant at the annual 2013 (California, Washington and Oregon) Alaska Marine Science Symposium http://westcoastoceans.org (AMSS). The symposium brought to- gether ocean researchers representing The West Coast Governors Alliance on Federal agencies, State of Alaska, aca- Ocean Health (WCGA) and the West demics, fisheries management council Coast Coastal and Ocean Observing representatives and others to discuss Systems (OOS) signed a two-year agree- their work in the Arctic Ocean, Bering ment in October of 2012 to advance Sea, and Gulf of Alaska. Keynote speak- effective management of coastal and ers covered topics of ocean acidifica- ocean resources for the benefit of tion, invasive species and marine debris current and future generations, with a associated with the tsunami, issues specific focus on using ocean observing affecting Chinook salmon populations systems to help address harmful algal and reproduction, and ocean science blooms and ocean acidification as well technology. Held January 21-25, 2013 in as advancing surface current mapping downtown Anchorage, AK, this meeting and a regional data framework. Read the agreement-- http://www.westcoas- also serves the important role as an of- Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross and world’s ficial Information Transfer Meeting (ITM) toceans.org/media/Press_ReleasesList_ serve/mouWCGA_OOSFINAL_1.pdf oldest-known wild bird (at least 61 years for many BOEM research projects. BOEM old), hatched another chick at Midway staff was involved in convening the Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Photo meeting through activities that ranged Caribbean Regional Ocean credit: Pete Leary, USFWS.http://www. from reviewing abstracts, coordinat- Partnership (CROP) usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3504 ing events, and presenting papers and posters. BOEM staff and partners also Sherri Fields (NPS) led and contributed to a number of (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) 19 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 CBRA continued from page 9 Remembering Asbury 1990, they are being modernized. "Abby" Sallenger— USFWS has been working with the Architect of the USGS Federal Emergency Management Coastal Program Agency and other federal partners on the Federal Interagency Flood- USGS scientist and renowned plain Management Task Force coastal-hazards expert Asbury to bring the CBRS maps into the "Abby" Sallenger, 63, died at home and improve CBRA on the evening of February 5. He compliance and outreach. These was a distinguished research scien- updates will make CBRA more tist, a skilled communicator, and a effective now and into the future as mentor throughout his career. Seen the nation recovers from Hurricane as a leader in scientific response to Sandy and adapts to rising seas. coastal storms, Sallenger served as the voice of the USGS on hurri- Because the official CBRS maps canes and coastal change since the can be difficult to interpret, in USGS stood up its first scientific November 2012, USFWS released storm-response team in the mid- an interactive mapper to the public 1990s. containing approximate boundaries of the CBRS units. “Abby’s contributions to the USGS, to the Coastal and Marine USFWS has also updated the USGS Scientist Asbury Sallenger. Photo Program, and to many of us per- credit: Ann Tihansky, DOI. project consultation guidance on its sonally cannot be briefly captured. website for federal partners as we He was the architect of our coastal program,” said USGS scientist John work together on recovery efforts Haines. “At the heart of our response to hurricanes, you’ll findAbby’s following Hurricane Sandy. vision, Abby’s science, and Abby’s leadership. He insisted that science Read about coastal change from a comes first,” said Haines. His work with extreme-storm impacts on coasts geologic perspective on page 6. and his skill in explaining them made him a sought-after expert by many. He was regularly interviewed and quoted by national news-media outlets, such as , CNN, and . Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) Mapper Sallenger led the USGS National Assessment of Coastal Change Haz- ards, which investigates how coasts change over the long term and during Users can view maps delineating extreme storms. Sallenger was a pioneer in recognizing the growing need coastal areas that are currently for science to protect coastal communities from the hazards of coastal part of the CBRS. change. He envisioned a national coastal-research program that supported Available online: scientific excellence in response to societal needs. http://www.fws.gov/CBRA/Maps/Map- His recent research focused on Louisiana's barrier islands, where rapid per.html land subsidence simulates the long-term sea-level rise that could impact the world's coasts in the next century. In the summer of 2012, Sallenger published research showing that the rate of sea-level rise has increased three or four times faster along much of the U.S. East Coast than globally. He was recently named as a lead author on the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, publication expected in 2014. Having written scientific papers for many years, Sallenger also published an historical fiction, calledIsland in a Storm, in 2009. In his book, Sal- lenger used the historical perspective of an actual severe hurricane in 1856 that destroyed one of Louisiana’s barrier islands, to illustrate the dramatic impacts coastal hazards can have on human society and history. 20 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Science for Emergency Invasives continued from page 4 Managers cund invasive that has been docu- By Brian McCallum-USGS mented in New Zealand, Argentina, and Europe. After its discovery In late October, as Hurricane in Southern California in 2001, it Sandy threatened coastal com- quickly spread up the coast, worry- munities along the nation’s eastern ing biologists as it began out-com- seaboard, the U.S. Geological Sur- peting and threatening to replace vey (USGS) was also participating the native kelp forests that form the in the 2012 annual conference for basis of the region’s coastal eco- the International Association of system. The National Park Service Emergency Managers (IAEM) in is concerned about it’s appearance, Orlando, Florida. The coincident since the alga can release millions occurrence of Superstorm Sandy of microscopic spores that are served as a timely example of the Wakame (Undaria Pinnatifida), an easily carried in ship ballast wa- vital role scientific information ter. The alga also spreads around plays in preparing for and respond- invasive alga, poses a threat to Pacific coast ecosystems. Photo credit: Hatfield the world by attaching itself to ing to natural disasters. USGS also Marine Science Center, OSU. Learn more ship hulls. Meanwhile, research- participated in a three-hour work- about Wakame: http://www.nature.nps. ers at the University of California, shop demonstrating the many ways gov/water/marineinvasives/assets/PDFs/ Undaria_pinnatifida.pdf Santa Barbara, the Smithsonian’s USGS scientific expertise and Environmental Research Center, products support the emergency display booth that described USGS and other organizations, warn that management community during scientific resources and activities new management plans are needed natural hazards. Brian McCallum, that support societal understanding since Wakame, once established, is Assistant Director of the Georgia and preparedness for a broad array almost impossible to eradicate. Water Science Center presented of other natural hazards such as While National Park Service units examples from to landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other local organizations are demonstrate how USGS storm- and wildfires. working to remove Wakame as it tide data is collected, analyzed Conference presentations are available: and shared with partners working arrives in new places, the Depart- http://iaem2go2012.crowdcom- on coastal and flooding hazards. ment is also focused on longer- pass.com/apps USGS also shared materials at a term strategies that build capacity for managing threats from other invasive species. Established in 1999, the National Invasive Spe- cies Council (NISC) is co-chaired by the Secretaries of Interior, Ag- riculture and Commerce. Through Interior’s support, it provides high- level coordination on invasive spe- cies with input from the Invasive Species Advisory Council (ISAC). Through these efforts, state, fed- eral, local, and tribal officials come together with NGOs, industry and stakeholder groups to examine the effectiveness of current laws and USGS exhibit highlighted a broad range of scientific expertise that supports an policies and to develop creative ap- international community of emergency managers attending the International proaches to reduce new threats. Association of Emergency Managers Conference held in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center, 2012. Photo credit: Brian McCallum, USGS. 21 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 Arctic drilling continued from page 16 Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy Beaudreau, who has been selected to serve as the Acting As- sistant Secretary for Land and Min- erals Management. The review will look at Shell’s safety management systems, its oversight of contracted USGS scientist Karen Rice (left), shares findings with USGS Director Marcia McNutt at services, and its ability to meet the the NCSE poster session. Photo credit: Ann Tihansky. strict standards in place for Arctic National Dialogue on Disasters development. By Ann Tihansky-DOI “As part of our Department’s over- In January, policy makers, scientists and media representatives gathered sight responsibilities, our review in Washington, DC, for the 13th annual National Conference on Sci- will look at Shell’s management ence, Policy and the Environment focused on the theme: Disasters and and operations in the Beaufort and Environment, Science, Preparedness, and Resilience. Interior played a Chukchi Seas,” said Beaudreau. major role in organizing the event. USGS Director Marcia McNutt, David “We will assess Shell’s perfor- Applegate - the Associate Director for Natural Hazards, and Lucy Jones - mance in the Arctic’s challenging the USGS Science Advisor for Risk Reduction, participated on the NCSE environment. The Bureau of Safety Leadership Committee. McNutt also participated in a plenary session and Environmental Enforcement where she discussed the pivotal role science plays on understanding and demands operators make safety at preparing society for hazards. Watch the session here: http://www.c- all levels at all times their number spanvideo.org/program/310396-3. Using the recent example of Hurricane one priority, and we expect the Sandy she underscored the value of coastal change research for informing highest level of performance from our Nation’s recovery actions as well as preparing for future scenarios. operators in the Arctic,” said BSEE Gary Machlis, Science Advisor to the Director of the National Park Ser- Director James A. Watson. “As we vice and Margaret Hiza Redsteer, USGS Research Scientist also partici- oversee historic domestic drilling, pated in panel discussions. The agenda and an interview with Director McNutt are BSEE will continue its unprece- on-line: http://www.websedge.com/videos/ncse_conference_2013/#/interview_with_mar- dented oversight of drilling activi- cia_mcnutt_phd_director_us_geological_survey ties in the Arctic and we will con- tinue to hold anyone operating in public waters to the highest safety and environmental standards.” http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/ secretary-salazar-launches-expedited- assessment-of-2012-arctic-operations. cfm?renderforprint=1&

Three divers watch an Atlantic sailfish Itiophorus( albicans) use it’s bill to herd a school of smaller fish in its pelagic environment. The Atlantic sailfish is one of the world’s fastest fish. Photo credit: JP Zegarra, USFWS. 22 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013

continued from Thirty Years page 3 shoals over time while increasing Arctic Fish continued from page 14 the width of the barrier islands, rough seafloor topography, and of New York, is closely monitoring contributing to an overall increase great depths off the continental breach behavior to determine if the in resilience to future storms and shelf. Even in light of these chal- inlet will close under natural con- sea-level rise. ditions or may need to be closed lenges, important Arctic fish stud- mechanically. For now Federal and Read more: ies have been accomplished in the state agency scientists have the http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/ar- past decade in the U.S. Beaufort opportunity to observe how a bar- ticle.asp?ID=3463 and Chukchi seas. Notable is one rier island breach affects the larger of the earlier Arctic studies, the ecosystem and also how the system expedition in 2004 by the Russian- http://www.nps.gov/fiis/nature- responds and recovers. Through American Long-Term Census of science/post-hurricane-sandy- this strategy, new wetlands will the Arctic, which was sponsored by breaches.htm have the chance to form on tidal NOAA and the Russian Academy of Sciences. BOEM, in cooperation with other agencies and several universities (including University of Alaska, University of Washing- ton, University of Maryland, and University of Texas), has been in- vestigating fish in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Currently BOEM is supporting three major fish stud- profile C-8 ies – one in the Chukchi Sea and 2010 two in Beaufort Sea. The recent and ongoing studies on fish in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas (includ- ing a cooperative transboundary fish study by the U.S. and Canada currently underway) will be im- portant in making sound resource management decisions for fish in the U.S. Arctic- from the well- profile C-8 known Arctic cod to the obscure 2012-post Sandy leatherfin lumpsucker. A list of BOEM supported and coop- erative studies on Arctic fish can be found at the BOEM website: http://www.boem.gov/studies/

A set of aerial images of Fire Island, NY from 2010 (top) and 2012-after Hurricane Sandy (middle), show how the beach has changed near the community of Davis Park and the location of beach profile C-8, (red line), where coastal change has been monitored for 43 years (see profile record, page 3). Red boxes outlined in the post- Sandy aerial image are locations of houses that were destroyed by the storm. Bottom map shows location of aerial images and regional location of Fire Island along the Flatfish juvenile. Photo credit: Sheila Atchison, New York Atlantic coast. Photo and image credits: USGS. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 23 NEWSWAVE • Winter 2013 The Surfing Bison See Channel Islands Live Via Four WEBCAMS http://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/channel-islands-live-nps.htm http://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

By Seth Sykora-Bodie-DOI The Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Southern California boasts numerous opportunities to hike, camp, snorkel, dive, and bird watch. The Park consists of five islands and their surrounding ocean environment which are home to over 2,000 species. Of these, 145 species cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. The Park protects more endangered species than any other National Park in the country. Being accessible only by boat, the limited accessibility protects unique cultural and natural resources, but also prevents many visitors from exploring one of North America’s most unique ecosystems. Through a unique and longstanding partnership with the Ventura County Office of Education, the Park has focused on sharing the diverse wildlife with the public on the internet through the Channel Islands Live program. The Channel Islands Live has four webcameras (three terrestrial and one underwater) that provide live streaming footage of several locations at the Park. Viewers can observe bald eagle nests, seabird rookeries, and an underwater kelp forest that is home to a wide variety of fish other marine animals.

The submarine camera (shown at right), was donated by Teens4Oceans, a Colorado non-profit organization and is the first ever to be placed in an underwater kelp forest. It has been tremendously successful in sharing this remote environment with the public. Teens4Oceans established in 2007, by students and educators at Kent Denver High School in Colorado is an educational, non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation to become impassioned ocean stewards. The teens from land-locked Colorado connect youth to ocean resources located far from their homes. After first designing, building, and patenting the submersible cameras, the students have worked with partners such as the Ventura County Office of Education, to place them in six locations in California, Florida, and the Caribbean. The Channel Islands Park Foundation generously provides financial support for the transmission hardware and new video equipment needed to operate the Ocean Webcam as a component of the Channel Islands Live program which features live presentations with Park Rangers underwater.

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