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Press Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
NOAA 02-040
June 6, 2002
CONTACT:
Bob Steelquist
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
(360) 457 6622 X 25
Sarah Marquis
NOS Sanctuaries West Coast
(949) 675-8117
NOAA'S EXPLORATION OF DEPTHS OF ITS WEST COASTMARINE SANCTUARIES CONTINUES FROM GRAY'S HARBOR TO PORT ANGELES
On June 11th scientists and resource managers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will start probing the depths of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary as the final leg of a two month excursion into new underwater environments. The program is called Sanctuary Quest: West Coast Expedition 2002, and is run by the sanctuary program of NOAA's National Ocean Service. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department.
Using the research tools of the NOAA ship McArthur and a U.S. Navy remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the Olympic Coast mission will depart from Gray's Harbor for 10 days, returning to Port Angeles on June 20.
A public Open House will be held on the Port Angeles City Pier Thursday afternoon, June 20, with tented displays and complimentary admission to the Arthur Feiro Marine Life Center.
Expedition scientists have been conducting exploration and research that started April 29 in the deep waters of California's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and will conclude with the exploration of Washington's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
The expedition to date has explored three NOAA marine sanctuaries: Channel Islands, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank, all located along the California coast. A planned mission in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was canceled due to repair work on the NOAA ship McArthur, the expedition's science platform. A 175-foot Class III ship that conducts the agency's oceanographic research and assessments along the Pacific Coast, the NOAA ship McArthur has a complement of three officers, 19 crew members and 13 scientists, including rotating personnel from the sanctuaries.
The use of the ROV continues work that began with the NOAA / National Geographic Society Sustainable Seas Expedition in 1999 and 2000. The ROV provided by the U.S. Navy has monitoring and surveying capabilities and a camera for deep-water videography.
"During Sanctuary Quest we are observing and collecting data in deep underwater habitats that we know little about and have never explored before," said Daniel J. Basta, director of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program.
"Our scientists will compare these relatively undisturbed underwater areas with those that have been altered by human activity. These results will have direct application to management issues and will contribute to the ongoing research and data collection within the sanctuary program," said Basta. "We will also investigate ship wrecks as cultural resources and for their potential impact on the marine environment."
Sanctuary Quest is part of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program's ongoing exploration of the country's 13 national marine sanctuaries, a system of marine areas designated by Congress to protect and preserve their extraordinary biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural legacy.
The expedition also examines the role and function of the sanctuaries in protecting and conserving marine resources that exist in a much larger natural ecosystem.
"We are working to understand how the sanctuaries function as a system," said Basta. "The area of this expedition represents a small part of a much larger, very dynamic ecosystem. This research is an example of how the National Marine Sanctuary Program integrates science with management of resources within a much larger ecosystem. The observations and data are critically needed to make sound management decisions."
The expedition joins a number of agencies and organizations in partnership. Mission participants include the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Services Center, the U.S. Geological Survey, the California Department of Fish and Game, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and many other academic and private institutions.
The public can follow mission explorations by visiting (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/).
The National Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase the public awareness of America's maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration, and educational programs. In addition, the National Marine Sanctuary Program is in the process of designating the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve as a sanctuary. Today, 13 national marine sanctuaries encompass more than 18,000 square miles of America's ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources. For more information about the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, visit http://www.ocnms.nos.noaa.gov/.
NOAA's Ocean Service (NOS) manages the National Marine Sanctuary Program, and is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving, and restoring the nation's coasts and oceans. NOS balances environmental protection with economic prosperity in fulfilling its mission of promoting safe navigation, supporting coastal communities, sustaining coastal habitats, and mitigating coastal hazards. To learn more about NOS and the National Marine Sanctuary Program, please visit: http://www.nos.noaa.gov.
