***Cliff Notes***

**Pacific OCS Region, Proposed Studies and Rankings for FY 2004**

+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+
| ** | **T | > **Title**            | **Needs Addressed**       | **  |
| Pa | opi |                        |                           | Ran |
| ge | c** |                        |                           | k** |
| ** |     |                        |                           |     |
+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+
| 13 | BIO | MARINE Monitoring of   | Study will continue       | 1   |
|    |     | Rocky Intertidal Sites | monitoring of 24 of 70    |     |
|    |     | Adjacent to Oil and    | established MARINE rocky  |     |
|    |     | Gas Platforms In the   | intertidal sites and      |     |
|    |     | Southern California    | publish peer-reviewed     |     |
|    |     | Bight                  | papers. Information       |     |
|    |     |                        | generated provides basis  |     |
|    |     |                        | for evaluating potential  |     |
|    |     |                        | impacts to the shoreline  |     |
|    |     |                        | from OCS operations.      |     |
+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+
| 15 | MU  | [Decommissioning       | Information will be used  | 2   |
|    | LTI | Studies                | to predict the impact of  |     |
|    |     | I                      | decommissioning Pacific   |     |
|    |     | nitiative]{.underline} | OCS platforms on the      |     |
|    |     |                        | environment.              |     |
|    |     | Benthic Invertebrate   |                           |     |
|    |     | Communities of Shell   |                           |     |
|    |     | Mounds                 |                           |     |
|    |     |                        |                           |     |
|    |     | Fate of Juvenile       |                           |     |
|    |     | Rockfishes             |                           |     |
|    |     |                        |                           |     |
|    |     | Summary of Knowledge   |                           |     |
|    |     | of World-Wide          |                           |     |
|    |     | Decommissioning        |                           |     |
|    |     | Projects               |                           |     |
|    |     |                        |                           |     |
|    |     | San Pedro Shelf        |                           |     |
|    |     | Biological Communities |                           |     |
|    |     |                        |                           |     |
|    |     | Platform Fish          |                           |     |
|    |     | Residence Time         |                           |     |
+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+
| 19 | PO  | The Relationship of    | Drifter study provides    | 3   |
|    |     | Inner-Shelf Surface    | data needed to link near  |     |
|    |     | Currents to the        | shore currents with known |     |
|    |     | Large-Scale            | patterns in the Channel   |     |
|    |     | Characteristic Flow    | for greatly improved      |     |
|    |     | Patterns of the Santa  | modeling of active oil    |     |
|    |     | Barbara Channel        | spills from OCS           |     |
|    |     |                        | facilities and support of |     |
|    |     |                        | ongoing CMI biology       |     |
|    |     |                        | studies.                  |     |
+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+
| 21 | BIO | MINT (MMS Intertidal)  | Study funds inhouse       | 4   |
|    |     | In-house Study         | biologists conducting     |     |
|    |     |                        | research at rocky         |     |
|    |     |                        | intertidal sites.         |     |
|    |     |                        | Information will be used  |     |
|    |     |                        | to assess impacts to the  |     |
|    |     |                        | intertidal from ongoing   |     |
|    |     |                        | oil and gas operations.   |     |
+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+
| 23 | PO  | High-Resolution        | Study maps sea floor      | 5   |
|    |     | Multibeam Seafloor     | areas adjacent to future  |     |
|    |     | Mapping and Bottom     | decommissioning sites     |     |
|    |     | Characterization of    |                           |     |
|    |     | the Santa Barbara      |                           |     |
|    |     | Channel and Off Point  |                           |     |
|    |     | Conception and Long    |                           |     |
|    |     | Beach, CA              |                           |     |
+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+
| PO |     |                        |                           |     |
| =  |     |                        |                           |     |
| Ph |     |                        |                           |     |
| ys |     |                        |                           |     |
| ic |     |                        |                           |     |
| al |     |                        |                           |     |
| Oc |     |                        |                           |     |
| ea |     |                        |                           |     |
| no |     |                        |                           |     |
| gr |     |                        |                           |     |
| ap |     |                        |                           |     |
| hy |     |                        |                           |     |
| FE |     |                        |                           |     |
| =  |     |                        |                           |     |
| Fa |     |                        |                           |     |
| te |     |                        |                           |     |
| &  |     |                        |                           |     |
| Ef |     |                        |                           |     |
| fe |     |                        |                           |     |
| ct |     |                        |                           |     |
| B  |     |                        |                           |     |
| IO |     |                        |                           |     |
| =  |     |                        |                           |     |
| B  |     |                        |                           |     |
| io |     |                        |                           |     |
| lo |     |                        |                           |     |
| gy |     |                        |                           |     |
|    |     |                        |                           |     |
| PS |     |                        |                           |     |
| =  |     |                        |                           |     |
| P  |     |                        |                           |     |
| ro |     |                        |                           |     |
| te |     |                        |                           |     |
| ct |     |                        |                           |     |
| ed |     |                        |                           |     |
| S  |     |                        |                           |     |
| pe |     |                        |                           |     |
| ci |     |                        |                           |     |
| es |     |                        |                           |     |
| SE |     |                        |                           |     |
| =  |     |                        |                           |     |
| So |     |                        |                           |     |
| ci |     |                        |                           |     |
| al |     |                        |                           |     |
| &  |     |                        |                           |     |
| Ec |     |                        |                           |     |
| on |     |                        |                           |     |
| om |     |                        |                           |     |
| ic |     |                        |                           |     |
| OT |     |                        |                           |     |
| =  |     |                        |                           |     |
| O  |     |                        |                           |     |
| th |     |                        |                           |     |
| er |     |                        |                           |     |
|    |     |                        |                           |     |
| M  |     |                        |                           |     |
| UL |     |                        |                           |     |
| TI |     |                        |                           |     |
| =  |     |                        |                           |     |
| M  |     |                        |                           |     |
| ul |     |                        |                           |     |
| ti |     |                        |                           |     |
| di |     |                        |                           |     |
| sc |     |                        |                           |     |
| ip |     |                        |                           |     |
| li |     |                        |                           |     |
| na |     |                        |                           |     |
| ry |     |                        |                           |     |
+----+-----+------------------------+---------------------------+-----+

####### MARINE Monitoring of Rocky Intertidal Sites Adjacent to OCS Oil and Gas Platforms in Southern California  {#marine-monitoring-of-rocky-intertidal-sites-adjacent-to-ocs-oil-and-gas-platforms-in-southern-california .Profile-Char}

Biannual monitoring of 70 established rocky intertidal sites by MARINE
and its partners now extends from Washington to Baja California. MMS
initiated monitoring in Santa Barbara County in 1991; MMS actively funds
monitoring of 24 sites along the mainland adjacent to OCS platforms.
Through MMS's involvement in MARINE, the sampling protocol has been
standardized across the west coast making it the largest long-term
monitoring program on the west coast. This study will provide for the
continued monitoring of the 24 rocky intertidal sites on the mainland
shore immediately adjacent to OCS facilities. Continued support for a
post-doc for an additional year to continue peer-review publication of
the large MARINE dataset and overall coordination of MARINE is included.
This information allows MMS to directly assess impacts to the coastline
from OCS operations.

**Decommissioning Studies Initiative**

The focus of this Initiative is the study of potential environmental
impacts due to decommissioning OCS facilities offshore California, many
of which are in exceptional water depths. The MMS faces a variety of
environmental information needs related to this decommissioning. These
needs fall within a range of research topics such that an umbrella study
modeled on the Coastal Marine Institutes may be appropriate. This
program would provide for joint funding for decommissioning studies
while maintaining MMS management of the science. The goals of this
initiative would be to provide the MMS with high-quality focused
research of key questions regarding the effects of decommissioning
facilities on the OCS offshore California. Specific information needs
would be procured as Task Orders under this Initiative. Tasks identified
for the first 2 years of funds under the Initiative include (abbreviated
titles)**:** Benthic Invertebrate Communities of Shell Mounds; Fate of
Juvenile Rockfishes; Summary of Knowledge of World-wide Decommissioning
Projects; San Pedro Shelf Biological Communities; and Platform Fish
Residence Time.

**The Relationship of Inner-Shelf Surface Currents to the Large-Scale
Characteristic Flow Patterns of the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC)**

The objectives of this proposed effort are to determine the
characteristic patterns of circulation over the northern SBC inner-shelf
( [\<]{.underline} 2 km offshore), how they relate to the SBC
basin-scale patterns, and to determine what are the dominant forcing
mechanisms. Presently, the MMS lacks an adequate understanding of the
surface current patterns in the near-shore area of the SBC: the northern
SBC inner shelf (shelf area [\<]{.underline} 2km offshore). The
information provided by this proposed study would allow for the
calculation of MMS OSRA and NOAA GNOME oil spill trajectories based on
actual wind and current data (rather than wind-based estimates) in this
area of complex oceanographic processes and highly sensitive natural
resources. This information would also be used to make more informed and
scientifically defensible assessments used in the preparation of
environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, and records
of decisions. The data collection phase of this study must begin in
early FY 2004 (October 2003) in order to obtain measurements
simultaneous with those taken during the final year of the SBC-SMB
Monitoring Program.

####### MINT (MMS Intertidal Team)  {#mint-mms-intertidal-team .Profile-Char}

The OCS Lands Act requires that MMS monitor the coastline adjacent to
ongoing oil and gas operations so that MMS can properly assess the
effect of operations on coastline resources. Since Pacific OCS platforms
are located very close to the coastline, activities from OCS facilities
could affect shoreline resources. The MMS Intertidal team assists the
MARINE effort at MMS funded sites by collecting data at 20 of 24 sites,
providing expertise in the development of sampling protocols, and in
special projects at MMS-funded sites which compliment the MARINE effort.
Since the motile invertebrate protocol was adopted by MARINE, field
effort by MINT team members are essential to completion of the sampling
at the sites. MINT also conducts independent research and conducted a
mussel recovery study at four northern California sites for a decade.
MINT also serves as a response arm for the MMS oil spill effort. MINT
biologists are trained and prepared to respond in the field during an
event to document resources prior to oiling and to provide ground
assistance to response efforts on the shoreline.

####### High-Resolution Multibeam Seafloor Mapping and Bottom Characterization of the Santa Barbara Channel and Off Point Conception and Long Beach, CA {#high-resolution-multibeam-seafloor-mapping-and-bottom-characterization-of-the-santa-barbara-channel-and-off-point-conception-and-long-beach-ca .Profile-Char}

A major question in the decommissioning and platform reefing debate
deals with the issues of how important a platform may be in supplying
both hard substrate and fish habitat. A new study funded by MMS
"*Ecological Performance of OCS Platforms as Fish Habitat off
California*" will begin in 2003 and should help to answer the questions
concerning fishes. The purpose of this proposed study is to determine
the location and amount of hard substrate within the Santa Barbara
Channel, near some platforms off Point Conception, and near platforms
off Long Beach, CA. The objectives of this study are: 1) to provide a
habitat interpretative map that discriminates and computes the area of
various habitats (mud, cobble, and boulder fields, etc.) and shows the
dimensions of the mussel mounds surrounding offshore platforms on the
Pacific OCS; and (2) to provide a document that can use to estimate the
contribution of hard substrate from offshore platforms to the region.