Estimating the economic benefits of regional ocean observing systems
Subtitle: report to the National Oceanographic Partnership Program
By: Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ; Hauke L. Kite-Powell ... [et al.].
Contributors: Kite-Powell, Hauke Ludwig.; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.; Marine Policy Center (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution); National Oceanographic Partnership Program (U.S.)
Series: WHOI -- 2005-03.; Technical report / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; WHOI (Series) -- 2005-03.; Technical report (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Publisher: WHOI
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Woods Hole, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 128
Subjects: Oceanography -- Observations -- Economic aspects.; Marine meteorology -- Observations -- Economic aspects.; Climatic changes -- Detection -- Economic aspects.; Weather forecasting -- Observations -- Economic aspects.; Environmental monitoring -- Cost effectiveness.
Genres: Observations
Description: We develop a methodology to estimate the potential economic benefits from new investments in regional coastal ocean observing systems in US waters, and apply this methodology to generate preliminary estimates of such benefits. The approach focuses on potential economic benefits from coastal ocean observing information within ten geographic regions encompassing all coastal waters of the United States, and within a wide range of industrial and recreational activities including recreational fishing and boating, beach recreation, maritime transportation, search and rescue operations, spill response, marine hazards prediction, offshore energy, power generation, and commercial fishing. Our findings suggest that annual benefits to users from the deployment of ocean observing systems are likely to run in the multiple $100s of millions of dollars per year. The project results should be considered first-order estimates that are subject to considerable refinement as the parameters of regional observing systems are better defined, and as our understanding of user sectors improves.
Notes: "May 2005."

Includes bibliographical references.

Also issued online.

Funded by Office of Naval Research Grant no. N00014-02-1-1037.