A newly published dataset, supported by the Climate Program Office’s Climate Observations and Monitoring (COM) Program, provides valuable insights into the oceanographic conditions within the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) over nearly two decades. CPO-funded researchers Craig Risien, Melanie Fewings, and Brandy Cervantes of Oregon State University worked with scientists from NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary to make this previously inaccessible data available and readily useful. This project was supported by a joint initiative between COM, the Modeling, Analysis, Prediction, and Projections (MAPP) Program, and the Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division to support the management of Sanctuaries and Marine National Monuments in a changing climate.
OCNMS, situated along Washington State’s remote coastline, is a crucial area for marine biodiversity and supports commercially and culturally significant fisheries managed by Coastal Treaty Tribes. This data, published in Data in Brief, offers a detailed view of the subsurface ocean conditions, shedding light on marine heat waves, seasonal upwelling, hypoxia, and ocean acidification. Future work using this product will help validate models, understand regional ocean changes over time, and assess the impact of environmental factors on marine ecosystems, aiding in conservation efforts and resource management. Additionally, the data can be used to enhance the quality of other monitoring instruments within the sanctuary, ensuring more accurate and reliable measurements for future research and management initiatives.
For more information, contact Clara Deck.
Image credit: Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary