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What is MARINe? |
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MARINe is the:
Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network
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The
MARINe partnership of local, State, and Federal agencies, universities
and private organizations monitors rocky intertidal sites along the
coast of California, including the islands, on a long-term basis. It
represents the largest program of its kind on the west coast. Many of
the sites have been monitored consistently for 15-20 years. |
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A
standardized set of Core Protocols are used to monitor rocky intertidal
habitat each fall and spring at 89 MARINe sites. These data are funded by
multiple partners and are entered into a common database for analysis. Sites
are spaced every 10 to 15 miles along the coast on the mainland and offshore
islands. Continuous monitoring provides resource managers with early
warnings of abnormal conditions, such as the discovery of the withering foot
syndrome which has affected black abalone across the coast. |
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The
Biodiversity Protocol is used to map and derive a complete species list at
97 sites from Alaska to Mexico. This data collection is funded by a MARINe
partner, PISCO, the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal
Oceans. Target assemblage trend data from the Core Protocol, combined with comprehensive mapping data using the Biodiversity Protocol provide an extensive amount of information about the status of rocky intertidal resources along the Pacific Coast. MARINe is working with State in their evaluation of discharges into Areas of Special Biological Significance, and with monitoring Marine Life Protected Areas. Health indices being generated by MARINe will allow Federal and State agencies to assess measures to reduce impacts to this critical shoreline habitat. |
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Updated: 04/04/2007 |
