A substantial number of public and private programs have been developed in California to help educate the general public about ocean resources. Formal curricula in ocean sciences now exist for children in Kindergarten through grade 12 and for college students within California's State colleges and universities. In addition to educational programs, ocean research is conducted through a variety of programs at the college level. The California Sea Grant Program provides valuable program guidance and funding for a variety of ocean research programs throughout the State. The program encourages and supports scientifically sound research that addresses key ocean and/or coastal resource management, policy, science, or engineering issues that face the State of California now or in the reasonably foreseeable future.

Exciting challenges await the research community with the vast potential for developing new and innovative ocean technologies. This information and technology development will be critical in achieving the ocean stewardship goals identified in this Agenda. Additionally, this research can help achieve economic goals by providing the technical basis for encouraging environmentally sound, sustainable, and economically beneficial ocean resource development activities.

ISSUE ANALYSIS

Education Programs for the General Public

California has a variety of high quality ocean education programs which cater to the general public. For instance, such world renowned facilities as the Steinhart Aquarium at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, and Stephen Birch Aquarium-Museum at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego, offer excellent educational opportunities through lecture series, laboratory seminars, and field trips. Educational programs geared to the general public include a variety of government and non-profit ocean education programs including the Adopt-a-Beach and Coastweeks program run by the California Coastal Commission and the Center for Marine Conservation which provides education opportunities while helping to keep trash and debris off California beaches. Ocean education programs are also offered at many local, State, and federal parks, reserves, refuges, or sanctuaries throughout California.

Education Programs for K-12

Some ocean education programs for Kindergarten through Grade 12 in California have received national attention due to their high quality. Two such programs include the Lawrence Hall of Science Marine Activities Resources and Education project and the education programs offered through the Monterey Bay Aquarium. These and many other programs are actively networked with the National Marine Educators Association, the regional Southwest Marine Educators Association,

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the California Aquatic Science Education Consortium, and other organizations such as the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums.

Ocean science is now a component of the recently revised "California Science Framework of K-12" curriculum. Topics in ocean education have proven to be engaging for students that otherwise show little or no interest in traditional science subjects. The curriculum offers unique opportunities to use a student's interest in ocean sciences for improving skills in math, reading, writing, and social science. The Department of Education's Science and Education Unit is also producing environmental education curricula in cooperation with the California Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies. The curricula cover water resources, energy resources, integrated waste management, human communities, air quality, and natural communities. The natural communities curriculum will include programs in the ocean sciences.

The Save Our Seas educational curriculum developed by the non-profit Center for Marine Conservation and the California Coastal Commission addresses the effects of marine debris and polluted runoff (nonpoint source pollution) through projects in art, geography, language arts, mathematics, science, and social science. The program curriculum provides information to be presented within the classroom and in the field, and was developed with the assistance of the California Marine Debris Steering Committee's Educational Subcommittee. Another example of an excellent educational curriculum which addresses many ocean protection issues is the "No Waste Anthology-A Teachers Guide to Environmental Activities" which has been developed by the State Department of Toxic Substances Control's public education program.

Although many programs provide ocean resource curricula to students and educators, it has been difficult to ensure that these programs make their way to the classroom. Many organizations have made concerted efforts to inform the public about the availability of ocean education programs and publications. For example, a series of ocean and coastal education program directories have been published for the South Central Coast (Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties) and for the San Francisco Bay Area in a cooperative effort between the California Coastal Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Sanctuaries and Reserves Division. These directories identify ocean education programs, ocean resource information sources, and individuals with expertise in ocean issues who are available to give public presentations. Each directory is being updated and another directory is being prepared for the Central Coast (San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey County coastal areas). It is increasingly important for these program directories to be accessible through such systems as the California Environmental Resource Evaluation System to increase their distribution.

University Research and Education

The "Directory of Academic Marine Programs in California" (California Sea Grant, 1993) identifies approximately 50 marine science and research programs in California (including both two and four year programs). Some of the major programs include the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California (UC) at San Diego, Hancock Institute for Marine Studies at the University of Southern California (USC), Southern California Marine Institute in Long Beach (a cooperative program between California State University [CSU], the USC, and Occidental College), the Marine Science Center (within the UC Los Angeles), the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (within the

California's Ocean Resources:  An Agenda for the Future				    Chapter 5H:  Research and Education
The Resources Agency of California						 		    July  1995  (Draft)

Although California has a substantial ocean science research capacity throughout its colleges and universities, it lacks an ocean policy graduate education program. California has faced ocean policy and regulatory debates regarding the siting of offshore liquefied natural gas terminals, coastal power plants, and offshore oil and gas facilities; mining deep ocean minerals; burning toxic chemicals offshore; dumping harbor dredge materials; managing fishery stocks; and disposing of decommissioned nuclear submarines offshore. Managing these issues requires interdisciplinary approaches which combine analyses of ocean science, engineering, law, economics, and policy. Ocean policy graduate education programs provide the interdisciplinary training necessary to conduct this analysis and to develop approaches for addressing complicated ocean management issues. Institutions in other states that currently have ocean policy graduate education programs include the Universities of Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Delaware, Virginia, and Miami, and Oregon State University.

Program Development and Funding for Research

Sea Grant College Program. The National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant Program), created through the National Sea Grant College and Program Act of 1966 (as amended in 1976 and 1987), has established a unique series of ocean research and outreach partnerships between federal, State, and local governments, academic institutions, and the private sector. This legislation is being considered for re-authorization in the 1995-96 congressional session. The Sea Grant Program provides funding to institutions in 30 states for improving the understanding of ocean resources and developing strategies for sustainable ocean resource development, management, and conservation.

California has benefited substantially from the Sea Grant program through research in fisheries, mariculture, marine biotechnology, marine engineering, water quality, recreation, and ocean policy/management. The California Sea Grant Program, administered by the University of California and University of Southern California, was awarded $4 million dollars in federal funds (or roughly 8% of the national program funds) for the 1995-1996 funding cycle through a nationally competitive process. Highly regarded by representatives of both the public and private sector, the California Sea Grant Program will match these federal funds with approximately $2 million dollars in State and private funds.

The California Secretary for Resources administers State matching funds for projects that qualify for Sea Grant funding. Public Resources Code Section 6217 establishes the Resources Agency Sea Grant Advisory Panel (RASGAP), comprised of representatives from the marine industry, resource management agencies, academia, and the legislature, to advise the Secretary on the most appropriate use of funds. The RASGAP is also charged with identifying State needs which might be met through

California's Ocean Resources:  An Agenda for the Future				    Chapter 5H:  Research and Education
The Resources Agency of California						 		    July  1995  (Draft)

Current State legislation authorizes $525,000 in State funds to support the Sea Grant Program (although the appropriation has been approximately $350,000 for the past few years). Another $102,000 has been appropriated for the Sea Grant Advisor program which funds marine advisors located up and down the California coast. These advisors help direct public and private sector representatives to research (or researchers) that may help achieve their objectives. State matching funds are necessary to attract the federal dollars administered by the National Sea Grant College Program.

Regional Marine Research Boards. In December 1990, President Bush signed the Marine Research Act (PL 101-593) to establish priorities for regional ocean and coastal research. The Act authorized $18 million per year for five years, beginning in 1991, to be administered through nine regional marine research boards (RMRB). Each RMRB is required to develop a regional marine research plan which contains:

• an overview of environmental quality and trends in the region,

• an inventory and description of all relevant research which is anticipated during the four year term of the plan,

• a statement and explanation of marine research needs and priorities in both the near and long term,

• an assessment of how the plan will incorporate certain existing research and management in the region, and

• a general description of marine research and monitoring objectives and timetables to guide the funding of projects by the relevant RMRB.

The State of California provides representatives to the Pacific Northwest RMRB (Pt. Reyes north to the Canadian border) and the Southwest RMRB (Pt. Reyes south to the Mexican border). The Southwest RMRB added marine research from Mexico to help characterize the entire Pacific Coast. The Southwest RMRB inventory contains over 220 records from more than 100 federal and State agencies, and the Mexican inventory contains over 100 records from nearly 30 agencies and institutions. Research areas covered by the inventories include circulation and water quality; living marine resources and human health issues; sediment transport, contamination, and dredge materials; wetlands and watershed research and restoration; and wildlife. The combined research inventories will help the RMRBs identify research needs and priorities with minimal duplication of effort. Both the Pacific Northeast and the Southwest RMRB's have completed their inventories and draft plans. However, funding has not been provided to implement these programs.

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Other Research. Independent research labs not directly affiliated with universities or colleges conduct important ocean research. For instance, private sector developments in the field of marine biotechnology show promise for medical and industrial applications. Private sector ocean research is often generated during technical development studies, in developing environmental data for project applications, or in complying with federal, State, or local government permit requirements. Several non-profit research companies and environmental organizations also contribute to California's ocean research inventory. Ocean research is also conducted by State and federal agencies, such as the State Water Resources Control Board, California Department of Fish and Game, Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minerals Management Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Developing New Technologies

It is important to identify and facilitate the development of new or emerging ocean technologies that could assist California in its efforts to protect, manage, or sustainably develop its ocean resources. The first step toward achieving this goal is to set State research priorities that will help direct the research community toward the development of such technologies. The recent revision of the policy and research needs statement for the RASGAP provides guidance regarding the development of new technologies. Three of the identified research priorities in this statement apply to future ocean technologies:

Ocean Engineering. Develop and evaluate ocean engineering methods, systems, or technologies with a focus on practical and economically viable applications to coastal and/or ocean uses. Identify economically viable and commercially useful alternative coastal and/or ocean applications of military engineering concepts, technologies, or products.

Coastal-Dependent Industry. Identify and evaluate strategies and techniques to enhance and promote the environmental sustainability of coastal and/or ocean dependent industries such as commercial ports and harbors, commercial fishing and processing, aquaculture, marine transportation, ocean engineering, tourism, recreation, and mineral extraction activities.

Marine Biotechnology. Develop and advance the tools of marine biotechnology and molecular and cellular biology for applications in pharmacology and biomedical research, aquaculture, environmental remediation, sea food safety, and other related fields.

No one can predict with any degree of certainty the types of technology development that may occur in the future. However, at the request of the Resources Agency, Dr. Richard Seymour of the Ocean Engineering Research Group at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Texas A&M University provided some ideas regarding the ocean technology challenges that may face California and the nation over the next 20 years. These challenges include preventing tanker-related oil spills; species-specific fishing technology; removing, rehabilitating or reusing offshore structures; innovative beach re-nourishment technology; energy storage; wave power extraction; and future technologies for developing offshore oil.

Preventing Tanker-Related Oil Spills. Increasing volumes of oil are being transported to the United States in foreign flag vessels. Vessel traffic control systems, offshore routing, and spill response

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Species-Specific Fishing Technology. The by-catch of marine species other than those sought by fishermen impacts the sustainability of fishery stocks. The development of gear which reduces unintentional "take" will require cross-disciplinary research, improved field observation of animal behavior, and extensive field testing.

Removing, Rehabilitating or Reusing Offshore Structures. As oil fields are depleted, existing production platforms will require removal, if their useful life has been met, or may have other uses if they are still viable. In some cases, the structures may meet the end of their service lifetimes before the oil is completely gone. In this case, re- qualification procedures will often require surveys and repair. This is a highly technical field which also offers a business opportunity for California.

Innovative Beach Re- Nourishment Technology. Many Southern California beaches will require substantial re- nourishment over the next several decades due to flood control measures on land, which deny sand to the beaches, and the detrimental effects of manmade harbors and other shoreline structures on sand movement. Natural factors, such as the high loss rates of sediments down submarine canyons, also reduce sand supply to beaches. Dredging sand from offshore is expensive in California because of the great water depths and the difficult wave climate. Riverine and onshore sites for sand are limited by air quality and other environmental constraints. Possible solutions could involve the use of innovative technologies to trap sand and bypass submarine canyons or to back-pass sand to the updrift end of littoral cells. These technologies could result in lower cost and environmentally acceptable solutions for beach re-nourishment.

Energy Storage. Much of California's demand for electrical power is in areas where conventional pumped hydroelectric storage for periods of peak electrical demand is impractical or impossible. Storage of energy by compressing air is a viable alternative now being used in underground caverns in several locations around the world. Unfortunately, the local geology in California's coastal areas is seldom suitable for this storage medium. Storage of compressed air in undersea pipelines, using the hydrostatic pressure of water, offers an attractive alternative. This is especially true in locations where fossil fuel plants are already sited close to submarine canyons offering short access routes to deep water, such as Carlsbad, Manhattan Beach, and Moss Landing. The conversion equipment for this technology, (such as pumps, turbines, and heat storage) has already been developed.

Wave Power Extraction. Wave energy conversion systems have been designed using a variety of engineering approaches. A major technical problem with operating these systems is matching the highly variable wave energy output with the demand for electrical power. If the problem of energy storage can be resolved using the air compression method described previously, a major impediment to the development of wave power can also be eliminated. Many promising wave power devices are better equipped to compress air than they are to rotate generators. Converting highly unpredictable wave energy into a steady or on-demand source of energy through its combination with compressed air energy storage technology could make this a high-quality energy source.

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The Resources Agency of California						 		    July  1995  (Draft)

Future Technologies for Developing Offshore Oil. Technology is now under development along the Gulf coast and in the North Sea to allow oil and gas production facilities to produce and transport fluids without the use of surface platforms. The technology, known as seafloor wellhead completions, has been in existence for some time, but not for high volume operations in deep waters. The technology under development would allow the use of seafloor wellhead completions connected to underwater pipeline systems designed to transport oil over distances of more than 100 miles. These systems are complex because of the need to accommodate the transport of unprocessed well fluids and to transport them to shore or shallow water treatment facilities. Although much work needs to be done, this approach seems assured to eventually eliminate the need for permanent offshore platforms. At the same time, it creates a large market for remotely operated and autonomous vehicles (unmanned submarines) to service these wells.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Finding

The State lacks a comprehensive listing of current or recent ocean and coastal research activities being conducted by or funded through the State of California. This information is needed to determine what research categories have received priority in the recent past, and where limited State funds should be spent in the future. The Ocean Research and Goals Statement adopted by the Resources Agency Sea Grant Advisory Panel emphasizes the need to support scientifically sound research that addresses key coastal or ocean resource management, policy, science, and engineering issues that face the State of California now or in the reasonably foreseeable future.

Recommendation H-1.

Develop an inventory of current or recent State-funded ocean and coastal research activities to ensure that limited State funds are spent on needed ocean and coastal research. The research priorities established by the RASGAP should be used in conjunction with such an inventory to help determine where limited research funds can provide the maximum benefit to the State of California.

California has high quality ocean education curricula and programs, but lacks a central directory to identify them. Educators and students frequently have difficulty identifying curricula and programs that focus on ocean education. Although many excellent programs have been developed to distribute this information, a centralized directory available through on-line computer services would provide even greater access.

Recommendation H-2.

Develop and make available through on-line computer services a central directory of ocean education programs in California. This directory should include, at a minimum, curricula and programs available for K-12 and college programs, as well as the resources available in each program. The directory would need to be updated regularly and should be made accessible through the California Environmental Resources Evaluation System.

California's Ocean Resources:  An Agenda for the Future				    Chapter 5H:  Research and Education
The Resources Agency of California						 		    July  1995  (Draft)

Although California's colleges and universities have substantial ocean science research and education capacities, they lack an established ocean policy program. California has had to reconcile major ocean policy questions over the years concerning a wide variety of ocean and coastal development proposals and natural resource management disputes. Ocean policy graduate education programs currently exist in other states and, although some courses are offered at California institutions, a full interdisciplinary ocean policy program has yet to be established.

Recommendation H-3.

Develop an ocean policy program within California's private or public colleges or university systems. Developing such a program will help maintain California as a leader in ocean policy and management. California has extensive expertise in the policy, scientific, and legal aspects of ocean management which could be used to develop one or more such programs within the State.

California has been a leader in developing ocean technologies by proactively seeking and promoting their research and development. Much of this research and technology development was the result of expenditures by the military and offshore oil and gas industry, both of which have substantially reduced expenditures on such research. New technical developments in ocean-related energy generation and storage, biotechnology, shipping safety, submersible technology, and communications can provide substantial benefits to society if fully developed. These developments can be stimulated through joint federal, State, and industry partnerships.

Recommendation H-4.

Promote ongoing research into emerging ocean technologies and develop the government/private sector partnerships to carry out these research initiatives. The California Sea Grant Program can provide a start, but new initiatives with substantially higher levels of public and private investment should be explored to stimulate new technology research. In addition, ocean information and technology, not previously available to the public, is now being made available through the U.S. Navy and other government and private sector organizations, and could provide valuable data for new technological developments.

California's Ocean Resources:  An Agenda for the Future				    Chapter 5H:  Research and Education
The Resources Agency of California						 		    July  1995  (Draft)