NTSB Recommends Pipeline Operators Implement Safety Management Systems
pipeline controllers contributed to the 14-hour delay in stopping the pipeline’s shipping pumps, which consequently increased the volume of crude oil released.The NTSB also issued recommendations to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, the Marine Exchange of Southern California, and owners and operators of pipelines regulated by PHMSA.
Simple-to-use eDNA Test Will Help Track Marine Species
its accuracy compared with other techniques, and, as with Gold’s project, proving its potential value to resource managers.One immediate goal is expanding the number of high-quality, publicly available genetic databases. Gold estimates that less than 30% of all species of invertebrates in Southern California have reference barcodes.“eDNA is a rapidly developing field of science, and NOAA is pushing the envelope on using these tools to understand climate change and ocean acidification impacts on fisheries and marine ecosystems, map endangered and invasive species, characterize harmful algal
NOAA Sued Over Whale Injuries from Drift Gillnets off California
two fishing seasons.Whale entanglements from gillnets and other fishing gear have surged since 2014, especially for humpbacks, according to NOAA Fisheries' own data.The use of gillnets during the past two years primarily to catch bluefin tuna also has put humpbacks in particular jeopardy off Southern California, where tuna and whale feeding grounds closely overlap, Kilduff said.The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring NOAA Fisheries to conduct a new biological review and set gillnet limits accordingly.In the meantime, the suit urges that drift gillnets be banned in "areas of highest risk"
NASA’s S-MODE Field Campaign Deploys to the Pacific Ocean
ocean surface and measure the energy that scatters off.NASA's S-MODE field campaign brings to bear a densely equipped research vessel and a new generation of observational tools to study dynamics near the ocean surface. (Photo: NASA)Developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the instrument can simultaneously map surface currents and winds. “With S-MODE, we’re trying to observe two things at the same time: how the ocean moves, and how ocean and atmosphere communicate and affect each other,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, S-MODE program scientist
Greensea Opens San Diego Office
;Greensea's third alongside existing offices in Richmond, Vt., and Plymouth, Mass.—provides ample room to accommodate the local team, new hires, as well as a spacious production area, the company said. It also allows Greensea to take advantage of the technology hiring pool found in Southern California in anticipation of further expansion.Chelsea Allen, VP Operations, chose the location for its size and location. “This particular location provides the space that Greensea needs to grow in the area. We are now supporting multiple projects with military customers in San Diego, and being
NOAA helps ID prime Aquaculture Sites in GOM, off California
NOAA released two Atlases compiling the best available science to inform the identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of Mexico and Southern California. NOAA previously identified these regions for their potential to host sustainable commercial aquaculture development in the United States. Areas in the Atlases will have characteristics expected to support multiple types of aquaculture industries including finfish, shellfish, seaweed, or some combination."The aquaculture Atlases apply the latest ocean data and information to advance sustainable business development
Why Is It So Hard to Clean Up An Offshore Oil Spill?
Oil spills into ocean waters, subject to winds and tides and spreading swiftly over wide areas, are difficult to clean up.The 3,000-barrel weekend spill off the coast of southern California is nowhere near as disastrous as mega-spills like the Deepwater Horizon explosion that sent millions of barrels of oil into U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But swift movement of the liquids can kill wildlife and foul beaches before cleanup teams are deployed. Federal and state responders begin fighting oil spills by deploying diving teams, and they use tools like containment booms: floating barriers that help
'Catastrophic' California Offshore Oil Spill Kills Fish, Damages Wetlands
A large oil spill off the southern California coast left fish dead, birds mired in petroleum and wetlands contaminated, prompting local officials to call it an environmental catastrophe.The U.S. Coast Guard, heading a clean-up response involving federal, state, and city agencies, said on Sunday there was an around-the-clock investigation into how the spill occurred.An estimated 126,000 gallons, or 3,000 barrels, had spread into an oil slick covering about 13 square miles of the Pacific Ocean since it was first reported on Saturday morning, said Kim Carr, the mayor of Huntington Beach, at a press
NOAA Awards $41 Million for Ocean Observing
;s focus for the upcoming five years will be to sustain existing ocean observations and forecasts, support coastal resiliency and climate adaptation, and strive for a more balanced geographical coverage throughout the entire Pacific Islands region. (First year award: $3,085,080)•The Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System is focused on implementing ocean technology, observing, and interpreting data that provides integrated, user-driven information and data products that are valuable to our stakeholders including maritime transport at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and
February 2024
