Bobbing in five-foot swells in the dark green waters north of the Farrallon Islands about 20 miles south of Point Reyes, researchers drop nets and tubes more than 600 feet into the ocean deep.
They are trying to determine what lies below the surface. The work is akin to drilling for core samples on land, except that the ocean is in constant flux, always changing.
"When you manage an ocean resource, it's a little bit more complicated and difficult to track the plants and animals than it is at a park on land," said Dan Howard, superintendent of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, as he worked aboard the 67-foot boat Fulmar last week. "Our goal is to track the conditions out here in terms of productivity and develop a long-term data set so we get a better understanding of what is out here."
The United States has 13 national marine sanctuaries — essentially national parks in the water — in a system designated by Congress and managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to protect and preserve "biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural legacy." The areas are protected from offshore drilling and development.
Marin has two areas just a short boat ride away: the Gulf of the Farallones is a 1,255-square-mile area that hugs most of Marin's coast; and the Cordell Bank sanctuary sits beyond the Gulf of the Farallones, 52 miles northwest of Marin's coast, encompassing 526 square miles.
During the summer and early fall researchers trek to the areas to gain a better understanding of what lies below. Specifically, researchers are aiming to unravel the distribution and abundance of marine wildlife in the ocean by conducting surveys for sea birds and marine mammals as well as the microscopic building blocks of the aquatic food chain.
Researchers from Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science and the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank sanctuaries along with other agencies are conducting the research as part of a program dubbed ACCESS, or Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies.
"It's pretty basic work in the water; we deploy nets to collect information from the water column," said Jamie Jahncke, director of Marin ecology for PRBO Conservation Science, as the Fulmar chugged out of the Golden Gate to open sea after launching from the Schoonmaker Point Marina in Sausalito.
"The goal is to collect information and provide that information to managers. We do the research that helps makes decisions," Jahncke said.
Decisions such as where shipping lanes should be aligned. Research provided by the program could end up in a switch of the lanes outside the Golden Gate to avoid ships striking whales.
"We have identified whale hot spots," Jahncke said, noting the massive mammals are less focused on their surroundings while eating in these areas and subject to being hit. "It makes sense to move the shipping lanes from those areas and that's being considered right now because of our research."
Each research trip follows a parallel line, where a half-dozen stops are made to collect data. There are 10 lines about six miles apart stretching from Point Reyes to southern San Mateo County.
The half-dozen or so researchers on board have specific duties. Some drop the nets, others look for marine birds and others look for marine mammals. All sightings and findings are carefully noted, creating a baseline of data.
At points along the way the engines on the Fulmar are killed and crews use a winch and cable system to lower nets and tubes into the sea. They are then slowly pulled back in and examined. Onboard audio equipment bounces signals into the water, then spits an image back to a computer screen showing mass, or lack thereof.
Tiny, shrimp-like krill, which benefit virtually the entire food chain, are a focus of the work below the water line.
"Krill are the keystone species out here," Howard said. "It's an indicator of productivity of the system."
The fertilizing nutrients necessary for krill begin in the cold, lower depths of the ocean. Those nutrients eventually must come near the surface and bask in sunlight for photosynthesis to occur, which, in turn, generates conditions in which krill flourish.
To get to the surface, nutrients ride funnels of water that are created by winds. That process — upwelling — is the key that begins the food chain. Too much or too little wind can upset the process.
When the sun shines during the summer, photosynthesis starts the food chain, producing a smorgasbord of goodies for marine creatures, birds and mammals.
It was a not a good day for krill last week.
"Right now we are not seeing anything in the water column," Howard said, shaking his head as he examined a net.
But even nothing means something.
"Long term, you start to understand trends, whereas if you do a single sample you don't have that same information," he said.
Along the Fulmar's journey a stellar sea lion investigated the vessel, its head bobbing in and out of the water. A seagull also trailed the boat, hoping for a fish treat, then flew off when it realized the boat was for research, not a fishing vessel. It was a quiet day for whales, with two humpbacks appearing nearby. A third was seen off the back of the boat, its water spout clear against the backdrop of white waves pounding against the northern Farallon Islands in the distance.
The trip was mostly a success, the only failure being a final sample that had to be tossed out because the net had been clogged by a jellyfish, preventing an accurate sample.
Results from the half-dozen or so September cruises conducted during the fall "oceanic season" will be compared with findings from earlier cruises conducted during the summer "upwelling season," as well as to document fall conditions before the winter storm season sets in.
While aerial surveys can give a picture of the health of the ocean, it's the hands-on water work that occurs from the Fulmar that ties everything together, said Jan Roletto, research coordinator for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
"From above you don't get a true idea of what's in the water and you don't get the behavior of the animals," she said, as the Fulmar headed back toward Sausalito. "This bridges all of the pieces of the information and creates a complete picture."
Contact Mark Prado via email at firstname.lastname@example.org
U.S. HAS 13 MARINE SANCTUARIES
Local researchers are studying national marine sanctuaries off of Marin's coast. The United States has 13 national marine sanctuaries and two are nearby:
The Gulf of the Farallones is a 1,255-square-mile area made up of tidal flats, rocky intertidal areas, wetlands, subtidal reefs and coastal beaches. The sanctuary is home to thousands of seals and sea lions and hosts great white sharks and the largest concentration of breeding sea birds in the continental United States.
The Cordell Bank sits beyond the Gulf of the Farallones, 52 miles northwest of Marin's coast, at the edge of the continental shelf. It encompasses 526 square miles. Endangered humpback whales, porpoises, albatross and marine species can be found in the marine environment.
For more information on the marine sanctuary research program, visit: http://www.accessoceans.org.