U.S. Unveils New Ocean Plan

Mother Nature Network, Contributor

Image by jumpinjimmyjava via Flickr

 

Written by Russell McLendon

The U.S. has more than 95,000 miles of shoreline, including the Great Lakes, and 53 percent of all Americans now live in coastal counties. That percentage is forecast to reach 63 percent by 2020, further ensuring that “the United States is a coastal nation,” according to the National Ocean Council.

Environmentalists have spent years pushing for a cohesive policy to protect all that coastline, and while they haven’t gotten one yet, it came a lot closer this week. The White House issued its new National Ocean Policy action planThursday, outlining more than 50 actions the U.S. will take to defend the ecological and economic value of its oceans and Great Lakes.

The plan was prompted by a June 2009 memo from President Obama, which sought “to maintain healthy, resilient, and sustainable oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes resources for the benefit of this and future generations.”

Major U.S. bodies of water haven’t fared very well in recent years, from dead zones and oil spills to invasive species and overfishing. The U.S. has a long history of dealing individually with specific activities in the ocean — oil drilling, fishing, etc. — or specific disasters — oil spills, invasive species — but it has never taken a broad, proactive approach on a national scale. That’s the idea behind this ocean plan, but such a big sea change will take time.

The National Ocean Council will now work with state and Native American groups to develop nine regional planning areas, which will then carry the torch for the next leg of the process. Within three to five years, planners in each of the nine regions will unveil their visions “for the sustainable use and long-term protection of the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes.”

The new plan is long — 118 pages, with no executive summary — but it does list some overarching priorities that apply to several policy areas. According to a National Science Foundation summary, the plan “focuses on public-private partnerships, promoting efficiency and collaboration across sectors, managing resources with an integrated approach and making available and using the best science and information on ocean health.” It emphasizes science-based decisions, providing open access to data, developing sound methods for assessing various resources, and identifying critical habitat for “priority fish species.”

The full plan, which you can read here, will be open for public comment until Feb. 27. Meanwhile, here are some reactions from people closely involved with ocean issues: MORE

 

Nancy Sutley

Ocean garbage patches are not growing

so where is all that plastic going?

By Larry Greenemeier

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Researchers have been visiting locations in the western North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea for more than two decades to better understand the large patches of plastic that have formed there. Although the mysteries surrounding exactly how the plastic gets to these locations, where it comes from and what impact it’s having on marine life remain unanswered, a team of scientists has now published perhaps the most analytical study of the patches to date based on data collected by research vessels over a 22-year period, between 1986 and 2008.

The researchers from Sea Education Association (SEA), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of Hawaii (UH) found, among other things, that the amount of plastic picked up by the researchers’ nets remained pretty stable over the years, despite society’s increased production and consumption of plastic, according to research published in Thursday’s issue of Science Express.

More than 64,000 individual plastic pieces were collected at 6,100 locations that were sampled yearly over the course of the study. To collect these data, ships towed nets along the water’s surface at each location, and researchers used tweezers to pick the small plastic bits out of the algae and other collected material. More than 60 percent of the surface plankton net tows collected buoyant plastic pieces that were typically millimeters in size. The highest concentrations of plastic were observed in a region centered at roughly the latitude of Atlanta.

By combining their measurements with a computer model of ocean circulation, the researchers report that this concentration of plastic occurred in an area where wind-driven surface currents were converging. The researchers think this helps explain why the debris accumulates in this particular region, so far away from land. The authors propose a handful of possible explanations for why the patch hasn’t grown rapidly since its discovery. The plastic there may break up into pieces too small to be collected by the nets, or it might be sinking beneath the surface. Or, it might be consumed by marine organisms. More research will be necessary to determine the likelihood of each scenario, the researchers conclude.

Scientific American

Will there be closures on the beaches in the national seashore again this summer?

Information from

Cyndy M. Holda

Public Affairs Specialist

Cape Hatteras NS/Fort Raleigh NHS/Wright Brothers NM

The beaches of the national seashore are being managed again this summer under the terms of the U.S. District Court ordered consent decree. Park visitors will see resource closures in effect during the bird breeding season from mid-March to mid- to late-August and turtle nesting closures may occur until early November. 2. Will I be able to access (location) on (date) when I come to visit the Outer Banks (e.g., Cape Point on July 14)? The consent decree requires that areas be closed to off-road vehicle (ORV) use as soon as protected shorebird breeding activity is observed. The protected species include piping plover, American oystercatcher, three species of terns, and black skimmers. It is impossible to predict exactly when and where breeding behavior, nests, or nesting colonies will occur this summer, though the birds tend to nest in the same areas each year. Based on recent years’ nesting activity, it is highly likely that prescribed shorebird protections will significantly restrict and temporarily preclude ORV access to Bodie Island Spit, Cape Point, portions of South Beach, Hatteras Inlet Spit, North Ocracoke Spit, and South Point Ocracoke during the portions of the spring and summer. Popular pedestrian beaches, including Coquina Beach, all village beaches on Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Day Use Area will be open to pedestrians; and many additional miles of beach will be open to ORV access throughout the summer. For up-to-date information on currently open or closed areas, check the Seashore’s Google Earth maps at: http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm.

While temporary resource closures to protect nesting shorebirds and sea turtles are expected to occur between mid-March and mid- to late-August, including at some popular sites, there will be many, many miles of beach open to both pedestrian and ORV access on any given day of any given week during those months. For example, on July 8, 2009, there were approximately 22 miles of beach open to ORVs and pedestrians, another 26 miles open to only pedestrians (that was a total of 48 miles of open beach!), while 19 miles of beach were closed or impractical to access due to resource protection closures in place at the time. By late August, most of the resource closures had been lifted.

What was the outcome of the negotiated rulemaking process?

The negotiated rulemaking advisory committee was established to assist the National Park Service in preparing an ORV management plan and special regulation for Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The committee held its final meeting in late February 2009 after meeting for 14 months. The committee provided a considerable amount of useful information on ORV management options for NPS to consider, however the committee did not reach agreement on a consensus alternative. As a result, NPS considered the committee’s input in developing the ORV management plan, and the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) was released for public comment in March 2010.

When will management of the Seashore no longer fall under the terms of the consent decree? The consent decree will remain in effect until the long-term ORV management plan/EIS and special regulation are completed. The consent decree establishes a deadline of December 31, 2010 to complete the plan/EIS and April 1, 2011 to publish a final rule.

What are the prohibitions on beach night driving? Under the consent decree, to protect nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings, night driving is prohibited on ocean beaches from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. May 1 – Nov. 15. A night driving permit is required to drive on the beaches from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sept. 16 – Nov. 15. 7.

When can I get my permit for driving on the beach at night from Sept. 16 – Nov. 15? How much will the permit cost? We have not yet finalized the permit for the 2010 season. The permit will be available locally and online prior to Sept. 16, 2010 and there will be no charge.

Can I put my name on a list right now to ensure I get a permit? A list for night driving permits from Sept. 16 – Nov. 15 is not needed at this time. There is no limit on the number of permits. They will be readily available prior to the implementation date of Sept. 16, 2010.

Can I drive out to the beach, park my vehicle on the beach and fish all night, then not drive it until 6 a.m.? No, all vehicles must exit the beach by 10 p.m. during the period when night driving is restricted.

Can I be dropped off on the beach before 10 p.m., fish all night and be picked up at 6 a.m.? Yes, however pedestrians are still prohibited from entering resource closures.

If I stay on the beach all night and fish, how much light can I have on the beach? It is okay to use flashlights, headlamps, or other low-intensity hand-held lighting.

If I launch my boat on the soundside, but I do not get back until after 10 p.m., can I use my ORV to retrieve my boat from the soundside ramp? Yes, the night driving ban does not apply to the soundside ramps.

Does the night driving ban on vehicles apply to bicycles or horses? No. However they are prohibited within resource closures.

Can I have a fire on the beach? Yes. Beach fires are allowed until 12 midnight (prohibited from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Fires are not permitted within resource protection closures or within 100 meters of any turtle nest closure. Before you leave the beach, you must extinguish your fire with water.

Can I bypass a resource closure by walking in the tidal surf zone in order to walk to Cape Point? The Park boundary along the ocean is the mean low tide line. If a person chooses to bypass any closed area by walking BELOW the mean low tide line, that is technically legal. However, the problem is that closures are often several tenths of a mile long or longer and it is not reasonable or safe to encourage the general public to walk below the mean low tide line for that distance. Inevitably the tide rises, staying outside the boundary becomes much more difficult, and visitors are tempted to come ashore within a resource closure which is a violation. This would only exacerbate access restrictions, as the consent decree requires NPS to automatically increase the buffer distance in 50 meter increments if disturbance of birds by ORVs or pedestrians is observed.

What do I do if I see a nesting sea turtle or hatchlings? Stay back at least 100 feet for nesting females and 30 feet for hatchlings so that you do not disturb them. Turn off all lights and do not use flash photography. Call the park, so that we can protect the turtles (252) 216-6892.

What is your Ocean IQ

Can you tell a heron from a herring, or an otter from an osprey? Test your knowledge of everything from sea squirts to polar bears with Oceanar Ocean IQ quiz. You can use the Explore section of our site as a resource, or for a real challenge, try answering all of the questions without peeking.

But wait, there’s more! After taking the quiz, you’ll have the chance to enter your name into a sweepstakes for the following aquatic prizes: a Nintendo Wii system with the Endless Ocean game, plus watches, gift certificates and rope bracelets from Nautica.

And what’s more, if you tell four of your friends about the quiz, you’ll be entered to win an eco-trip to get up close and personal with sea turtles in the wild!

Perfect scorers will also get their names etched in the Ocean IQ Hall of Fame on our web site.

Good luck! Take the quiz →

What is Ocean Acidification

Our continued burning of fossil fuels is increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What goes into the atmosphere eventually ends up in the oceans.

Consequently, the oceans have been absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution (approximately 1750). It is this increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the oceans that is causing ocean acidification.

When carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it combines with seawater to produce carbonic acid, which increases the acidity of the water, lowering its pH. Although it is unlikely that the ocean will ever become actual acid (fall below a pH of 7.0), the term acidification refers to the process of the oceans becoming more acidic.

A consequence of the oceans becoming more acidic is the binding up of carbonate ions, which are used by marine creatures to make their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. As the availability of carbonate ions decreases, it becomes more difficult for these animals to build their calcium carbonate structures. Imagine trying to build a house while someone keeps stealing your bricks.

As the oceans become more acidic, it will become progressively more difficult, if not impossible, to build calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. By the middle to end of this century, parts of the oceans will be corrosive enough that they will cause already formed calcium carbonate to dissolve.

The pH of the ocean surface has already fallen 0.1 units, representing a 30 percent increase in acidity. By the end of this century, if current emission trends continue, it could fall by another 0.3 units, thereby increasing the acidity of the oceans by almost 2.5 times. The pH scale can be misleading because it is logarithmic, so its units may seem incremental, when in fact, they represent major changes in acidity.

For example, a seemingly small drop of 0.4 units in pH actually represents more than a doubling (an almost 150 percent increase) in the acidity of the ocean. In the last 300 million years or more, ocean pH has never fallen to more than 0.6 units below the level of 1750. However, if fossil fuel use continues unabated over the next couple of centuries, ocean pH could fall more than 0.7 units below the 1750 level.

The current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is much higher than it has been at any time over the course of human civilization. In fact, as far back as scientists have currently determined (800,000 years), the natural range has not exceeded 300 ppm. If we continue on our current emissions trajectory, by 2050 ocean pH will be lower than at any point in the last 20 million years.

Even more significant is the rate at which ocean chemistry is changing. The current rate of acidification is at least 100 times faster than the maximum rate over hundreds of thousands of years. Carbon dioxide is being absorbed so rapidly that it is likely that many marine organisms will not be able to adapt to the quickly changing conditions.