About Advisors
 |
James Frew is
an Assistant Professor in the Donald
Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University
of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and a principal investigator
in UCSB's Institute for Computational
Earth System Science (ICESS). His research is centered on applications
of computing technology to environmental science, particularly involving
digital geolibraries and Earth science workflow management. Dr. Frew currently leads the Earth System Science Workbench project, part of NASA's Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIPs). He is a co-PI on the Alexandria Project (part of NSF's Digital Libraries Initiative), where he directs the development of the Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype (ADEPT) testbed system. Dr. Frew also serves on the National Academy of Science's Committee on Earth Science Data Utilization (CESDU), and as consultant to NASA's Strategic Evolution of ESE Data Systems (SEEDS) activity. |
 |
Hunter
Lenihan is an Assistant Professor at the Bren School where
his research interests are in marine community ecology, habitat restoration,
and fisheries oceanography. Hunter has concentrated much of his research
effort in polar and deep sea environments. In spite of his predilection
for cold water, however, Hunter’s recent research involves restoration
of coral reefs -- especially those located in the South Pacific --
because, in the words of an article he co-wrote for the July 2001
issue of Science magazine, “coral reefs are the most structurally
complex and taxonomically diverse marine ecosystems, providing habitat
for tens of thousands of associated fishes and invertebrates.” His
interest in reef ecology has prompted him to examine five proposed
ways to decommission oil rigs in the Santa Barbara Channel, including
transforming them into artificial reefs. Dr. Lenihan earned his Ph.D. in marine sciences in 1996 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he remained to teach Ocean Ecology. Prior to earning his doctorate, he received a master’s degree from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, a research facility associated with San Jose State University and six other California State Universities. Hunter has lectured on marine science and ecology in Italy and at various universities around the U.S. He also spent a year as fishery biologist with the NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service in Newport, Oregon, studying marine reserves and their applicability to fishery management. |
About Clients
 |
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) is part
of a National program which includes 12 marine sanctuaries around the country.
The National Marine Sanctuary Program is administered by NOAA (National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration) within the Department of Commerce. CINMS
boundaries extend from mean high tide to six nautical miles offshore San
Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands. A fertile
combination of warm and cool currents in this area results in a great variety
of plants and animals including large nearshore forests of giant kelp, flourishing
populations of fish and invertebrates, and abundant and diverse populations
of cetaceans, pinnipeds and marine birds. The secluded and relatively undisturbed
waters of the Sanctuary also provide full or part-time homes for several
endangered species including blue, humpback and sei whales, southern sea
otters, the California brown pelican and the California least tern. The Sanctuary
completely surrounds the Channel Islands National Park and this special area
has been designated as a United Nations World Biosphere Reserve.
 |
California Department of Fish and Game, Marine Region
The CDFG's Marine Region's mission is to protect, maintain, enhance,
and restore California’s marine ecosystems for their ecological values and
their use and enjoyment by the public. The Marine Region is unique in the
Department because of its dual responsibility for both policy and operational
issues within the State’s marine jurisdiction. It was created to improve
marine resources management by incorporating critical law enforcement functions,
fisheries and habitat programs, environmental review, and water quality monitoring
into a single organizational unit. It is designed to allow us to be more
effective, inclusive, comprehensive and collaborative in our marine management
activities. In addition to a new consolidation of programs, we have adopted
a management approach that takes a broader perspective relative to resource
issues and problems. This ecosystem approach considers the values of entire
biological communities and habitats, as well as the needs of the public,
while ensuring a healthy marine environment. It involves field staff with
various areas of expertise in policy development and considers the marine
environment on a statewide basis. This approach is different from traditional
State marine resources management, which has focused on individual species
or fisheries and has been limited in involvement of all entities with an
interest and a stake in the future of California’s marine resources.
 |
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans
Funded by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Partnership
for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) is a research consortium
involving marine scientists from four universities along the U.S. West Coast:
Oregon State University, Stanford University, University of California, Santa
Barbara, and University of California, Santa Cruz. PISCO scientists at these
universities collaborate on integrated studies of the nearshore ecosystems
of the West Coast. By conducting these large-scale studies over many years
and at many sites, PISCO is developing a comprehensive understanding of how
coastal marine ecosystems function. Involving scientists with a diverse array
of specialties, PISCO takes an interdisciplinary approach to answering key
research questions. A major goal of PISCO is to train students in the marine
sciences and to communicate accurate scientific knowledge about coastal ecosystems
to policy makers, environmental managers, the media, and the general public.