The U.S. academic research fleet is an essential national resource, and it is likely that scientific demands on the fleet will increase. Oceanographers are embracing a host of remote technologies that can facilitate the collection of data, but will continue to require capable, adaptable research vessels for access to the sea for the foreseeable future. Maintaining U.S. leadership in ocean research will require investing in larger and more capable general purpose Global and Regional class ships; involving the scientific community in all phases of ship design and acquisition; and improving coordination between agencies that operate research fleets.

The National Research Council’s Committee on the Evolution of the National Oceanographic Research Fleet reviewed scientific and technological issues that could affect the evolution of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) academic fleet. They examined a number of factors including: the impacts of advanced technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and ocean observing systems, on the role and characteristics of the future fleet with regard to national oceanographic data collection objectives; the most important factors in research vessel design, and whether specialized needs would dominate design criteria of newly built ships; the impacts of evolving modeling and remote sensing approaches on research operations, including ground-truthing and observation; the impact of rising costs of research vessel operations on the ability to conduct oceanographic research in the future; and the usefulness of partnering mechanisms, such as UNOLS, to support national oceanographic research objectives. The committee found that the U.S. academic research fleet is an essential national resource. Oceanographers are embracing a host of remote technologies that can facilitate the collection of data over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, but will continue to require capable, adaptable research vessels for access to the sea as scientific demands on the fleet increase. The future fleet will be required to support increasingly complex, multidisciplinary, multi-investigator research projects in support of autonomous technologies, ocean observing systems, process studies, remote sensing, and modeling. Emerging technologies will impact future vessel design requirements for acoustic communications, deck space, payload, berthing, launch and recovery, and stability. There is also need for increased ship-to-shore bandwidth, in order to facilitate real-time, shore-based modeling and data analysis in support of underway programs, and allow participation of shore-based scientists. Maintaining U.S. leadership in ocean research will require investing in larger and more capable general purpose Global and Regional class ships to support multidisciplinary, multi-investigator research and advances in ocean technology; involving the scientific community in all phases of ship design and acquisition for future UNOLS ship acquisitions; and improving coordination between the various U.S. federal agencies that operate research fleets. Agencies supporting oceanographic research should also consider implementing one comprehensive, long-term research fleet renewal plan.

This document provides scientific guidance to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) regarding the potential impacts of climate change on California fisheries and recommendations for building resilience to buffer climatic forces. At CDFW’s request, the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) provided funding to the Ocean Science Trust (OST) to convene an OPC Science Advisory Team (OPC-SAT) Working Group with relevant ecological, social science, and governance expertise. This guidance was prepared by OST and the OPC-SAT Working Group in partnership with CDFW, in adherence with the requirements in the OPC Staff Recommendation: “California State Fisheries Management: Current Efforts and Future Needs.” This project was developed for consideration by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to help inform the state’s process to amend the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA) Master Plan. Products from this project have been submitted to CDFW for review and may be integrated, in full or in part, into a draft Master Plan Amendment. In addition, given the broad potential ecological, social and economic impacts from climate change, we hope the document provides useful guidance for other government agencies and departments, funders, affected individuals and communities, and non-governmental organizations engaging in action on this issue. Additional information about the Master Plan amendment process, including key resources and opportunities for stakeholder engagement, is available at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Master-Plan.

The near-term progression of ocean acidification (OA) is projected to bring about sharp changes in the chemistry of coastal upwelling ecosystems. The distribution of OA exposure across these early-impact systems, however, is highly uncertain and limits our understanding of whether and how spatial management actions can be deployed to ameliorate future impacts. Through a novel coastal OA observing network, we have uncovered a remarkably persistent spatial mosaic in the penetration of acidified waters into ecologically-important nearshore habitats across 1,000 km of the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. In the most severe exposure hotspots, suboptimal conditions for calcifying organisms encompassed up to 56% of the summer season, and were accompanied by some of the lowest and most variable pH environments known for the surface ocean. Persistent refuge areas were also found, highlighting new opportunities for local adaptation to address the global challenge of OA in productive coastal systems.