The Mid-Atlantic MBON project integrates cutting edge biological information (from environmental DNA [eDNA], animal telemetry, and passive acoustic monitoring) with ocean observations (High Frequency [HF] radar, gliders, satellites, models), to develop new data products, analytical tools, and information resources supporting ocean and coastal management.
The project will provide dynamic biodiversity information at timescales relevant for fisheries management, offshore energy, and other stakeholders to support jobs, the economy, safety and well-being for the more than 78 million people living, visiting, and working in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast is a region of dynamic change, with dramatic seasonal variation in biodiversity driven by temperature and oceanographic processes, powerful storms, climate change, and infrastructure development. Iconic endangered species such as North Atlantic right whales and Atlantic sturgeon and important fishery species such as striped bass and coastal sharks undergo long-distance annual migrations through the region. Other commercially important species such as Atlantic sea scallops and black sea bass are year-round residents dependent on unique oceanographic features like the Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool. The project will advance our understanding of patterns and changes in biodiversity and make substantial progress towards developing the monitoring and assessment programs of the future through data integration across biological and oceanographic scales and data types, and the development of new tools for interacting with, visualizing, and accessing data. In particular, the project team will advance the transition from seasonal (e.g. trawl surveys) and intermittent, short-term studies to coordinated, co-located observations and models on a monthly- to daily-scale with local and regional data and information tools.
The project will create a regionally unique archive of co-located eDNA samples along with telemetry, soundscape, and physical oceanographic data. Data will be collected, regional models built, and information tools developed to inform future monitoring efforts for stock and ecosystem assessments, place-based management (e.g. fisheries management, offshore energy leasing and permitting, marine sanctuary planning), and other agency needs. Novel regional datasets (e.g. HF radar climatologies, biodiversity hotspot and species distribution models, climate projections) will be made available through the MBON Portal, MARACOOS OceansMap, Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry, OBIS, NCEI and other relevant platforms. Education materials will be developed and distributed via the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Portal and other partner activities.