Funded Research Projects
Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia
The Oregon Ocean Science Trust (OOST), in consultation with the Oregon Coordinating Council on Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia (OAH Council), requested proposals for strategic research, monitoring, and communications to address ocean acidification and/or hypoxia. Subsequent to the passage of a funding bill (HB 3114) by the Oregon Legislature, the State of Oregon has provided about $1,000,000 to priority actions from the Oregon Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Action Plan 2019-2025. Strategic investments are necessary to address the risks and vulnerabilities caused by OAH that threaten Oregon’s economy and ecosystems. Through a competitive grant process, the OOST provided seven entities with funding in 2022 to complete these important research projects. The following ocean acidification and hypoxia projects were funded by the Oregon Ocean Science Trust:
Project 1: Intertidal ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring at Oregon marine reserves - Francis Chan (CIMERS) - $97,494
Project 2: Subtidal ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring at Oregon marine reserves - Francis Chan (CIMERS) - $297,594
Project 3: Ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring at Yaquina Bay - Bob Cowen (HMSC) - $97,497
Project 4: Ecosystem modeling of submerged aquatic vegetation - Tarang Khangaonkar (UW) - $131,126
Project 5: Develop recommendations, through workshops or seminars, for maximizing the abundance of wild shellfish, cultured shellfish, and submerged aquatic vegetation in estuaries in Oregon; develop best management practices for conducting shellfish cultivation in a manner that protects or promotes estuarine health - Melissa Ward (SDSU) - $170,521
Project 6: Life cycle impacts of ocean acidification and hypoxia on shellfish species that are of importance to Oregon - George Waldbusser (OSU) - $174,989
Project 7: Develop a communications plan and strategy for outreach and education on ocean acidification and hypoxia impacts, science, and solutions - Pathways Collaborative - $63,376
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Check out The Oregon Coordinating Council on Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Third Biennial Report (15 Sept 2022) for a summary and updates on these projects.
HB3114: Intertidal ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring at Oregon marine reserves
Project Title: Intertidal ocean acidification monitoring in Oregon's marine reserves
Research Team:
Francis Chan (PI), Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State University
Samantha Chisholm Hatfield, Research Associate, Tribal Liaison, Oregon State University
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Project Partners:
Surfrider Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, Redfish Rocks Community Team, local residents
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Project Objectives:
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Improve our monitoring capabilities with duplicate sensors to build a more robust understanding of the geography of OA risk and their persistence across climate states.
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Examine the strength of connection between inner-shelf and intertidal carbonate chemistry dynamics across different coastal regions.
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Enable new engagement of Oregonians in understanding ocean change and marine reserves.
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Begin to integrate knowledge of ocean change and marine reserves with the understanding of sense of place and perspectives of change by all Oregonians.
Project Timeline: April 2022 to April 2024
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Project Award: $97,494
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Research Team:
Francis Chan (PI), Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State University
Samantha Chisholm Hatfield, Research Associate, Tribal Liaison, Oregon State University
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Project Objectives:
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Sustain the crucial time-series observations at Cape Perpetua. The Cape Perpetua array has served as a backbone of OAH observations in Oregon. This project will capitalize on the decade-plus of operational experience in delivering high-quality research data streams to anchor a state-wide MR OAH observing network.
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Increase statewide capacity for OAH monitoring and real-time data access across the marine reserve system as a whole. The project will build from partnerships and new technologies developed through prior NOAA and NSF awards to develop a community-supported OAH monitoring program by engaging fishing industry partners.
​Project Timeline: April 2022 to April 2024
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Project Award: $287,594
HB3114: Subtidal ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring at Oregon marine reserves
Project Title: A subtidal ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring network at Oregon marine reserves
HB3114: Ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring at Yaquina Bay
Project Title: Marine Science Center Climate Monitoring Station
Research Team:
Bob Cowen (PI), Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC), Oregon State University
Project Partners:
Dr. Drummond Biles, iLab Manager, HMSC, Oregon State University
Dr. Eric Rehm, Senior Oceanographer, Sea-Bird Scientific
Dr. Andrew Barnard, Chief Technology Officer, Sea-Bird Scientific
Dr. Jan Newton, NANOOS Executive Director, University of Washington
Dr. Shawn Rowe, Associate Professor, Oregon State University
Kristen Peterse, Associate Director, Milne Computer Center, Oregon State University
Cinamon Moffett, Research Program Manger, HMSC, Oregon State University
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Project Objectives:
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OAH instruments in the HMSC Climate Monitoring station will collect climate-grade temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, total algae, Nitrate, chlorophyll a, CDOM, pCO2, and TCO2 time-series data from Yaquina Bay, Oregon that will be shared near real-time and via a public exhibit in the Sea Grant Visitor Center at HMSC.
​Project Timeline: March 2022 to March 2025
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Project Award: $97,497
HB3114: Ecosystem modeling of submerged aquatic vegetation
Project Title: Evaluating the interaction of water quality and eelgrass in Coos Bay, Oregon using a biophysical model
Research Team:
Tarang Khangaonkar (PI), University of Washington, Salish Sea Modeling Center
Caitlin Magel (Co-PI), University of Washington, Puget Sound Institute
Adi Nugraha (Co-PI), University of Washington, Salish Sea Modeling Center
Project Partners:
Su Kyong Yun, University of Washington, Salish Sea Modeling Center
Alicia Helms, South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
Jaime Belanger, South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
Dave Sutherland, University of Oregon, Department of Earth Sciences
Janet Niessner, Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
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Project Objectives:
Understand the dynamics of pH, dissolved oxygen, and eelgrass in Coos Bay using a biogeochemical ecosystem model. Two questions will be asked:
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What ecohydrological dynamics confer vulnerability to OAH?
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How would the absence of eelgrass alter pH and dissolved oxygen conditions and variability?
​Project Timeline: September 2022 through March 2024
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Project Award: $131,126
Research Team:
Melissa Ward (PI), San Diego State University
Brian Katz (Co-PI), Cascadia Visualizations, LLC and Oregon State University
Dr. Kristen Green (Co-PI), Oregon State University
Dr. Arielle Levine (Co-PI), San Diego State University
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Project Objectives:
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What are the environmental interactions between shellfish and SAV (with a focus on the Pacific Northwest), and what scientific gaps exist?
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How do shellfish and SAV interact within Oregon’s regulatory and management landscape, and how does this inform or impact their co-management?
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How does each stakeholder group perceive and envision co-management of shellfish and SAV, and how do these visions differ between groups?
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Findings from these questions will be integrated into BMPs that aim to 1) maximize positive environmental interactions between shellfish and SAV, 2) work within the existing regulatory landscape, and 3) incorporate the diversity of stakeholder interests
​Project Timeline: June 2022 to March 14, 2024
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Project Award: $170,521
HB3114: Develop recommendations, through workshops or seminars, for maximizing the abundance of wild shellfish, cultured shellfish, and submerged aquatic vegetation in estuaries in Oregon; develop best management practices for conducting shellfish cultivation in a manner that protects or promotes estuarine health
Project Title: Science-based best management practices for co-management of Oregon submerged aquatic vegetation and shellfish
Research Team:
George Waldbusser (PI), Oregon State University
Marnie Jo Zirbel, Oregon State University
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Project Objectives:
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Employ a space for time study design to examine shell and tissue growth and composition at various locations throughout Yaquina Bay, using existing infrastructure.
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Continue to measure carbonate chemistry, salinity, temperature, and food quantity/quality at deployment locations throughout the bay.
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Synthesize environmental data to identify the timescales and processes altering localized conditions throughout Yaquina Bay to understand underlying causes and effects on Olympia oyster fitness, growth, and survival.
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Build a statistical growth model for Olympia oysters based on the environmental variables to relate growth and survival to environmental variables in Yaquina.
​Project Timeline: May 2022 to May 2024
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Project Award: $174,989
HB3114: Life cycle impacts of ocean acidification and hypoxia on shellfish species that are of importance to Oregon
Project Title: Olympia oyster growth and survival with climate change: space for time field experiments
Research Team:
Nancy Hotchkiss (Co-PI), Pathways Collaborative
Nette Pletcher (Co-PI), Pathways Collaborative
Terry O'Connor, Pathways Collaborative
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Project Objectives:
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Clearly defined actions that address the human causes of ocean acidification and hypoxia events.
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Defined audiences that respond to specific values, sense of community, and emotional investment in their location within the State of Oregon.
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Three to five pilot-tested messages that resonate with the target audiences and have measurable success metrics.
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A Communications Toolkit that provides background materials, training outlines and resources, and evaluation tools for measuring successes.
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An implementation plan that outlines how to roll these messages out locally, regionally, and statewide, including defining the roles of content experts, messengers, and influencers that will play a role in successful implementation.
​Project Timeline: May 2022 to May 2024
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Project Award: $63,376​