The ocean covers about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, and life on this planet depends heavily on the ocean. We celebrate its vast being and presence each year on June 8. With CSS so heavily dedicated to Earth and environmental science, it makes sense that many CSS employee owners are deeply embedded in ocean science, from tidal ecosystems to deeper sea benthic communities. Below are a few projects our staff are involved in to assess ocean health and help make the ocean a healthier place for life on this planet.
- Restoring marsh ecosystems
- Assessing the ocean economy
- Conserving shallow coral communities affected by stony coral tissue loss disease
- Mapping, assessing, and restoring mesophotic and deep benthic communities
- Developing suitability models to inform BOEM’s selection of offshore wind energy areas
- Managing ocean data and tools to inform ocean planning and offshore renewable energy
- Forecasting, monitoring, and detecting harmful algal blooms
- Mapping and assessing seagrass and kelp and other coastal habitats
- Assessing ocean toxins and pollutants through shellfish sampling
Through several contracts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CSS employee owners are dedicated to protecting our ocean, its ecosystems, and life that depends on it.
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Developing a Database for Ecosystem Service Models
CSS scientists have been major developers and contributors to the online U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EcoService Models Library (ESML) database since its inception in 2012. The ESML database contains detailed but concise descriptions of ecosystem service models to facilitate the selection of models by ecosystem scientists for a variety of management and research applications. The…
Examining Cetaceans for Contamination and Pathogens
CSS has employee owners who are experts in monitoring cetacean health. Several CSS scientists supporting NOAA’s Centers for Coastal Ocean Science have recently conducted research and tests on marine mammals to explore uncommon behaviors and causes for strandings. View some examples of this research below. Microplastics are becoming increasingly abundant in coastal and marine environments.…
Overcoming COVID-19 Challenges
Great job to our team supporting our contract with the U.S. General Services Administration on assisting the client with conducting a year’s worth of environmental, health, and safety surveys in just six months! Due to limitations with COVID-19, the team was unable to conduct their surveys on their usual timeline and instead had to work…