Science and Exploration in the
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Traditional Knowledge

Ecological understanding of our region has been passed down through millennia in the oral traditions of indigenous peoples. Today the scientific community recognizes the extreme value of these observations as insights into our ecological as well as cultural past. The scientific community and our native communities work hand in hand to unravel historical mysteries, showing us how coastal ecosystems have evolved through time.


Exploration and Mapping

How do you make a detailed map of an area you can't see? Sophisticated equipment like side-scan sonar and multibeam become our senses as they "feel" and "see" the folds and textures of the ocean floor. The equipment sends that information up to the surface where we, in turn, decipher it in order to make computer images. More areas of the sanctuary seafloor map are generated with each research cruise we undertake. At the Discovery Center or on this website you can view some of these eye-popping digital maps, some in 3D.


Research Questions

The sea and space are two of the last remaining frontiers in science. New marine species are still commonly discovered, and other organisms can be found in places where their existence was previously unknown, like the discovery of patches of the rare stony coral Lophelia pertusa found in the sanctuary in 2004. Scientists who study the sanctuary waters embrace several challenges - first they need to figure out not only what's out there (a logistical challenge itself), but how it functions and interacts, then how processes and populations might change through time. Research in the sanctuary must encompass long-term monitoring and field experiments as well as computer modeling and predictive exercises. Fortunately the sanctuary partners with scientists from universities, resource agencies and tribes for a synergistic approach to discovery.


Tools

New technologies spur break-through advances in our understanding of the coast's most remote and inaccessible places. Now ROV's (remotely operated vehicles) and submersibles can take cameras (and sometimes humans) deep into submarine canyons where they can film life in the benthos as it has never been seen before. At the Discovery Center theater you can ride along with sanctuary biologists as they maneuver submarines through new underwater landscapes.

The exploding advances in genetics now allow biologists to study relatedness among groups of whales or other animals. This enhances our ability to understand how populations change through time and how individuals interact.

We are now able to place tiny sensors around the sanctuary where they can independently collect data on temperature and currents for days on end. This flood of information, combined with satellite imagery, opens our eyes to how water movements, temperature and other physical features drive the seasonal and annual changes we observe along our coast.


Science in Action

The Olympic Coast Discovery Center is a great place to get current information about upcoming research cruises and ongoing research projects. Explore the Science and Research kiosk and chat with our knowledgeable docents.

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