Final_PC-22-02_MiniSOW_SeafloorBIGHT23_Zaleski.docx

National Studies List (NSL) Number: PC-22-02 Seafloor Condition OCS Monitoring: BIGHT’23 Mini-Statement of Work (SOW) May 31, 2022 Mini-Statement of Work

DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS / STATEMENT OF WORK / DELIVERABLES

Seafloor Condition OCS Monitoring: BIGHT’23

PURPOSE

The purpose of this award is to assist Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) scientists assess the ecological condition of the seafloor near oil and gas platforms in Federal (Outer Continental Shelf or OCS) waters of the Santa Barbara Channel offshore southern California. Through this Cooperative Agreement, scientists will utilize tools developed by SCCWRP to examine the seafloor adjacent to OCS oil and gas platforms. Information collected about seafloor disturbance and conditions will inform and benefit public decisions and development of State programs and policies related to OCS platform operations and decommissioning planning.

BACKGROUND

The use of sediment quality surveys over the last 30 years at hundreds of statistically representative locations throughout the Southern California Bight has provided a regional reference condition of contaminated and non-contaminated sediments to examine impacts from onshore discharges to the ocean and discharges from offshore operations. A regional reference condition captures the full range of natural variability, enables a more robust analysis, and prevents potential false-positive findings from a single site comparison. To assess impacts from multiple sources and to improve capacity for regional assessments, SCCWRP facilitates a regional seafloor effort every five years to sample fishes, invertebrates, and sediments. Local, state, and Federal agencies partner through SCCWRP to sample over 350 locations in southern California, from estuaries to beyond the continental slope (Gillett et al. 2017). A regional reference condition termed “Benthic Response Index” is used regularly for inner- and mid-shelf impact studies out to 200 m. As a pilot effort and part of the previous monitoring effort (BIGHT’18), soft-sediment samples were taken 0.25-3 km from four platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel. The pilot design was successful and should be repeated at more platforms, with results indicating a lower toxicity response yet overall good condition relative to regional sampling (Gillett et al. 2020). This pilot also revealed there is missing and incorrect mapping of the structures and habitats surrounding some of the platforms. These errors need to be corrected at some platforms with remote sensing and video data resampled to verify the seafloor habitat near the platforms.

Prior work (Gillett et al. 2019) analyzed 20 years of samples in depths from 200 to 500 m depicting three distinct biogeographic communities in the Santa Barbara Channel that separate generally by depth. As a result, infaunal communities’ response to impacts are different depending on their depth, and existing indices are likely not applicable to depths greater than 400 m (Gillett et al. 2021). Distinct climate-related shifts to the oceanography in this region also may impact assessment approaches (Bograd et al. 2008, 2019). The methodologies for assessing bottom disturbance impacts in outer shelf (200–400 m) and upper slope (>400 m) environments need to be advanced among regional regulators and scientists to develop a common understanding and evaluate potential approaches.

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of this study is to determine the ecological condition of the seafloor near platforms in Federal (OCS) waters of the Santa Barbara Channel offshore southern California. Specific objectives include:

1. Sample the range of habitats near platforms for infaunal communities of soft sediment and bioaccumulation potential of hard-bottom habitat.

2. Determine the best way to evaluate outer shelf and upper slope impacts with an approach that is systematic and regional (200–500 m).

3. Determine the ability to incorporate older datasets into the analyses.

4. Utilize remote sensing data to determine seafloor habitats near platforms.

5. Display data products in the West Coast Ocean Data Portal.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

This study will take approximately three years to accomplish. The interdisciplinary team will be comprised of biologists, chemists, and mapping specialists, as well as additional staff to complete the fieldwork, sample processing, data entry, and vouchering. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) estimates $300,000 will be available for this project.

This effort will gather and assess the feasibility of and need for incorporating and standardizing historic samples and collecting new ground truth samples to verify the accuracy of hard bottom and structures and to determine temporal trends.

KEY TASKS

Possible tasks may include, but are not limited to:

1. Taxonomic and chemical data will be collected in soft sediments by multiple state agencies in the summer of 2023. Statistical analyses will include processed data for organismal, physical, toxicology (including PAHs), and location data in the depth regions of platforms in Federal waters of the Santa Barbara Channel. Analyses will utilize multivariate statistical testing and correlations among biological, physical, and chemical parameters to test for similarities and differences among infauna samples.

2. There will be a focus on GIS and visual deliverables. Public display will be created to highlight all results in coordination with the West Coast Ocean Data Portal, existing SCCWRP data-sharing efforts, and other local portal efforts.

3. Prior to the regional sampling in 2023 (Bight ‘23), effort is needed to develop an assessment approach for impacts to the outer shelf and slope depths from 200 to 1,200 m. Multiple options will be presented to regulators and scientists working in upper slope depths (~400–1,200 m) to develop a common understanding and evaluate potential approaches.

4. The study will build on previous studies’ efforts to characterize the seafloor near Federal offshore platforms (Gillet et al. 2019).

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

This project is being proposed as a Cooperative Agreement between SCCWRP and BOEM.

Performance Plan Recipient will perform the following:

1. At a minimum, all described tasks.

2. Inform the BOEM Project Officer (PO) immediately of problems or delays as they begin to develop.

3. Ensure adequate data collection and analysis.

4. Ensure that data used are housed appropriately and available to the public.

5. Ensure Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) compliant metadata (https://www.fgdc.gov/resources/download-geospatial-standards), ensuring that future users will be able to understand where, when, and how the data were collected and processed.

6. Acknowledge Federal sponsorship in the draft and final reports by placing the following statement on the Disclaimer page of both reports:

“Study collaboration and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC under Agreement Number XXXXX.”

The agreement number will be determined and designated at time of award.

BOEM will perform the following:

1. Work closely with the SCCWRP, to provide oversight of the project.

2. Participate in fieldwork by providing critical support for safety and project oversight.

3. Analyze data and provide real time direction or re-direction on data analysis, early results, and technical difficulties.

4. Perform some data synthesis and writing for journal publication(s) of study results.

5. Provide oversight and funding.

Performance Measures At the end of the study, the PO will assess performance of the program by answering the following questions:

a) Did the study address the objectives as cited in the cooperative agreement?

b) Were the results obtained from the study useful to BOEM information needs?

c) Were the study results useful to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses?

d) Did the study results identify new resources or issues relevant to BOEM’s mission?

e) Were study results obtained within the time frame for intended use?

f) Did the study produce peer-reviewed products or use a scientific review board to validate study conclusions?

SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

The Recipient shall adhere to the Project Management Plan (PMP) that was submitted to the Contracting Officer (CO) and PO for monitoring all aspects of the requirements of this agreement.

Scientific integrity is vital to Department of the Interior (DOI) activities under which scientific research, data, summaries, syntheses, interpretations, presentations, and/or publications are developed and used. Failure to uphold the highest degree of scientific integrity will result not only in potentially flawed scientific results, interpretations, and applications but will damage DOI’s reputation and ability to uphold the public’s trust. All work performed must comply with the DOI Scientific Integrity Policy posted to https://www.doi.gov/scientificintegrity, or its equivalent as provided by their organization or State law.

MEETINGS, REPORTS, AND OTHER DELIVERABLES

Post Award Meeting The recipient will hold a Post Award Meeting in BOEM’s Pacific Region office approximately two (2) months after award at a time that is mutually agreeable to BOEM and the recipient. The recipient will provide a draft action plan and meeting agenda one week prior to the meeting to allow for review by all involved. The recipient will prepare and distribute notes and a summary including action items such as suggested changes, modifications, and other items of discussions along with suggested actions or remedies two (2) weeks after adjourning the meeting to the PO. Any agreed to changes that might affect the agreement are subject to approval in writing by the Contracting Officer (CO).

Quarterly Progress Reports The Recipient will submit brief quarterly progress reports to the PO as email or email attachment. The progress reports will include a summary of all work performed during the preceding quarter, including a list of all significant meetings held and overall progress made against the schedule.

Data Compilation Inventory Draft The Recipient will compile draft data sets with descriptions of time, space, depth, and links and copies of reports describing methods of collection.

Community Definition Technical Memo The Recipient will prepare a technical memo defining the community metrics, statistical methods, and showing results of community analysis with a draft GIS layer.

Draft and Final Synthesis Report and Technical Summary

1. Using the acquired data, analytical results, and conclusions from the study, the Recipient shall evaluate the acquired information, interpret the results, and generate tables and graphics as needed to fulfill the objectives.

2. The Recipient will synthesize the evaluated information into a draft final report and draft technical summary. This report will be submitted to BOEM and contain a unique BOEM numbered identifier. This report will conform to the Environmental Studies Program (ESP) Report Specifications: http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-Program-Report-Specifications/

Data Management Data Format: All report files generated by this Agreement shall be prepared in electronic and paper copies and be submitted according to the schedule and requirements described in the deliverable schedule and as agreed upon at the Post Award Meeting. Text files shall be submitted in formats compatible with Microsoft (MS) Word® and Adobe Acrobat® (i.e., PDF); database files shall be submitted in a format compatible with MS Excel®.; and geographic data files shall be submitted using an ArcGIS file geodatabase (see Data Submission section below for more detail). Bibliographic references shall be submitted in a format compatible with EndNote®. Any DVDs and/or hard drives submitted shall be formatted with a system (e.g., New Technology File System [NTFS]) that is writeable by the current MS Windows® operating system.

If photographs, videos, or audio recordings are to be included with the reports, they shall be credited and free of copyright restrictions and suitable for copying. These figures shall have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. This digital requirement includes all tables, charts, graphs, and figures that were not prepared in MS Word, as well as photographs from other sources. No originals shall be mailed without prior backups.

All data will be submitted to BOEM on the specified type of external hard drive(s).

Geographic Data: Where applicable, derived geographic data products will be delivered in geodatabases (ArcGIS 10.2 or newer) on an external hard drive or other media acceptable to both parties. At a minimum, the geodatabases will include feature classes for polygons (shapefiles) and grids (rasters) displaying data and the results of analyses and models.

All geographic data products will be adequately described with detailed metadata conforming to either Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) Geographic Information – Metadata Standard 19115. Metadata will include detailed explanation of how the data were collected and analyzed.

Study Footprint: The Recipient will deliver a study footprint that geographically references the study area. The footprint should be developed in accordance with BOEM’s ESP Data And Information Specifications and ESP Study Footprint Guidance.

Journal Publications and/or Oral Presentations The Recipient shall require of all investigators that all manuscripts intended to be published in journals, and all abstracts or summaries prepared for oral and/or poster presentations, based on this study be submitted to BOEM for review and comment prior to submittal to the journal or conference authority. All such publications and oral (and/or poster) presentations shall contain an acknowledgement of support from BOEM under this Cooperative Agreement.

An acknowledgement page shall be incorporated into the PowerPoint slides for oral presentations. Publication of scientific results in peer-reviewed journals is strongly encouraged. PowerPoint and poster presentations shall include BOEM’s logo that the PO will provide upon request by the Recipient.

Summary Presentation At the conclusion of the study, the Recipient and appropriate technical leads will give a presentation to BOEM staff and invited participants summarizing the study and major findings. This presentation can be conducted in-person at BOEM’s Camarillo Office or virtually (as a webinar).

Section 508 Compliance Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (found at 29 U.S.C. 794d) requires access to and use of information by individuals with disabilities. A deliverable such as electronic reports (e.g., PDF files) to be placed on the web (either on the agency’s web server or the company’s), video footage, or other electronic data such as CD-ROMs to be distributed, are subject to Section 508 guidelines. Simplified, this means that PDF files need to be formatted so that they are “readable” by assistive technology devices such as screen readers. Video footage must be closed captioned. CD-ROMs which contain HTML, PDF, or word processor files must be accessible.

REFERENCES

Bograd SJ, Castro CG, Di Lorenzo E, Palacios DM, Bailey H, Gilly W, Chavez FP. 2008. Oxygen declines and the shoaling of the hypoxic boundary in the California Current. Geophysical Research Letters 35:1–6.

Bograd SJ, Schroeder ID, Jacox MG. 2019. A water mass history of the Southern California current system. Geophysical Research Letters 46:6690–6698.

Gillett DJ, Lovell LL, Schiff KC. 2017. Southern California Bight 2013 Regional Monitoring Program: Volume VI Benthic Infauna. Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA. http://www.sccwrp.org/ResearchAreas/RegionalMonitoring Gillett DJ, Gilbane L, Schiff KC. 2019. Benthic infauna of the Southern California Bight continental slope: Characterizing community structure for the development of an index of disturbance. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Pacific OCS Region, Camarillo, CA. OCS Study BOEM 2019-050. 166 p. https://espis.boem.gov/final%20reports/BOEM_2019-050.pdf Gillett DJ, Gilbane L, Schiff KC. 2020. Benthic habitat condition of the continental shelf surrounding oil and gas platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel, southern California. Marine Pollution Bulletin 160 (111662). doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111662 Gillett DJ, Gilbane L, Schiff KC. 2021. Characterizing community structure of benthic infauna from the continental slope of the Southern California Bight. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:605858. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.605858

DELIVERABLES, DISTRIBUTION, AND DUE DATES

PO—One (1) electronic copy CO—One (1) electronic copy Within two (2) months after Cooperative Agreement award.

Notes and copies of presentations due approximately two (2) weeks after meeting.

Within four (4) months from award and within 2 weeks of the end of each quarter afterward.

PO—One (1) electronic copy of draft manuscript(s) including associated tables and figures, and one (1) electronic copy of journal publications, one (1) electronic copy of final oral presentation(s) and displayed and available on website.

CO—One (1) copy of transmittal letter only Draft manuscript(s) of abstract(s) or journal publications, and draft oral presentation(s) to be sent to COR for review prior to formal submission.

May be done at any point during the Cooperative Agreement, or at the conclusion.

PO—One (1) electronic copy CO—One (1) copy of transmittal letter only Thirty-six (36) months after Cooperative Agreement award.

PO—One (1) electronic copy CO—One (1) copy of transmittal letter only Concurrent with Draft version of Final Synthesis Report.

PO—One (1) electronic copy CO—One (1) copy of transmittal letter only DES Chief—One (1) electronic copy Within thirty (30) days of receipt of PO review comments on the Draft Final Synthesis Report.

PO—One (1) electronic copy CO—One (1) copy of transmittal letter only DES Chief—One (1) electronic copy Within thirty (30) days of receipt of PO review comments on Draft Technical Summary.

For Recipient-originated correspondence emailed on same day. For Recipient-received correspondence, within one (1) week of receipt.

PO—One (1) electronic copy CO—One (1) copy of transmittal letter only Throughout the duration of the Agreement at opportunistic or special conferences such as Western Society of Naturalists, Southern California Academy of Sciences, or as requested by PO.

Final oral presentation(s) and associated abstract(s) sent to COR fourteen (14) days after the presentation.

ADDRESSES FOR RECIPIENTS OF DELIVERABLES:

Contracting Officer (CO) Paula Barksdale U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Acquisition Management Division 45600 Woodland Road, MS VAE-AMD Sterling, VA 20166 Tel: (703) 787-1743; Fax: (703) 787-1041 Email: paula.barksdale@bsee.gov

Project Officer (PO) / Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) Susan F. Zaleski Marine Ecologist U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Pacific OCS Region 760 Paseo Camarillo, Suite 102 Camarillo, CA 93010 Tel: (805) 384-6328; Fax: (805) 388-1049 Email: susan.zaleski@boem.gov

Environmental Studies Program Representative (ESPR) Zhen Li, PhD Physical Oceanographer U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Division of Environmental Sciences 45600 Woodland Road, MSC VAM-OEP Sterling, VA 20166-9216 Tel: (703) 787-1721; Fax: (703) 787-1066 Email: Zhen.Li@boem.gov

Chief, Division of Environmental Sciences (DES Chief) Chief, Division of Environmental Sciences c/o ESP Specialist U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Division of Environmental Sciences 45600 Woodland Road, MSC VAM-OEP Sterling, VA 20166 Email: environmentalstudiesprogram2@boem.gov PC-22-02 Mini-SOW: Page 2