Monthly Distribution of Shipping Vessels within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, January-December 2010

Abstract

After the discovery of a 40-foot shipping container resting on the ocean floor within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), the MBNMS began a study to research the impact that containers lost at sea might have on the marine environment. The Naval Postgraduate School Oceanography Department was approached to provide some measure of the total shipping which passes within the boundaries of the MBNMS. Utilizing the Automated Identification System (AIS) message data, both total shipping and cargo shipping totals were calculated and monthly density plots were generated to show those areas which are most impacted by vessel traffic. In addition to providing information on the issue of lost shipping containers, these plots can be used by the MBNMS and NOAA's other West Coast Sanctuaries to understand interactions between shipping and wildlife, especially within the context of ship strikes to whales.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA550200

Entities

People

  • Christopher W. Miller

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Automatic Identification Systems
  • Biometric Security
  • California
  • Cargo Ships
  • Containers
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Identification
  • Identification Systems
  • Marine Transportation
  • Military Operations
  • Navigation
  • Oceanography
  • Security
  • Shipping
  • Shipping Containers
  • Ships
  • Wildlife

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Marine Mammal Biology
  • Maritime Security/Maritime Homeland Security