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 The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keeps tabs on activity
within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, a region six nautical
miles out from five of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. Once a week,
plus some weekends, NOAA staff fly transects over the sanctuary, cruising
at 1,000 feet, collecting data and mapping. In the event of an oil spill,
they may map the channel every few hours.
 The
airplane, a Lake Renegade SeaWolf (a military version of a Lake amphibian
aircraft), is equipped with GPS. The controls, to which Ben Waltenberger
(NOAA Physical Scientist) is pointing in the photo, are in the cockpit
dash.
Connected to the GPS, a laptop computer has data collection and mapping
software. As Ben inputs the data, maps are generated in ArcView.
  Data
collection is detailed. Conditions such as weather, glare, water temperature
and color are recorded. When there are sightings, specifics about the
kind of marine mammal or vessel, and what exactly it is doing, are logged.
Two of the laptop touch screens are pictured to the left: the first for
recording environmental conditions, the second for specifying the type
of whale sited. Below is a generalized map of gray whale migration to
the south, which was generated by the computer as sitings data was recorded.
 We
can better care for our oceans if we more accurately know what’s going
on. And, of course, it’s good to catch the errant oil tanker that shouldn’t
be entering the channel, and essential to know when and where an oil slick
will reach shore.
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