{"id":296,"date":"2023-03-17T08:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T15:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-sea-grant-celebrates-50-years-leads-new-efforts-to-assess-impact-of-toxic-pesticide-ddt-in-ocean-near-la\/"},"modified":"2023-04-28T18:41:10","modified_gmt":"2023-04-29T01:41:10","slug":"usc-sea-grant-celebrates-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-sea-grant-celebrates-50-years\/","title":{"rendered":"USC Sea Grant celebrates 50 years, leads new efforts to assess impact of toxic pesticide DDT in ocean near LA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n            \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3827-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3827-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"USC Sea Grant celebrates 50 years, leads new efforts to assess impact of toxic pesticide DDT in ocean near LA\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  USC Sea Grant helps Angelenos take advantage of the economic and recreational offerings of Southern California\u2019s ocean while also protecting its fragile coastal environments. (Photo: iStock.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=science-and-technology\">Science and Technology<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>USC Sea Grant celebrates 50 years, leads new efforts to assess impact of toxic pesticide DDT in ocean near LA<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  A recent discovery of nearly 800,000 pounds of the banned chemical near Santa Catalina Island sparks new research for an institution that has spent five decades helping Southern California manage its coasts.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">March 17, 2023<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 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c--article-highlights\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          In brief:\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n      <ul>\n              <li><p>USC Sea Grant has been supporting research and providing expertise to industries to help keep our urban ocean healthy since 1972.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n              <li><p>They also provide educational opportunities to kids and college students to foster the next generation of ocean stewards.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n              <li><p>Now, they\u2019re working to determine how a recently discovered accumulation of the pesticide DDT could harm the ocean \u2014 and how to mitigate its effects.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n          <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>In 2020, some 800,000 pounds of the pesticide DDT were discovered on the ocean floor near Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California. The toxic accumulation is the result of industrial dumping of, on average, 40,000 pounds annually from the 1940s to the \u201960s.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sustainability.usc.edu\/assignment-earth\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" style=\"width: 150px;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/AE_News_Rubric-3827.png\" alt=\"Asgmt Earth USC\" width=\"1250\" height=\"1250\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>DDT is probably most famed for its central place in Rachel Carson\u2019s ground-breaking novel\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpercollins.com\/products\/silent-spring-revolution-douglas-brinkley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Silent Spring<\/em><\/a>, which chronicled the substance\u2019s disastrous effects on wildlife. The book galvanized the United States to ban the substance and to create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA has known about DDT in Southern California waters for decades. In the 1990s, the agency designated 17 square miles of the Rancho Palos Verdes coastline a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/superfund\/what-superfund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Superfund site<\/a>\u00a0due to contamination from the substance. However, recent research has revealed that the geographic extent and quantity of the pollution are much greater than once believed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/\">USC Sea Grant<\/a>, part of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, explains this complicated history in their 2023 report, called a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/a99fb3a26dc643c6b577f4811817b534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story map<\/a>, on the topic.<\/p>\n<p>Figuring out how the DDT might impact the ocean and if there is any way to mitigate its effects is now crucial, and\u00a0USC Sea Grant\u00a0has 50 years of experience in just this sort of problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have an exceptional network of scientists, community leaders, on-the-ground workforce and government representatives at national, regional, state and local levels,\u201d says\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1012507\">Karla Heidelberg<\/a>, director of the program and professor of the practice of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/bisc\/\">biological sciences<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/environmental-studies\/\">environmental studies<\/a>\u00a0at USC Dornsife. \u201cThis and our in-depth knowledge of the region give us a unique ability to generate timely, practical solutions to real problems in real places, like the current issue with DDT.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Formed in 1972, USC Sea Grant is part of a system of university-based Sea Grant programs focused on America\u2019s coasts and Great Lakes, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s celebrating five decades of ocean and coastal research, community outreach and education, while also taking on one of its biggest challenges to date.<\/p>\n<h2>USC Sea Grant helps fish and fishermen<\/h2>\n<p>Inspired by USC\u2019s Los Angeles location, where waves crash to shore on the nation\u2019s second-largest metropolitan area, USC Sea Grant makes the \u201curban ocean\u201d the focus of its mission. Since its start, the program has funded research into issues that affect ports, porpoises and people alike.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore my time, back in the \u201970s, the program looked at the environmental impact of the ports,\u201d says\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1008391\">Linda Duguay<\/a>, who served as director of USC Sea Grant from 1999 to 2022 and is associate professor (research) of biological sciences at USC Dornsife. \u201cAt one point, the tuna canneries were there, too, and there were a lot of toxins. We did a lot of research early on into what was happening in the port, and we can now say that the ports are much cleaner than they were.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/sea_grant_50thinstorya-3827.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial photo of a expansive industrial harbor.\" width=\"630\" height=\"406\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Over the years, USC Sea Grant\u2019s experts have helped the Port of Long Beach and other harbors reduce pollution levels. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the years since, USC Sea Grant has worked closely with the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach \u2014 the largest port complex in the nation \u2014 to improve air quality in the basin, reduce the number of ship strikes on migrating whales and develop a new space for collaborative marine research.<\/p>\n<p>They recently helped open AltaSea in a building owned by the Port of L.A. More than 20 colleges and universities use the space for scientific collaboration and business innovation. USC Dornsife researchers use the space to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/3647\/power-of-aquaculture\/\">develop more resilient mussels, oysters and kelp.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Other research has examined the impact of sewage disposal plants and storm-produced wastewater on the ocean, harmful algal blooms, beach erosion and the health of California\u2019s kelp forests.<\/p>\n<p>In 1999, thanks in part to the help of USC Sea Grant, California passed the Marine Life Protection Act. The act established 124 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across the state and enabled the state to conserve key areas while also allowing fishing boats to continue harvesting.<\/p>\n<p>Aquaculture has also been a focus for the program. Farming seafood can provide healthy protein to Californians without leaning too much on ocean stocks. USC Sea Grant led research on self-cleaning tanks that could make these set-ups more productive. They\u2019re also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/south-central-la-sustainable-seafood-hub\/\">helping to build enthusiasm<\/a>\u00a0for, and equitable access to, more sustainable seafood options like mussels in urban communities.<\/p>\n<h2>Ocean research program helps cities avoid catastrophe<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to supporting wildlife and industry, USC Sea Grant is preparing cities to cope with climate change, including rising sea levels. As ice caps melt, California\u2019s coasts could see an increase of as much as six inches by 2033. Combined with more severe weather events, coastal urban areas are facing potentially catastrophic flooding and erosion.<\/p>\n<p>Through their\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/adaptla\/\">Regional AdaptLA<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/adaptla\/\">\u00a0initiative<\/a>\u00a0over the last decade, USC Sea Grant has provided scientific models, expertise and training to coastal practitioners,\u00a0professionals who work in fields related to the management, conservation and development of coastal areas. Participants came from more than 20 coastal municipalities and learned to integrate climate change considerations into city and county planning.<br \/>\n<figure style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/sea_grant_50thinstoryc-3827.jpg\" alt=\"A group poses for a photo wearing helmets in a orange boat in the water with a large vessel capsized on the shore in the background.\" width=\"630\" height=\"406\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">USC Sea Grant Knauss Fellow Shellby Johnson spent two weeks onboard OceanX\u2019s scientific research and media vessel, where the team ran across a shipwreck off the coast of Scotland. (Photo: Courtesy of Shellby Johnson.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<h2>USC Dornsife program connects a new generation with the coast<\/h2>\n<p>USC Sea Grant has an eye on future coastal leaders, too.\u00a0Their\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/student-family-programs\/\">educational programs<\/a>\u00a0have introduced thousands of young people to the ocean\u2019s wonders and readied many for a career in the marine sciences.<\/p>\n<p>During the COVID-19 closures, USC Sea Grant helped found the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastemcollective.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LA Stem Collective<\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">,<\/span>\u00a0which brought\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/lausd-partnership-increases-stem-access-to-inner-city-youth\/\">virtual science lessons<\/a>\u00a0to Los Angeles Unified School District students. Other programs use hands-on education and community-based science to bring experiences to students and families.<\/p>\n<p>USC Sea Grant has also placed more than 100 graduate students in governmental, academic or nongovernmental fellowships to help the agencies and to learn about careers in coastal and resource management.<\/p>\n<h2>USC Sea Grant takes on DDT, and another 50 years<\/h2>\n<p>With another 50 years on the horizon, USC Sea Grant is facing a fresh challenge: helping California figure out what research is needed to address the impact of the deep-sea DDT. Their first step was to\u00a0produce the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/a99fb3a26dc643c6b577f4811817b534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story map<\/a>\u00a0outlining immediate action steps as well as a comprehensive list of what further research is needed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis assessment report is just the beginning. Working with our state and national partners, we\u2019ll continue to\u00a0provide leadership that supports DDT research to help us learn how to best address and mitigate this problem,\u201d says Heidelberg.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve recently partnered with California\u2019s State Water Board and the University of California-based Sea Grant program to launch a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/ca-deep-ocean-ddt-research-2023-funding-opportunity\/\">call for research proposals<\/a>\u00a0that will fund up to $5.2 million in projects focused on California\u2019s deep ocean and DDT.<\/p>\n<p>Duguay has seen considerable change in her decades working in the industry, so she\u2019s optimistic. \u201cI\u2019ve seen dramatic improvements in the health and safety of the environment over time, and hopefully it just keeps continuing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent discovery of nearly 800,000 pounds of the banned chemical near Santa Catalina Island sparks new research for an institution that has spent five decades helping Southern California manage its coasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,15],"tags":[70,66,63,69,68],"class_list":["post-296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-and-technology","category-sustainability","tag-academy-in-the-public-square","tag-climate-change","tag-community-engagement","tag-pollution","tag-usc-sea-grant"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USC Sea Grant celebrates 50 years, leads new efforts to assess impact of toxic pesticide DDT in ocean near LA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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