40 Years of Progress in the Urban Ocean

• Celebrating 1972 - 2015
  
  

                                                                    
  
  The Sea Grant Program at USC is one of the oldest in the country, established in 1972 out of the necessity of managing aquatic natural resources in one of the most intensely populated and developed coastlines in the country.
  
  Tracking USC Sea Grant’s work through the decades, you realize how closely our program’s research, outreach and education are tied to the needs of this urban ocean environment and its residents. We are dedicated to our role as a neutral broker of science that serves the people, ecosystems and wildlife of such a diverse region; and to our role building capacity and connections across people, resources and knowledge to solve our most pressing problems.
  
  In this 40th+ anniversary retrospective, we tell a few stories to show how USC Sea Grant’s long-term work supports achievements in several key areas of importance to Southern California. It is extremely rewarding to be able to say that some things are better than they were 20 or 40 years ago. It is not possible to say that about everything, but we can see improvements here along our coastline, and we are proud to have been part of the collaborations of research scientists, educators, government leaders and community stakeholders that worked on these issues.
  
  As always, the work is not done, and the stories told here are not finished. As we look towards the future, we are excited at the array of new ideas, research opportunities, and potential new partners who will help up build sustained, long-term progress for our urban ocean and its residents. Thank you for exploring our first 40 years with us!
  
  

  
  
                                                     Explore stories in each section and view highlights below:
  
  

                                                
  

                                               
  

                                     

   

• Select references from this retrospective are listed in this PDF.

•                                                HIGHLIGHTS FROM 40 YEARS OF PROGRESS IN THE URBAN OCEAN 
  
                                                                                         Introduction
  

   

                                                                                                               
                                                                                           Timeline

   

  
                                                                       
                                                                       Research Investments: 2001 - 2015
  
                                       
  
                                             
                                                                                 WATER QUALITY Stories
  
  
  
                                                                           
                                                                          HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS Stories
  
  
  
  
                                                                                   TOXICOLOGY Stories
  
  
  
                                                               
                                                                          AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES Stories
  
  
  
  
                                                                                    EDUCATION Stories
  
  
  
                       
                                             PORTS, MARINE TRANSPORTATION AND COASTAL MANAGEMENT Stories
  
  
  
  
                                                                  MARINE WILDLIFE AND ECOSYSTEMS Stories
  
  
  
                                         
                                                                                CLIMATE CHANGE Stories