Globally, wildlife and humans are exposed to increasing types and quantities of persistent industrial and pharmaceutical chemical contaminants (e.g., PFAS), and the effects of such exposures are poorly understood. Mitigation or remediation of these pollutant sources as well as effective risk management of potential impacts are also significant challenges.
In the Southern California Bight, legacy contamination of coastal and offshore sediments with DDT (and associated chemicals) is gathering renewed attention to the potential impacts of deep ocean disposal of DDT on existing and potential future uses of this highly productive region.
Sea Grant-funded researchers have documented the role of anthropogenic chemicals on marine organism growth, reproduction, and physiology. Our researchers have developed useful diagnostic tools that help assess and understand the effects of contaminants on marine organisms.
Relevant Research
-
Funding: California State Water Resources Control Board
Principal Investigators:
- David Valentine, Ph.D., University of California Santa Barbara
- Eunha Hoh, Ph.D., San Diego State University
- Nathan Dodder, Ph.D., San Diego State University
-
Funding: California State Water Resources Control Board
Principal Investigators:
- William Berelson, Ph.D., University of Southern California
- Alex Sessions, Ph.D. California Institute of Technology
- Hope Alisa Johnson, Ph.D., California State University, Fullerton
- Lisa Collins, Ph.D., Santa Monica College
-
Funding: NOAA, 2022-2024
Principal Investigators:
- Carlos Neira, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
- Lisa Levin, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
-
Funding: California Ocean Protection Council (2018-2021)
Principal Investigator: Margaret Zimmer, Ph.D., University of California Santa Cruz
-
Details: USC Sea Grant-Funded Research Project (2018-2020)
Principal Investigator: Suzanne Edmands, Ph.D., Professor, USC
Community Engagement
-
In response to the critical gaps in our knowledge about the nature, extent, fate, and impacts of deep ocean DDT+ pollution, the University of Southern California (USC) and California Sea Grant Programs, with funding from the National Sea Grant Program, conducted A Deep Ocean California DDT+ Research Needs Assessment for the Southern California Bight in 2022 to generate a comprehensive list of DDT+ research needs, as well as context on what research is most critically needed to investigate DDT+ impacts on California coastal living resources and the communities who utilize them. Sea Grant aims for this report to provide a framework for a deep ocean DDT+ research agenda to inform timely future.
