{"id":5388,"date":"2023-07-12T02:43:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T02:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/uscseagrant\/?p=5388"},"modified":"2023-12-11T18:34:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T18:34:52","slug":"sea-grant-programs-award-5-2-million-in-state-funding-to-address-deep-ocean-ddt-contamination-in-southern-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/2023\/07\/12\/sea-grant-programs-award-5-2-million-in-state-funding-to-address-deep-ocean-ddt-contamination-in-southern-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea Grant Programs Award $5.2 Million in State Funding to Address Deep Ocean DDT Contamination in Southern California"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Sea Grant Programs Award $5.2 Million in State Funding to Address Deep Ocean DDT Contamination in Southern California<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n July 12, 2023<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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University of Southern California (USC) Sea Grant and California (CA) Sea Grant have received just over $5.2 million in funding from the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to fund four new projects to give the state a\u00a0greater understanding of the human health risk and ecological risk due to deep ocean DDT+ deposits (i.e., ocean disposal sites, other coastal sources, and DDT processes) in the Southern California Bight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Los Angeles Water Board is encouraged to see the California Deep Ocean DDT+ research proposals selected for funding by the State Water Board and Sea Grant,\u201d says Los Angeles Water Board Chair, Norma Camacho. \u201cThe Los Angeles Region and Southern California are blessed with productive and important ecosystems, including the Southern California Bight. However, the more than 20 million people and treasured wildlife who call this place home are burdened with a long legacy of DDT pollution. The completion of these projects will help us understand the human health risk and ecological risks due to deep ocean DDT+ deposits and find the best ways to restore our environment and protect the people who live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

DDT is an insecticide banned in 1972 for its harmful impacts on wildlife and potential carcinogenic effects on humans. Recent field surveys have renewed interest in research to understand the extent, impacts, and risks of deep ocean DDT in the Southern California Bight, particularly as new methodologies have revealed a greater diversity of DDT breakdown compounds and related byproducts (hereafter referred to as \u201cDDT+\u201d) of unknown impacts and extent.<\/p>\n

In response, USC and CA Sea Grant Programs conducted a community-driven research needs assessment in 2022, engaging diverse perspectives from across the state, culminating in\u00a0A Deep Ocean DDT+ Research Needs Assessment for the Southern California Bight<\/a>\u00a0in January 2023 and a public-friendly\u00a0storymap<\/a>\u00a0of the results. The State Water Board, in coordination with CA and USC Sea Grants, issued a\u00a0request for proposals<\/a>\u00a0in January 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis work is challenging, but timely and necessary,\u201d says Dr. Lian Guo, CA Sea Grant\u2019s Research Coordinator. \u201cConducting research in\u00a0deep ocean environments requires cutting-edge laboratory techniques and technology, but the chosen projects have collaborative and multi-institutional designs that enable them to tackle a significant amount of work in just 18 months.\u201d<\/p>\n

These projects join a portfolio of research being conducted to assess the scope and impacts of deep ocean disposal of DDT+ in Southern California. The new research projects, focused on state information and management needs, will complement ongoing\u00a0federally-funded research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese four awarded projects will provide a critical foundation for future work. The complexity of this challenge necessitates continued researcher and community involvement, as well as sustained research funding, to address the full suite of deep ocean DDT+ research needs outlined in our report,\u201d says Dr. Amalia Almada, USC Sea Grant\u2019s Science, Research & Policy Specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The four awardees of the 2023-2024 California State Funding for Deep Ocean DDT+ are:<\/h3>\n

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Foundational Research for Deep Ocean Dumping of DDT+ Wastes: How much is out there, where is it, and what is it doing today?<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n