Oceanography 2
Name _____________________________
Google Earth and Monterey Peninsula Marine Habitats
Goals
This lab is about marine habitat—the environment in which marine organisms live. To
understand the ecology and populations of marine organisms, marine scientists need to
understand the habitats in which live, and then assess the geographic distribution of these areas.
In order to create Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for fish with declining populations, marine
scientists need to know where the most suitable habitats are located, and identify them on a map.
Objectives
1. Investigate habitat for four marine organisms
a. Starry Rock fish
b. Starry Flounder
c. Giant Kelp
d. Market Squid
2. Use Google Earth to identify the location of suitable habitat for these organisms using
a. Bottom Type
b. Water Depth
3. Choose one or more of these organisms for which to create an MPA
4. Use Google Earth to identify the locations of the MPA(s)
5. Clearly draw the boundaries of the MPS(s) and draw them on a map
Part I. Find the habitat characteristics for these four species: Market Squid Eggs, Starry
Rockfish, Starry Flounder, and Giant Kelp. Use the web sites listed below to find good
information.
You must identify the following for each species:
- depth range of the species (how shallow to how deep it can live)
- bottom type that it prefers (rocky bottom, sandy bottom, or mixed)
- other important information about the species—is the population decreasing? Is it
endangered? Is it important for other species?
Please use these websites for your research. Use the search box in each of the websites.
California Department of Fish and Game: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/msalfidx.asp
Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
National Marine Fisheries Service http://leopardshark.nmfs.noaa.gov/
As a last resort try:
http://www.google.com try using the entire name in quotes, like “starry rockfish”
Record your data on the table on the next page.
Record your data here.
SPECIES
Depth range,
METERS
Bottom type
Rocky or soft
Additional Information
Market
Squid Eggs
Starry
Rockfish
Starry
Flounder
Giant Kelp
The goal here is to propose a MPA to protect species of your choice. Your challenge is to
convincingly argue why you want to protect your particular species, and then propose reasonable
boundaries for your MPA.
Which species would you make your first priority to protect? (Remember this species for later in
the lab.)
Why did you choose your species? Use the information you gathered about the species to answer
this question.
Would you close your MPA to fishing all year or just during certain seasons? If so, which
seasons? WHY? Use information gathered from the internet as supporting data. What kind of
restrictions would you put on fishing in this area? (Answer in a couple of sentences.)
Part II. Use Google Earth to determine where each species is most likely to live.
How to look at the maps:
1. Go to the Oceanography web page to find the files.
2. Download the kmz file called MontHabitat.kmz and save it to your computer or flashdrive
(be sure to save it with the “kmz” extension—my computer has trouble with this)
3. Start Google Earth and open the MontHabitat.kmz file.
You will find three different layers
 Contour lines showing depths in meters. The contour interval is 10 meters
 Multi-beam bathymetry for the coastal regions of the Monterey Peninsula
 A layer called “SeafloorType”
Find your Monterey Bay Area map on a following page that shows the same region as the
Google Earth file.
1. On your map, label the depth contour lines on your map. The contour lines are in 10 meter
intervals. Please start at the beach and carefully label each contour line.
To help you see the differences between the hard rocky areas and the soft sandy areas, turn
on the “SeafloorType” layer. Play with the transparency lever to see to see where and why
the boundaries between the different colored areas were drawn (make sure the
“SeafloorType” layer is highlighted).
Turn the “SeafloorType”
layer on by checking the box
Slide this lever to see
how the colors represent
hard and soft seafloor.
2. On your map, draw lines between the hard, rocky seafloor and the sandy/muddy seafloor;
color and label the different areas. It does not need to be as detailed as the Google Earth File.
Concentrate on the areas where contour lines occur; don’t worry about the deeper areas.
Don’t go deeper than the deepest contour line.
3. Now use the depth information and bottom type information from the table on the previous
page to determine the specific areas that each of the organisms on the table would inhabit.
Note that BOTH bottom type AND depth information must be considered. Delineate these
areas with bold lines and label them with the name of the organism. Don’t go deeper than the
deepest contour line.
4. Now choose one or two organisms that you think need protecting and determine where the
best MPA should be, based on the bottom type and the depths and the information in your
table. Remember that your area can’t be too big, or it won’t get the support of the fishing
industry. Delineate your MPA on the map on a following page by drawing big bold lines
around your proposed MPA and then labeling it with the words “MPA” and the name of the
organism it is designed to protect. Your borders should correspond specifically to depth and
bottom type information on the map. Don’t just circle a random area, and don’t go deeper
than the deepest contour line.
Would your MPA be useful in protecting salmon, tuna, shark, or swordfish? Why or why not?
What do these kinds of fish have in common?
What kind of regulations would be most helpful in protecting the kinds of fish like salmon, tuna,
shark, or swordfish?
1. Label the contour lines
– 10 meter interval
2. Draw lines between
hard, rocky seafloor
and soft sandy/muddy
seafloor; color and
label them
3. Think about where
your MPA should be.
Remember that it can’t
be too big or the plan
won’t get the support
of the fishing
community.
4. Draw bold lines
around your proposed
MPA and label it with
“MPA” and the names
of the organism(s) it is
designed to protect.