CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) was recently awarded the project “Evaluation of Marine Productivity Study for the OCS Planning Areas” by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS). This study will update the marine productivity estimates for the MMS Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program that CSA initially developed in 1990.

A comparative evaluation of current methods for estimating marine productivity will be conducted, including review of available models and identification of the advantages and disadvantages of each. The most appropriate modeling approach will be used to estimate marine productivity for each of the 26 OCS Planning Areas. These findings, along with an evaluation of the potential impacts of OCS activities and climate change on marine productivity and an identification of study limitations and uncertainties, will be presented in the final project report.