SIMoN

yellow flowers with a rock island and water in the background
Bright yellow bouquets of coreopsis flowers blanket the landscape at Inspiration Point, Anacapa Island. Photo: Robert Schwemmer/NOAA

Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) is an integrated, long-term program that seeks to identify and understand changes within the California sanctuaries managed by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. SIMoN provides resource managers with the information needed for effective decision-making and promotes a basic understanding of the complex and unique marine processes within the California Current ecosystem. By gathering summary metadata from ongoing, recently completed, and historic monitoring and research projects within national marine sanctuaries, SIMoN facilitates the critical but often overlooked communication between researchers, resource managers, educators, and the public.

The SIMoN website (and associated database) provides sanctuary staff a powerful tool to quickly access summary information on hundreds of monitoring and research programs. In addition to the scientific information derived from projects taking place within sanctuaries, SIMoN provides digital images, video, maps, and species-level natural history information. The photo library is regularly accessed for high-quality, public domain images of the organisms and resources found within West Coast national marine sanctuaries.

SIMoN Goals:

  • Maintain a database that tracks current and historic monitoring programs and research projects relevant to sanctuary management.
  • Integrate existing monitoring programs conducted in West Coast regional sanctuaries to provide a synoptic overview of the marine ecosystem.
  • Establish a series of long-term monitoring efforts to fill in critical information gaps.
  • Initiate specific, question-driven monitoring efforts with fixed durations.
  • Provide timely and pertinent information to managers and decision makers, the research community, and the general public via a website and other venues.

SIMoN exists due to the efforts and contributions of hundreds of partners and collaborators, including federal and state agencies, universities and other academic institutions, and numerous non-governmental organizations. If you would like to add your research to SIMoN or update an existing project page, please contact jackie.buhl@noaa.gov.