The Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) conducts fieldwork along more than 2,000 kilometers of the U.S. West Coast from La Jolla, California, to Cape Flattery, Washington. Within this region, PISCO focuses on habitats from the intertidal zone to 10 km off shore. These coastal and nearshore habitats represent the region of the ocean that is most affected by human activity.

The coastal marine ecosystem along the U.S. West coast is dominated by the California Current System, and crucial patterns of water flow, nutrient supply, and temperature vary dramatically from place to place and over time, both seasonally and annually.

Each of the four universities participating in PISCO take responsibility for fieldwork in their respective sections of the West Coast, along with additional field and lab experiments. PISCO's long-term, large-scale research will offer insight into how coastal marine ecosystems are influenced by oceanographic and ecological factors.