About Us

Established in 1999, PISCO is a long-term scientific program led by scientists from four core campuses: Oregon State UniversityStanford University’s Hopkins Marine StationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz; and University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Conduct long-term and large-scale studies to understand the functioning of the coastal marine ecosystem along the U.S. west coast,
  • Focus on the biological and oceanographic drivers of rocky intertidal and kelp forest ecosystems,
  • Contribute science-based information that is relevant to important ocean policy decisions,
  • Engage with natural resource agencies and boundary organizations to ensure that this knowledge informs wise policy and management decisions regarding the marine environment,
  • Train and mentor university students in interdisciplinary,collaborative approaches to policy‐relevant science, and
  • Share the results of long term monitoring and experiments broadly through web-based data portals, scientific journals, and other formats that are usable by a wide variety of resource managers, policy makers and the public.

Collaborators from other institutions also contribute to leadership and development of PISCO programs. Core funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and additional funding from diverse public and private sources, make this unique partnership possible.

iimage of divers going into ocean

PEOPLE

PISCO is a research consortium involving marine scientists and four universities along the US West Coast.  Directed by a team of Principal Investigators, PISCO's long-term studies are accomplished by interdisciplinary teams involving postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, research technicians and many collaborators. Explore our directory....

PARTNERS

Since the inception of PISCO, collaborations with a number of agencies and other organizations have supported our long-term ecosystem study and enhanced the value of our scientific endeavors and applications to policy and management. Read more....

HISTORY AND FUNDING

PISCO was established in 1999, with the motivation that long-term, ecosystem-based studies at the large marine ecosystem scale are needed to inform science-based solutions for managing the coastal oceans in the face of climate change. Read more....