Water column (CTD) profiles taken off the Oregon coast during the 2007 International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) setline survey (NCEI Accession 0042046)

The U.S. West Coast has experienced a hypoxic event every year since 2002. This low dissolved oxygen condition clearly impacts the organisms living there, but it is unclear to what extent. The IPHC is collecting these data to try and understand how these adverse conditions are affecting fish stocks in the area, as well as contribute to the overall understanding of oceanographic features as they impact fish populations.

The IPHC purchased an SBE-19plus water column profiling unit in 2007 made possible by a grant from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Restoration and Enhancement program. The profiler was equipped with sensors to measure pressure, temperature, and salinity along with auxiliary sensors to measure dissolved oxygen, pH, and chlorophyll concentrations. The IPHC conducts an annual setline survey from the Oregon/California border northward along the continental shelf using a 10 nautical mile square grid. In 2007, the SBE-19plus was deployed at each survey station off of Oregon yielding a total of 56 profiles.