First Bight ’23 Sediment Quality assessment report published

The Southern California Bight 2023 Regional Monitoring Program has published the first of its Sediment Quality assessment reports summarizing the extent and magnitude of sediment toxicity across Southern California’s coastal ocean.

The Bight ’23 Sediment Toxicity report, published in April, found that sediment toxicity remained low overall, with over 95% of sediment Bight-wide considered low or not toxic – a finding that has remained consistent over the past 15 years.

The sediment toxicity assessment is one of five lines of evidence that the Bight program is using to assess the influence of sediment contamination on the health of Southern California’s coastal ecosystems.

Other Bight ’23 Sediment Quality assessments are ongoing, including Sediment Chemistry, Benthic Infauna, Bioaccumulation in Sportfish, and Trawl-Caught Fish and Invertebrates. The five lines of evidence will be synthesized to generate an overall assessment of sediment health.