The world’s ocean is still the "undiscovered frontier" although a key component of the earth's eco and climate systems. Federal and state governments are investing in ocean observing systems (OOS), so that we may monitor and make well-informed decisions for coastal and marine resource management. This program focuses on: real-time water quality monitoring in Humboldt Bay (the second largest estuary in California); real-time ocean current mapping across the continental shelf; and seasonal monitoring of the coastal ocean environment and its denizens. These monitoring programs are informing us of ocean conditions and variability, and local and large-scale environmental changes, which are altering the ways we view and manage our precious ocean and its resources. From the Series:CSU Monterey Bay: Featured Lectures