Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the purpose of the Pacific Ocean Library, and how does it differ from other search engines or databases?
2. Which countries and territories are included under each region in the Pacific Ocean Library?
3. What are foundational readings, and how did you choose them?
4. How do I search for articles containing specific threats, impacts, and solutions?
5. Can I save and export my search results?
6. How do I include a peer-reviewed article or gray literature in the Pacific Ocean Library?
7. What is the Center for Ocean Solutions?
8. Where can I find more information on the Pacific Ocean Initiative or the Scientific Consensus Statement?
9. Where can I search for other articles specifically on the Pacific Ocean?
1. What is the purpose of the Pacific Ocean Library, and how does it differ from other search engines or databases?
The Pacific Ocean Library, an extensive bibliographic database available to the public, is a unique resource for managers and researchers around the world. The library emerged from an extensive literature review prepared for a group of scientists developing a Pacific Ocean Scientific Consensus Statement, which prioritizes key threats to the health of the Pacific Ocean, highlights the impacts of these threats, and outlines a road map for action. This statement—signed by 380 scientists around the world—is in turn part of a larger Pacific Ocean Initiative and Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge to sustainably manage this vast and complex region.
The references used as the foundation for the Consensus Statement are now available in the Pacific Ocean Library, the unique features of which distinguish it from other scientific databases like ISI Web of Knowledge:
- The library’s scientific literature focuses on Pacific Ocean threats, impacts, and solutions; not only can users search the library by threats or by region, for example, but foundational readings provide clear overviews of the most pressing issues in each Pacific Ocean region.
- The library houses select peer-reviewed scientific articles found in traditional search engines like ISI Web of Knowledge and regularly updated gray literature, such as reports, conference proceedings, and government publications not found elsewhere. Researchers with access to Web of Knowledge will now have access to the latter, while others will find in the Pacific Ocean Library select scientific and gray literature on the Pacific Ocean.
- Users can access links to Google Scholar articles and even some full-text PDF files, making research accessible and efficient.
2. Which countries and territories are included under each region in the Pacific Ocean Library?
For the purpose of the library, the Pacific Ocean contains seven regions. This division was guided by the UN Marine Assessment of Assessments as well as by scientific experts.
| Region | Countries and/or Territories |
|---|---|
| North East | Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, United States |
| North West | China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Russia |
| East Asian Seas | Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam |
| Micronesia | Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Other U.S. Remote Islands |
| Melanesia | Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia (France), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu |
| Polynesia | American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia (France), New Zealand, Niue, Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom), Samoa, Tokelau (New Zealand), Tonga, Tuvalu, Hawaiian Islands (United States) |
| South East | Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru |
| Pacific Ocean | Some articles are relevant throughout the Pacific Ocean, as well as on a global scale. |
3. What are foundational readings, and how did you choose them?
Foundational readings are select published works that provide an overview of Pacific Ocean threats, impacts, and solutions. There are 10-20 foundational readings for the Pacific Ocean as a whole as well as for each of its regions. The foundational readings are accessible via the Pacific Ocean Regions page. You can also find these readings in the Bibliographic Database by typing "foundational reading" into the "Keywords" search box or the "Fast Search" box.
4. How do I search for articles containing specific threats, impacts, and solutions?
There are many ways to use the "Advanced Search" function of the Bibliographic Database to find the information you are seeking. On one or more of the three drop-down menus, select from a range of search fields and type in your search word. (See examples below.) You can also browse the database by region or alphabetically by author's last name, keyword, and journal.
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5. Can I save and export my search results?
Yes! The Pacific Ocean Library makes it possible to save your search results and export citations into your own bibliographic software. Before you proceed, however, we strongly encourage you to create a free personal account. Personal accounts allow you to maintain your reference selections from session to session without interference from other accountless users concurrently accessing the database. Without a personal account, any records you mark/save will be combined with those marked/saved by everyone else who does not use a personal account.
Once you have retrieved your search results, you can save all or some of the records for export. First, select each article you wish to save by clicking the "M" (mark) box to the left of its year. Then click the "Mark" button at the bottom of the page. To view your saved results, click the "View Marked Records" link in the menu at the top of any page. The "Marked Records" page allows you to 1) view your marked records in any of over 1,000 styles and 2) download your saved records in a number of bibliographic software file formats, including Unix, EndNote, and Reference Manager.
If you would like to download marked records into your bibliographic software, first select your desired bibliographic software format from the drop-down list at the bottom of the "Marked Records" page. Then click the "Export" button next to the format selector, and the marked records will appear in a separate webpage. Save the resulting page as a text (.txt) file by choosing "Save As" from your browser's "File" menu. Lastly, run your bibliographic software and import the marked records you just saved as a text file.
6. How do I include a peer-reviewed article or gray literature in the Pacific Ocean Library?
Please email us at library@centerforoceansolutions.org with the reference citation and a very brief description of the publication (i.e. type of document, relevant region, threat category), and we will respond with forms by which you may grant us permission to include your work in the library database.
7. What is the Center for Ocean Solutions?
The Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) develops practical and sustainable strategies that address the major environmental and economic challenges facing the oceans by bringing leading experts in marine science and policy together with decision makers.
COS, with the support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, combines the expertise of three leading marine and policy institutions—Stanford University (through its Woods Institute for the Environment and Hopkins Marine Station), the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)—to develop solutions for our oceans by integrating cutting-edge science and technology with economic, social, and political expertise. COS focuses on three areas that encompass the major threats to the oceans: global climate change, land-ocean interactions, and the protection of marine ecosystems and the services they provide.
For more information, please visit the COS website or contact us at contact@centerforoceansolutions.org.
8. Where can I find more information on the Pacific Ocean Initiative or the Scientific Consensus Statement?
The Pacific Ocean Initiative was launched to address the challenge of sustainably managing the Pacific Ocean and its vast resources. As part of the initiative, the Center for Ocean Solutions—in collaboration with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Marine Programme and the Ocean Conservancy—developed Ecosystems and People of the Pacific Ocean—Threats and Opportunities for Action: A Scientific Consensus Statement (0.5MB PDF file). This statement draws attention to the serious problems facing the Pacific Ocean and, for the first time ever, calls for leaders from the business, NGO, and government communities to address these problems. The statement, signed by 380 scientists, represents one of the first steps in the Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge, an ambitious initiative by the IUCN to identify the threats and impacts to the Pacific Ocean and to develop and implement lasting solutions.
9. Where can I search for other articles specifically on the Pacific Ocean?
You may find a number of relevant articles specifically on the Pacific Ocean in the foundational readings, accessible via the Pacific Ocean Regions page. You can also search for articles pertaining only to the Pacific Ocean region by typing "Pacific Ocean" into the "Keywords" search box of the Bibliographic Database. Other Pacific Ocean-relevant keywords include "Pacific Islands," "Open-Ocean," and "Highseas."
