As a cooperative research effort, the Marine Pollution Studies Laboratory (MPSL) was initiated as a collaboration between research scientists of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML), the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). This collaborative team effort now represents the current state of science in pollution investigation and has built a reputation for research excellence in a variety of applied sciences.

At Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, MPSL is divided into MPSL-MLML headed by Rusty Fairey and into MPSL-DFG headed by Mark Stephenson. MPSL-MLML performs a wide array of field sampling, laboratory preparation, and database management functions. We also have experience in managing small- and large-scale monitoring study designs and programs. The MPSL-DFG group offers field sampling, laboratory preparation, and analytical (trace metals, mercury, methylmercury, and some conventional constituents) capabilities.

The MPSL facility at Granite Canyon is operated by researchers from the University of California, Davis. The UCD-Granite Canyon group (UCD-Granite) conducts applied toxicology research in watersheds, estuaries, and coastal waters. Their research addresses questions about pollutant impacts in aquatic ecosystems, particularly at the land/sea interface; and about urban and agricultural runoff, with a focus on identifying chemicals of concern, their sources, and their potential impacts.

The California Department of Fish and Game's Water Pollution Control Laboratory (DFG-WPCL) in Rancho Cordova, California is managed by. Dave Crane. This facility performs inorganics (conventional nutrient constituents) and trace organics analyses on water, sediment, and tissue samples.

The facilities and capabilities of these groups cover a broad spectrum of environmental pollution research and investigation. If you would like to learn more about each group, please click on the links above.