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ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF A GREAT RIVER ECOSYSTEM: THE UPPER MISSOURI RIVER PILOT
Citation:
Schweiger, E. W., D W. Bolgrien, T. Angradi, AND J. R. Kelly. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF A GREAT RIVER ECOSYSTEM: THE UPPER MISSOURI RIVER PILOT. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT. Springer, New York, NY, 103(2005):21-40, (2005).
Description:
The Great River Ecosystems (GREs) are extensively modified physically, hydrologically, and chemically and are not receiving adequate protection to prevent further habitat degradation and loss of biotic integrity. In the United States, ecological monitoring and assessment of the GREs has lagged behind streams and estuaries, and the management of GREs is hampered by the lack of unbiased data at appropriate spatial scales. Properties of GREs that make them challenging to monitor and assess include difficult sample logistics and high habitat diversity. Comprehensive ecological assessment of GREs requires a regional-scale, survey-based monitoring approach like that of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental and Assessment Program (EMAP). We summarize the assessment objectives for the study, the design for selecting sample locations, the indicators measured at these sites, and the tools used to analyze data. We present an example of the type of statements that can be made with EMAP monitoring data. The EMAP approach is well suited to address our objectives on the Upper Missouri River. Moreover, with minor modification our general approach is ideal for comprehensive assessment of all surface waters, including GREs.