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Analysis and Reporting for the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment
Citation:
Kentula, M. Analysis and Reporting for the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment. Presented at Joint Aquatic Science Meeting, Portland, OR, May 18 - 23, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
The USEPA 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment is the first assessment of the ecological condition of the Nation's wetlands. Innovative approaches are being employed to conduct the data analyses, including the development of a condition index using vegetation data and reporting on estimation of relative and attributable risk based on stressor data collected in the field
Description:
The USEPA and its partners are in the process of producing the report to the public and publishing the data for the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA). As with all National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS), the NWCA report includes a quantitative description of the resource, its ecological condition, and an accounting of stressors and their probable relationships to condition. Results are presented for the Nation and by major ecoregional areas. A quantitative definition of reference in terms of least-disturbed sites sampled is key to the analysis. Multi-metric indices are used to describe condition, with vegetation as the primary biotic indicator. Extent of stressors is quantified and related to condition through estimation of relative and attributable risk. In addition, to the standard NARS reporting on ecological condition, a chapter in the NWCA report on ecosystem services will feature research on denitrification. The 2011 NWCA report is expected to be released by the end of 2014.