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ECOLOGICAL CONDITION OF ESTUARIES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
Citation:
Engle, V D., J M. Macauley, J K. Summers, AND P. Bourgeois. ECOLOGICAL CONDITION OF ESTUARIES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/620/R-98/004, 1999.
Description:
The Gulf of Mexico is a vast natural resource that encompasses the coastal areas of western Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, as well as a portion of Mexico. Many estuaries flow into the Gulf of Mexico and serve as nursery grounds for fish, habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including several endangered species, shipping routes, and a source of recreation for people. This report began as an overall summary of the activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) in the estuaries of the Louisianian and West Indian provinces. One of EMAP's goals is to translate environmental monitoring data from multiple spatial and temporal scales into assessments of ecological conditions. From 1991 to 1995 EMAP collected data on ecological indicators from estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico. The ecological condition of these estuaries was assessed in annual statistical summaries that enumerated the percent area of estuaries that were found to have undesired conditions (e.g. low dissolved oxygen, degraded benthic habitat, or contaminated sediments). By producing this report on the ecological conditions of estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico, we have taken one step in establishing the status of this environmental resource. We have produced a "report card" for the condition of these estuaries to be used as a benchmark from which to evaluate future conditions. This effort required the cooperation of various federal agencies and the contributions of data and information from many federal and state agencies as well as private environmental groups.