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Use of U.S. EPA national monitoring data to develop tools and provide context and improve assessment of local estuaries
Citation:
Pelletier, M. Use of U.S. EPA national monitoring data to develop tools and provide context and improve assessment of local estuaries. 12th National Monitoring Conference, NA, Virtual, April 19 - 23, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP), National Condition Assessment (NCA) and National Coastal Condition Assessment (NCCA) have been monitoring estuaries in partnership with states and tribes since 1990. Measurements include water quality, sediment condition, and benthic (organisms living on the sea bottom) condition. These data have been used nationally to assess the condition of estuaries on a national or regional scale. However, often states and local organizations are often more interested in the condition of their estuary of interest. This presentation will discuss tools developed using these nationwide data that can be implemented locally as well as how these can be useful for assessment of individual estuaries.
Description:
The Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the states, has been monitoring the Nation’s estuaries since 1990 through the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP), National Coastal Assessment (NCA), and National Coastal Condition Assessment (NCCA). Data from these programs have been used to develop tools that can be applied to local estuary assessment (e.g., TOC:grain size tool to diagnose organic enrichment, M-AMBI benthic index). These data have also been used to allow comparison among comparable estuaries by, for example, providing reference conditions for an embayment without a comparable local reference. Finally, these data as part of a larger compilation of data allowed assessment of conditions over seven decades in Narragansett Bay. This presentation will provide an overview of these tool development exercises and examples how these data have been used to improve assessment of local estuaries.
