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APPLICATION OF EMAP METHODS AND INDICATORS TO THE NY/NJ HARBOR
Citation:
Adams, D. A. AND S Benyi. APPLICATION OF EMAP METHODS AND INDICATORS TO THE NY/NJ HARBOR. Presented at EPA Science Forum, Washington, DC, May 5-7, 2003.
Description:
The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for the NY/NJ Harbor requires specific management actions to maintain and restore the Harbor environment. It also specifies that the progress of these management actions on the improvement of sediment quality and biological condition in the Harbor be measured. To do this requires initially establishing a baseline of condition of the Harbor sediment that is objective and of known statistical confidence. The next logical step is to periodically determine whether conditions have improved, declined or remained the same from the baseline. Existing studies either were conducted in a biased manner, did not cover all portions of the Harbor or did not concurrently collect the biological and chemical information to do be able to provide the baseline or subsequent trend assessment. EMAP indicators, design, and province-level data provided the means to objectively describe the condition of the Harbor, to develop trends and to support future management actions.