You are here:
A FRAMEWORK FOR AN INTEGRATED MONITORING PLAN FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO ECOSYSTEM
Citation:
Steyer, G. AND J K. Summers. A FRAMEWORK FOR AN INTEGRATED MONITORING PLAN FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO ECOSYSTEM. Presented at 11th Southern States Environmental Conference, Baton Rouge, LA, Sept. 27, 2001.
Description:
The Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) Office in cooperation with its principal partners (Gulf State agencies, Federal agencies, private industry, etc.) and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) are developing an integrated coastal monitoring program for the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. The Gulf of Mexico ecosystem includes the estuaries, marine waters, land/water margins, watersheds, and the associated habitats of the Gulf of Mexico. The monitoring approach includes developing common statistical designs, assessing indicators to be monitored, utilizing compatible sampling methodologies, and deriving analytical approaches for each component of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, which will be used across all five Gulf States in assessing the "state of the Gulf." The goals of this effort are to (1) integrate existing Federal, State, local and private sector monitoring activities into a statistically based sampling design that will provide data to support a regional assessment of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem while also supporting state data requirements; and (2) provide monitoring data to support development of a "state of the Gulf" report on the ecological condition of the Gulf of Mexico.