Managing troubled waters : the role of marine environmental monitoring

Reports of closed beaches, restricted shellfish beds, oil spills, and ailing fisheries are some of the recent evidence that our marine environment is in trouble. More than $133 million is spent on marine environmental monitoring annually in the United States, but officials still do not have enough accurate information to make timely decisions about protecting our waters. This book presents the first comprehensive overview of marine monitoring, providing practical information and a model for revamping the nation's marine monitoring apparatus. The volume explores current monitoring programs and whether or not they work; the benefits and limitations of monitoring; the critical need for greater coordination among local, regional, and national monitoring programs; and a recommended conceptual model for developing more effective monitoring programs. Managing Troubled Waters Copyright Preface BACKGROUND SCOPE STUDY METHOD ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction THE PROBLEM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING EXPENDITURES PERCEIVED INADEQUACIES OF MONITORING ASSESSMENT APPROACH Conceptual Model Case Studies Integration of Information 2 The Role of Monitoring in Environmental Management THE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING Why Monitor?The Costs of Not Monitoring Limitations of Monitoring The Evolution of Monitoring Success Stories in Monitoring Protecting Public Health Validating Models: Examples from Modeling Estuarine Water Quality Assessing the Effectiveness of Pollution Abatement INSTITUTIONAL DYNAMICS OF MONITORING The Principal Players Involved Public Pressures and Perceptions Legal and Regulatory Influences Funding and Human Resources Agency Decision Making Ten Steps to Strengthening the Role Of Monitoring in Environmental Management3 Strengthening Regional and National Monitoring CONTINUUM OF MONITORING SCALES THE ROLE OF REGIONAL MONITORING Rationale for Regional Monitoring Lessons from the Southern California Bight and Chesapeake Bay The Federal Role THE ROLE OF NATIONAL MONITORING Rationale for National Monitoring Alternate Approaches An Independent National Fixed-Station Monitoring Program An Integrated Network of Regional Monitoring Programs A Network of Regional Programs Coupled with a National ProgramCOORDINATION The Need for Interagency and Intergovernmental Coordination Opportunities to Develop a Coordinated Program 4 Designing and Implementing Monitoring Programs A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO DESIGNING MONITORING PROGRAMS General Versus Specific Design Methodologies A Methodology for Monitoring Design STEP 1:Â DEFINE EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS STEP 2:Â DEFINE STUDY STRATEGY Conceptual Models and Predictions Boundaries Predictions and Uncertainty STEP 3:Â CONDUCT PRELIMINARY STUDIES AND RESEARCHSTEP 4:Â DEVELOP SAMPLING/MEASUREMENT DESIGN Linking Testable Questions to Useful Information Defining Meaningful Change The Influence of Natural Variability Selecting Variables to Measure The Sampling Design and Its Statistical Basis QUALITY ASSURANCE: AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF MONITORING PROGRAM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION STEP 6:Â CONVERT DATA INTO USEFUL INFORMATION Data Management Data Analysis and Modeling STEP 7:Â DISSEMINATE RESULTS REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS Presents an overview of marine monitoring, providing information and a model for revamping the nation's marine monitoring apparatus. This work explores monitoring programs and whether or not they work; the benefits and limitations of monitoring; and the critical need for greater coordination among local, regional, and national monitoring programs.