Bi-National Review: Gulf of Maine

Monitoring & indicators to address management issues

NWQMC – July 26, 2005

Watersheds to the EEZ

Governors, Premiers & Federal Governments

Key points

How this region is self-organizing around monitoring & indicators development– What we are doing? – How are we proceeding?– Who is involved?– What are the lessons-learned?

Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

Context for action

Clean Water Action Plan (2000) & Coastal Monitoring and Research Plan

Coastal States Organization comments (2002) establish a national monitoring center integrate federal monitoring programs support regional monitoring create indicators of ecosystem health

• US Ocean Commission (2004) create national monitoring network (e.g., backbone) with links

to ocean observing, clear goals, meet regional information needs

Background: rationale for integration in the region

Monitoring occurring in silos Increasingly complex management issues

require more comprehensive analysis Incompatible data management & exchange is

impeding better decision-making

Principles for integration

Coastal management and policy needs are drivers; Effective interagency (e.g., local, state, regional and

federal) cooperation; Existing monitoring and research programs provide

the foundation for the effort; It’s sustained over the years, is interoperable (e.g.,

producing comparable data through standard procedures) and accessible to public and private sectors, and is cost-efficient; and

It’s phased in, evolves and innovates without losing the value of historical data sets.

Monitoring Management

Research Observing

Value-added Network

Notes: Coastal ocean observing – This is the routine collection of physical, chemical, biological, and oceanographic data that can be synthesized into information. (It is distinguished from monitoring that

often focuses on responding to a specific issue such as the effect of ocean discharges.)

Conceptual View

Possible benefits

Regional assessments Methods standardization & intercalibration New tools Information management Interaction Public awareness & commitment

Functions of Network

 

Scale Tidal and subtidal Near-shore & inshore Coastal Watersheds and Blue Water/Ocean

Scope/Reach State & federal marine monitoring programs

Government and volunteer Government, volunteer and academic programs

All monitoring data

Program design & implementation

Evaluate based on established protocols

Apply standardized protocols selectively

Amend programs to meet regional needs

Standardized protocols and regional needs

Data management

Rely on current mechanisms Web links to databases with spatial references & metadata

  Distributed & linked (e.g., archival and retrieval)

Data synthesis and communication

Existing level of program activity

Embayment assessments by selected issue

Integrated multi-factor regional assessments

Biogeographical trends and assessment w/active marketing/dissem

Links to research

Spontaneous - no formal connection

Identifies priorities linked to monitoring

Active proponent for regional research

Supports and conducts research (e.g., cause & effect)

Services provided @ fee/consulting

Local scale assessments Gulfwide assessments Integrated multivariate assessments

Development of plans, strategies, BMPs, etc.

Costs, possible activities & products of a Gulf of Maine network

Activities/methods– Regional methods standardization– Shared training– Common quality assurance protocols

Possible products

Products requiring no “significant” new funding– Website with click-able map showing geographic

coverage, data collected, URL, library catalogue, etc.

– Networking of program staff via seminars, workshops, e-mail, etc.

– Description of metadata and on-line access

Products (continued)

Products requiring new funding– Integrated and synthesized data into information– Ability to compare data sets addressing different

issues (land use changes and water quality) and draw conclusions

– Enhanced predictive tools/modeling with more robust data inputs

– Searchable databases & data histories– State of the environment reporting

Costs and Impediments

Costs– Independence & freedom to act autonomously– Expenses of change

Impediments– Inertia– Funding– Institutional– Technical

Ingredients to catalyze a network

Program managers need to be involved in the formation of the network and affirm it will help them meet their program’s mission/objectives and enhance their efforts.

Seed funding is needed to challenge monitoring programs to expend their own resources toward creation of the network.

Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

A Sampling of Regional Activities

Gulf of Maine EcoSystem Indicator Partnership Gulfwatch Nutrient Monitoring Pilot

Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

EcoSystem Indicators Partnership

October 2004 Gulf of Maine Summit – six proposed sets of 5-10 indicators (Tier one – coastal development, contaminants and fisheries, Tier two – nutrients, aquatic habitats and climate change)

ESIP formed, co-chaired by federal agencies and staffed by Gulf of Maine Council

Commenced development of management strategy & listening sessions

Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

Gulfwatch

1989 desire to coordinate & expand monitoring Formation of Gulfwatch to prove to ourselves 12-years of contaminant data (fact sheet) Peer review Stepping stone to integrated effort

Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

Nutrient Monitoring – Gulf pilot

National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment update with Gulf of Maine as pilot collecting data & basing new assessment

20+ nutrient data sets collected & assessed Proposal pending to organize, repair and

prepare to flow data electronically

Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

Closing

Significant interest to improve management responses via indicators, monitoring & observing

Partnerships are central Boot-strapping is expected Reinventing is costly and time consuming