Extended Council Context for the NMN Design

1
Extended Council Context for the NMN Design

• Management Questions
• Objectives
• Environments
• Resources of Primary Concern
• Stressors affecting resources
• Core Indicators List
• Specific locations for measurement of core
  indicators

2
Management Questions

• What is the condition of the Nations surface,
  ground, estuarine, and coastal waters?
• Where, how, and why are water-quality conditions
  changing over time?
• Where are the problems related to water quality?
  What is causing the problems?
• Are programs to prevent or remediate problems
  working effectively?
• Are water-quality goals and standards being met?
• What research activities are needed to support
  these important resources?

3
Objectives of the National Monitoring Network

• 1. Define status and trends of key water quality
  parameters and conditions on a nationwide basis.
• 2. Provide data relevant to determining whether
  goals, standards, and resource management
  objectives are being met, thus contributing to
  sustainable and beneficial use of coastal and
  inland water resources.
• 3. Provide data to identify and rank existing and
  emerging problems to help target more intensive
  monitoring, preventive actions, or remediation.
• 4. Provide data to support and define coastal
  oceanographic and hydrologic research, including
  influences of freshwater inflows.
• 5. Provide quality-assured data for use in the
  preparation of interpretive reports and
  educational materials.

4
The Six Environments

• (Recognition that we cannot measure the entire
  resource)
• Major river systems and major tributaries of
  those primary drainages (HUC 8?)
• Estuaries,
• Outlets of major estuaries and bays
• Near-shore coastal zone
• Regional aquifers
• Great Lakes

5
Resources of Primary Concern

• Aquatic life in each of the components we have
  identified
• Human use of water (recognize that a national
  monitoring network will not address drinking
  water at the tap)

6
Stressors Affecting Resources

• Oxygen depletion
• Nutrient enrichment
• Toxic contamination
• Sedimentation
• Harmful algal blooms
• Habitat degradation
• Invasions by exotic species

7
Core Indicator List

• Indicators appropriate to each of the
• resources,
• waterbody types,
• objectives, and
• management questions