FACT SHEET
State and Federal Partners in Integrated Estuarine Monitoring
in the Mid-Atlantic - 1997 & 1998
-stuary
ABSTRACT
Over the next several years, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency in
partnership with other Federal and
State programs (see partners on
back page) will be conducting
research on an integrated
monitoring approach for mid-
Atlantic estuaries. Estuaries are the
aquatic environment where
freshwater from rivers and streams
meet the saltwater of the ocean.
These areas represent a unique and
particularly important ecological
resource. Estuaries provide habitat
for many species of animals and
plants. Over 90 percent of
commercial marine finfish and
shellfish depend on estuaries for
some part of their existence. The
mid-Atlantic area contains many
estuaries, including the Chesapeake
Bay ~ one of the largest estuaries in
the world.
For the purposes of this research,
the geographic area covered
includes the watersheds of the
Delaware Estuary, the Chesapeake
Bay, the Delmarva coastal bays, and
the Albermarle-Pamrico Sound (see
Figure 1).
The objectives of this research
program are to: (1) characterize the
ecological condition of the mid-
Atlantic estuaries using a common
set of measurements which will be
applied over the entire area, (2)
focus research on small estuaries to
determine better monitoring
approaches for these critical
systems, and (3) to demonstrate that
effective alliances can be
establishment among Federal, State,
and County agencies with estuarine
responsibilities in the pursuit of
scientific data for resource
management purposes.
This unique approach to monitoring
will permit direct comparisons to be
made among and between the many
estuaries in the mid-Atlantic area.
Comparative risk assessments can
lead the way to more informed,
scientific strategies for resource
preservation and restoration.
Additionally, several adjunct
research projects being performed
simultaneously with monitoring
activities will foster better
understanding of the ecological
processes occurring in the estuaries
of this region.
The Mid-Atlantic Integrated
Assessment Program
The Mid-Atlantic Integrated
Assessment (MAIA) began as a
partnership between two EPA
organizations (Region 3 and the
Office of Research and
Development (ORD)) to develop
and respond to the best available
information on the condition of
various ecological resources and to
adapt environmental management
over time, based on careful
monitoring of environmental
indicators and related new
information. Additional
partnerships have been developed
with other federal and state
environmental organizations.
MAIA has implemented an
Assessment Framework which
begins by defining realistic
environmental goals and related
environmental assessment
questions. The assessment
questions fall into the following
broad areas: (1) Is there a problem?
(2) Where is the problem located?
What is the magnitude, extent, and
distribution? (3) What is the cause
of the problem? (4) Are things
changing? (5) What does it mean
to the community ? (6) What can
we do about it?
Figure 1. MAIA Study Area
MAIA then strives to answer the
assessment questions and to
characterize ecological resource
condition based upon scientific
information gathered by the various
monitoring programs. Assessments
are produced at four levels: (1)
status and trends within single
resources (e.g., estuaries); (2)
within-resource associations; (3) the
associations between resource
condition and landscapes; and (4)
integrated assessments of multiple
resources at various spatial scales.
The MAIA Estuaries Team has been
working together to produce the
"Condition of the Mid-Atlantic
Estuaries Report", which has been
reviewed and is in final production.
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The data sources underlying this
report were the ORD's
Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program (EMAP) and
related monitoring efforts (e.g.,
Regional-EMAP (REMAP) and
other special ORD monitoring
efforts in the Mid-Atlantic
Integrated Assessment (MAIA)
geographic area), State programs on
the coastal and estuarine resource
area, the Chesapeake Bay Program
(CBP) and National Estuary
Program (NEP) efforts.
While the report answers many of
the assessment questions, there
remain data gaps. These may be
because there has not been adequate
monitoring in some geographic
areas (i.e., additional monitoring is
required), or because there are no
environmental indicators available
to adequately answer the question
(i.e., additional research is
required).
Development of an Integrated
Monitoring Design
In 1997 MAIA began a coordinated
monitoring effort of the mid-
Atlantic estuaries to respond to the
data gaps identified during the
development of the "Condition of
the Mid-Atlantic Estuaries Report".
The joint EPA Team held a series of
meetings in Annapolis, MD with
representatives of the various
federal and state monitoring
programs to discuss how to
integrate estuarine monitoring
efforts.
Generally all estuaries face similar
environmental problems. However,
the severity of each problem may
depend on the type of the estuary.
Large estuaries (e.g., the
Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware
Bay) are generally different from
tidal rivers(e.g., Susquehanna,
Potomac, James and Delaware
Rivers) and small estuaries (e.g.,
Virginia Coastal Bays, Pocomoke
River, and Severn River).
Because of these differences, many
environmental problems are
manifested differently in each
estuarine class, and the best
solutions to environmental problems
may also differ among estuarine
class.
The MAIA Estuaries Team
approached integration through the
assessment process, not by
comparing monitoring designs.
Using the draft "Condition of the
Mid-Atlantic Estuaries Report" as a
starting point, they were able to
identify assessment questions which
would help to characterize the
condition of the estuaries. In
addition, they identified questions
which could not be answered
because indicators had not yet been
developed or field verified.
Traditionally, the various
monitoring programs have collected
different types of information. This
presents challenges in tying the data
together to produce a regional
assessment. A unique aspect of the
MAIA Estuarine Monitoring
Program is the application of the
same measurements throughout the
entire mid-Atlantic region. Selected
parameters which have been shown
to be key indicators of overall
environmental quality are measured
by the various monitoring programs.
These measurements emphasize
many elements of the biotic
community, both plants and
animals, as well as provide
important information about the
exposure to stresses in the estuarine
environment. In general, these
measurements include data on the
benthic (bottom-dwelling)
community structure, water quality,
toxic contaminants in bottom
sediment, and sediment toxicity.
These indicators are quantifiable
and clearly related to ecological
condition.
The group agreed to develop a set of
core existing indicators which
would be monitored by all parties.
The partners developed a list of core
indicators. Each partner initially
presented the suite of indicators
being used in their monitoring
program. Detailed discussions
about the choice of indicators and
the protocols for collection
followed. The result of these
discussions was ultimately a
detailed list of core indicators for
which all partners would monitor.
They determined the ideal set of
indicators would cover the food
chain, water quality, habitat quality,
eutrophication, and chemical
contamination (Figure 2).
It was agreed that all partners
would monitor these core indicators,
but could monitor additional
indicators as required by their
individual program. It was also
agreed that when monitoring for
these core indicators, all partners
would use the same protocols.
Measurement Type Example
Station Data Latitude/Longitude
Time/Date
Water Quality
Sediment Quality
Nutrients
Dissolved Oxygen
Pesticides
Toxic contaminants
Benthic Organisms
Bioassay Tests
Figure 2: Measurements Made at All Sampling
Stations in 1997
The EPA's Gulf Ecology Division
(GED) took input from the partners
and developed a comprehensive
integrated monitoring design which
met the various goals identified.
The final design consists of more
than 700 stations throughout the
mid-Atlantic estuaries (Figure 3).
These include stations selected
through both the probability and
deterministic approaches.
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Delaware Estuary Delaware River and Bay (Mainstem)
Salem River*
Schuykill*
Cohansey River
Delmarva Coastal
Bays: Sinepuxent Bay (MD)*
Chincoteague Bay (MD & VA)
Virginia coastal bays*
Chesapeake Bay:
Chesapeake Bay (Mainstem)
Susquehanna River
Severn River*
South River*
Patuxent River*
Potomac River
York River
James River
Bohemia River
Sassafras River
Chester River
Nanticoke River
Pocomoke River*
MobjackBay*
Cherrystone Inlet*
Rappahannock River
Saint Jerome Creek*
Wicomico River
Elizabeth River
Corrituck Sound
Albemarle Sound
Chowan River*
Pamlico Sound
Pamlico River
Neuse River
Asterisk (*) denotes small estuaries selected for intensive sampling
Albemarle-Pamlico
Sound:
approach for the mid-Atlantic which
will be adopted in some permanent,
continuous monitoring effort. Field
activities will be continued during
the summer of 1998 with additional
sampling in areas of particular
management or scientific interest.
Plans for 1998 activities will be
predicted upon the assessment of
information collected during the
1997 field season.
For more information contact Pat
Gant (410-573-2744), Kevin
Summers (904-934-9244), Rick
Kutz (410-573-2742), or Brian
Melzian (401-782-3188).
EMAP Home Page Address:
http//www.epa/gov/emap
Figure 3. Some of the MAIA Estuaries Selecting for Sampling in 1997
Since one of the objectives of the
research program is to investigate
small estuaries, more emphasis has
been placed on these systems by
assigning additional numbers of
sampling stations. Also, certain
areas were selected because of their
interest from resource managers.
The partners agreed to provide
summary tables of water quality and
sediment monitoring, including
methods, maps, outlines,
measurements, and schedules and to
provide recent summary reports of
their own monitoring activities.
This information will be compiled
by EPA's Atlantic Ecology
Division (AED) into a summary
overview of the MAIA integrated
estuaries monitoring program which
will be put on the EMAP homepage.
The EMAP homepage will also
serve as a MAIA Information
Clearinghouse for the 1997 MAIA
Estuaries Monitoring data.
The partners collected the field data
during the months of July, August,
and September of 1997. Data and
assessment reports are scheduled to
be available in 1998.
Future Activities
The ultimate goal of this
cooperative research program is to
design an integrated monitoring
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Partners in the MAIA Estuarine
Monitoring Program
Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program (EMAP)
EMAP activities in estuaries were
initiated in 1990 by the EPA and
NOAA. EMAP was designed to
assess changes in ecological
condition over large
biogeographical regions (e.g., the
Virginian Province and Carolinian
Province in MAIA), and over long
periods of time (e.g., decades). A
central goal of EMAP was to make
representative estimates of status
and trends in ecological condition
with known confidence. To attain
this objective, the EMAP estuaries
sampling network used a probability
based sampling design.
For more information on EMAP
Estuaries, contact: Kevin Summers,
904/934-924
NOAA's
National Status
and Trends
Program -
Delaware Bay
Based on previous discussions with
the EPA, NOAA added the
Delaware River to its NS&T
Program in 1997. NOAA will use
the triad approach to sediment
sampling (chemical analyses,
benthic populations, and sediment
toxicity tests) at 40 monitoring
stations in Delaware Bay for a ten-
day period.
For more information on NOAA's
NS&T contact: Andrew Robertson,
301/712-3028 ext 162
Delaware River Basin Commission
DELAWARE-NEW JERSEY
PENNSYLVANIA - NEW YORK
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Since 1968, the DRBC has sampled
the water column from March
through November. Samples are
collected near the surface at slack
tide at stations located from mid-bay
to Trenton (the 127 river-mile
mark). The samples are collected
two to three times per month and
analyzed for conventional
parameters, volatile organic
compounds, dissolved and total
metals, and productivity
measurements by the State of
Delaware's laboratory.
For more information on the DRBC
contact: Ed Santoro, 609/883-9500
National Park
Service Maryland
Coastal Bays
Monitoring
Since 1987, the
National Park
Service (NFS) conducts monthly
monitoring at 18 stations in the
Maryland Coastal Bays, 11 of which
are in Chincoteague Bay. The
monitoring stations were selected
deterministically, not randomly.
During the past two years, NFS has
monitored the stations year round.
Water samples are collected and
analyzed for water quality
parameters only. During the 1994-
1995 time period, the Assateague
Island monitoring program also
collected benthic samples at 45
stations (3X/year).
For more information on NFS
activities in Maryland Coastal Bays
contact: Carl Zimmerman,
410/641-1443
Chesapeake Bay Program
been operating since 1983. Both
main stem and tributary "Water
Quality" stations are monitored 12
to 20 times per year in Maryland
and Virginia. Two water column
samples are collected at each
station: one above the pycnocline,
and one below it. In addition,
benthic, phytoplankton, and
zooplankton samples are collected
at a subset of the monitoring
stations. A stratified random design
is followed for benthic sampling; 25
benthic samples are collected at a
subset of the stations each year.
Sediments at most stations are
sampled once per year for organics
and metals analyses. Additionally,
there recently has been ambient
toxicity testing at 3 to 4 stations to
assess sediment contamination in
the Bay. There also is a 4-5 year
pilot program to monitor fish
communities (e.g., IBI) and tie this
information into ambient toxicity
programs. Historically there has
been no routine analysis for
sediment chemistry in the
Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.
For more information on the
Chesapeake Bay Program contact:
Rich Batiuk, 410/267-5731
The Chesapeake Bay Program (a
consortium of Federal state and
local governments and non-
governmental organizations) has
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