PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #30: Long-Term Ecological Research.
Wednesday, August 8, 2001. Presentation from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Exhibition Hall
105
Design of monitoring programs: A case study from the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
FETCHER, NED1, MCDOWELL, WILLIAM2, 1 2
ABSTRACT- Ecological research and assessment increasingly relies on the establishment of networks of monitoring stations. In the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, agencies in six states are monitoring various aspects of water quality at more than 1000 locations. We propose a framework for design of monitoring networks using the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as an example. We have identified several steps in the process, including identifying and prioritizing monitoring objectives, recommending methods for meeting each objective, examining existing stations for suitability in meeting objectives, and constructing an independent network of stations associated with each objective. The final network is composed by overlaying the networks associated with individual monitoring objectives and removing those stations associated with objectives that have low priority. Our research has highlighted the need for common sampling protocols and analytical techniques to provide the maximum utility from the network. Inclusion of sites that do not meet the minimum criteria seriously degrades the ability of network data to be used to rigorously test specific hypotheses or to assess the effectiveness of management strategies.
KEY WORDS: Ecological Monitoring, Water Quality, Chesapeake Bay