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National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

Weekly Report – June 03, 2007

Web Access to Estuarine Assessments Improves Data Availability to Managers The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment website features new access to data and online analysis of three assessments (Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay and St. Lucie Estuary). The data include chemical contaminant residue levels in sediment and tissue, measures of sediment toxicity and benthic infauna community metrics. Users will be able to download the data and the report. Online mapping and data analysis tools will also be available. For more information, visit www.NSandT.noaa.gov and click on “Bioeffects” or contact Ed Johnson at (301) 713-3028 x149 or Ed.Johnson@noaa.gov, or John Christensen at (301) 713-3028 x153 or John.Christensen@noaa.gov.

CCMA Provides Leadership at Nordic Marine Zoning Workshop The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) recently participated in the Nordic Marine Spatial Planning Workshop. The workshop focused on the development of new tools and approaches to advance marine planning and management efforts in the eastern North Atlantic. CCMA provided a unique perspective from outside the Nordic region by presenting case studies of Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring and Biogeographic Assessment of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Other participants in the international workshop, convened June 6–8, 2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark, included resource managers, policy-makers, and researchers specializing in Marine Protected Area design, monitoring and evaluation. A report of the workshop will be published in a recognized series. For more information, please contact Chris Caldow at (301) 713-3028 x164 or Chris.Caldow@noaa.gov.

NOAA Inter-agency Partnership to Plan for Future Ocean Color Sensors
NOAA held a program manager workshop on June 21, 2007 to review strategies for improving inter-agency cooperation and collaboration on calibration and validation of ocean color sensors. Satellite measurements are used to quantify ocean color and require rigorous controls to meet required agency standards. Workshop attendees included scientists from NOAA’s Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, and International Programs Office together with external partners, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S. Navy, and National Institute of Standards and Technology. For more information, contact Rick Stumpf at (301) 713-3028 x173 or Richard.Stumpf@noaa.gov.

CCMA Releases Improved National Status and Trends Analytical Methods The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment's (CCMA) National Status and Trends Program (NS&T) recently completed the last part of a four volume set of method document updates for trace element and organic contaminant quantification methods, ancillary measures, and pathology techniques (http://www8.nos.noaa.gov/nccos/ccma/pubinfo.aspx?id=2524). NS&T has been a leader in defining performance driven analytical quality assurance methods that other laboratories use as a guide to develop their own programs. The environmental community has extensively used both the methods and the analytes selected. For more information, contact Kimani Kimbrough at (301) 713-3028 x114 or Kimani.Kimbrough@noaa.gov, or Gunnar Lauenstein at (301) 713-3028 x152 or Gunnar.Lauenstein@noaa.gov.

CCMA Scientist Supports Effort to Maximize Aquaculture in Irish Harbors The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) is part of an international team that is combining hydrologic, shellfish growth and the Assessment of Estuarine Trophic Status (ASSETS) eutrophication models to look at sustainability of aquaculture and water quality impacts in Irish waters. A meeting was held in Dublin, Ireland on June 11-12, 2007 with the Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Irish Sea Fisheries Board which supports the international effort (www.bim.ie; www.bim2b.com). Researchers are studying three harbors in Ireland (Dungarvan, Wexford and Killary). This project is in the sixth month of a 2 year study, the results of which will appear in a report and peer reviewed publication, as well as online accessible tools for aquaculture farmers. For more information, contact Suzanne Bricker at (301) 713-3020 x139 or Suzanne.Bricker@noaa.gov.

CCMA Scientist Guides Modifications of UK Eutrophication Assessment MethodResearchers from the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) (www.cefas.co.uk/) and Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (www.defra.gov.uk/) met in London on June 15, 2007 to compare two eutrophication assessment methods. The methods examined were the Assessment of Estuarine Trophic Status (ASSETS) and the Oslo Paris Convention for the Protection of the North Sea (OSPAR) Comprehensive Procedure (COMPP). Currently, a proposal is in development to make a robust comparison of the methods using data from several well-studied systems in the UK and the US. The results of the comparison will be used to modify the methods for more accurate assessment and will be published in a peer reviewed journal. For more information, contact Suzanne Bricker at (301) 713-3020 x139 or Suzanne.Bricker@noaa.gov.