Data to Guide Managing Coastal Waters

Michigan State University Helps to Determine Bay, Gulf and Delta Water Problems

When it comes to understanding America's coastal fisheries, anecdotes are gripping - stories of a choking algae bloom, or a bay's struggle with commercial development. But when it comes to taking action, there's no beating big data.

In this week's edition of Estuaries and Coasts, a Michigan State University doctoral student joins with others to give a sweeping assessment to understand how human activities are affecting estuaries, the nation's sounds, bays, gulfs and bayous. These are places where freshwater flows into the oceans, and the needs of the people blend with a wide variety of fish and shellfish that support both commercial and recreational fishing.

This first comprehensive look at changes in land cover, river flow, pollution and nutrient levels offers a comprehensive look at the state of America's estuaries.

It's a first look for a lot of eyes. Estuaries are tended to by many agencies at the federal, state, local and non-profit levels. Land use changes, through commercial and residential development, farming and industrial activities, can threaten delicate ecosystems that nurture valuable fishing resources.

Yet many of these managers don't have the resources to examine long-term changes, or compare themselves to other ecological systems, saidJoe Nohner, who is pursuing a PhD in fisheries and wildlife in the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability.

The project gathered and crunched a nation's stockpile of data gleaned from monitoring an estuary's stressors. Taking a big-picture view, from small river mouths to large deltas over a decade or more tells a crucial story of what is happening.

Source: Michigan State University

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