A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region

Kopp BS, National Park Service, Neckles HA. A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region. 2009. National Park Service

This Project reference contains "A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region" and all relevant SOPs (below). Approximately one quarter of the NPS land area within the NPS Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network is submerged. These estuaries, bays, and lagoons serve as islands of relatively pristine aquatic habitat within the Northeastern urban corridor. The North Atlantic coastal parks are dependent on high-quality aquatic resources to sustain the complex estuarine and nearshore ecosystems they represent. Diverse threats to NPS estuaries exist, including natural disturbances (e.g. storms, sea-level rise), direct impacts of human activities (e.g. fishing, boating, dock construction), indirect effects of watershed development, and disasters. Of these, park managers throughout the network have repeatedly identified threats to coastal water quality as one of their highest priority management issues. Much of the watershed area of NPS coastal ecosystems lies outside protective park boundaries and is subject to intense developmental pressures. Therefore, there is great potential for human disturbances to coastal watersheds to result in increased nutrient loading to park estuaries. Estuaries can generally assimilate some degree of enrichment without major ecological ramifications, but excessive nutrient inputs typically lead to dense blooms of phytoplankton and fast-growing macroalgae, loss of seagrasses, and decreased oxygen availability in sediments and bottom waters. Ultimately, cascading effects include changes in the species composition and abundance of invertebrates, decline in fish and wildlife habitat value, and the collapse of fin- and shellfish stocks. Protecting the ecological integrity of park estuaries depends on implementing a scientifically-based monitoring program that is capable of diagnosing local causes of nutrient enrichment, detecting changes in nutrient loads, and determining if nutrient inputs are near to exceeding thresholds that would result in shifts in ecosystem structure and function.The goals of estuarine monitoring within coastal parks of the NPS Northeast Region are: 1) to determine whether nutrient loads to park estuaries are increasing over time, and 2) to assess how estuarine natural resources are affected by changing nutrient inputs. Two distinct monitoring protocols have been developed to achieve these goals, and the utility of the protocols and interpretability of the monitoring data from each are tightly linked. Goal (1) is addressed by a separate protocol that prescribes direct monitoring and modeling of nutrient loading to NER coastal parks. Goal (2) is addressed by this protocol, which describes methods for tracking estuarine response to nutrient enrichment. This document describes the development of the monitoring protocol, justification for selection of monitoring variables, approaches and standard operating procedures for implementation throughout NER coastal parks, and guidance for interpreting data.

Type

Project

Authors

Kopp, Blaine; National Park Service; Neckles, Hilary

Publisher

National Park Service

Units

ASIS , CACO , COLO , FIIS , GATE , GEWA , NCBN , NRSS

Keywords

Assateague Island National Seashore, estuarine habitats, Estuary, Fire Island National Seashore, Gateway National Recreation Area, Monitoring, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, Nutrient Enrichment, Nutrients, Plant Communities, plant cover, Sea grass, Soil Chemistry, Species Composition, Vegetation, Vegetation cover, Water Chemistry, Water Clarity , Water Quality, Water Quality Monitoring, Wetlands

Subjects

Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Soil Quality | Soil Function and Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Nutrient Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Estuarine Communities , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Non-point Source Human Effects | Non-point Source Human Effects , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Nutrient Dynamics | Nutrient Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Energy Flow | Primary Production

Products

• 2025 Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment Water Quality Monitoring Data Package
• Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment Water Quality Monitoring Data for Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Parks (Certified) 2003-2024
• Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment Water Quality Monitoring Data for Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Parks (Certified)
• A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region - Narrative
• SOP 1 – Field Season Logistics; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 2 – Preparation of the Logging Station; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 3, v.1.01 – Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring with the YSI Sonde
• SOP 4 v1.01 – Spatial Water-Quality Monitoring with the YSI Sonde; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 5 – Spatial Water-Quality Monitoring with LiCor PAR Instruments; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 6, v1.01 – Chlorophyll a Sampling and Analysis; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 7 – Sediment Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Sampling and Analysis; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 8 –Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Mapping; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 9 – Seagrass Condition Monitoring; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 10, v1.01 – Water-Quality Monitoring Data Reduction; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 11 – Quality Assurance and Quality Control; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 12, v1.01 – Data Analysis and Annual Reporting; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• SOP 13 – Revising the Protocol; A Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment in Coastal Parks of the National Park Service Northeast Region
• Appendix A. Technical Information on Spatial Sampling Designs
• Appendix B, v1.01. YSI Sonde Calibration Log
• Appendix C. YSI Technical Note: Alternate Calibration methods for the YSI 6025 Chlorophyll Sensor.
• Appendix D, v1.01. Water-Quality Monitoring Station Data Sheet
• Appendix E - Chlorophyll-a Filtering Data Sheet
• Appendix F. Seagrass Condition Monitoring Data Sheets
• Appendix G. Seagrass Condition Monitoring Data Reduction Templates
• Estuarine Nutrient Enrichment Tier-3 Seagrass Monitoring Data for Fire Island National Seashore (Certified)

See also

• Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Estuarine Water Quality and Seagrass Monitoring Program Safety Plan

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