Regional Monitoring in Southern California

by Brock B. Bernstein, EcoAnalysis, Inc, Ojai, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Zone '91

Abstract:

Increasing concern about larger-scale, longer-term, and cumulative environmental effects has outstripped the ability of traditional point-source monitoring programs to provide useful information. Against this background, we describe an effort to develop integrated monitoring in Santa Monica Bay as part of the National Estuaries Program. It is based on identifying and prioritizing relevant concerns, problems, and impacts. This information, along with additional scientific information about ecosystem processes and mechanisms, is being used to develop a set of management and technical objectives for a regional monitoring program. We depict four levels of objectives that advance from public and management concerns through progressively more detail to technical plans and methods. We then describe a framework and a set of conceptual workshop tools for integrating management concerns and scientific information. The monitoring objectives that result from this process will provide guidance for the technical development of specific monitoring efforts.

Subject Headings: Water pollution | Estuaries | Urban and regional development | Information management | Ecosystems | Coastal processes | Bays | California | United States

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