| | Accession Number | 5004029 |
| | Title | Developing Tools to Monitor and Predict Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on Estuaries at |
| | Acadia National Park |
| | Project Description | Baseline investigations have highlighted the susceptibility of estuaries at Acadia National Park to |
| | nutrient inputs and the threats posed by increasing residential development outside the ParkÆs |
| | boundaries. Excessive nutrient enrichment of estuaries can lead to eutrophication and |
| | concomitant losses of biological diversity and habitat value. This project will develop tools for |
| | predicting estuarine responses to nutrient enrichment and management prescriptions for |
| | monitoring the ecological integrity of AcadiaÆs estuaries. We are using an interdisciplinary |
| | approach at a variety of spatial scales to link land use to nutrient loading and ecological response. |
| | The objectives of this project are to 1) identify the sources and quantities of nutrient inputs to the |
| | estuary, 2) determine critical thresholds for nutrient enrichment causing shifts in community |
| | dominance by submerged vascular plants to algae, 3) quantify land-use types and landscape |
| | pattern metrics within the watershed, and relate watershed characteristics to nutrient loading |
| | rates, 4)develop a GIS-based decision support system linking estuarine response to land use, and |
| | 5) test the sensitivity of various indicators and determine the sampling frequency needed to |
| | detect early signs of estuarine eutrophication through long-term monitoring. |
| | Keywords | decision support system, estuaries, landscape, national parks, nutrient enrichment, ruppia |
| | maritima, submerged macrophytes, water quality, watersheds, |
| | Principal | Hilary A Neckles, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: hilary_neckles@usgs.gov; Glenn R |
| | Investigators | Guntenspergen, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: glenn_guntenspergen@usgs.gov; |
| | Charles Culbertson, USGS Water Resources Division, Maine District Office: cculbert@usgs.gov; |
| | Martha G Nielsen, USGS Water Resources Division Maine District Office: mnielsen@usgs.gov; |
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