ROV-based Deep Water Monitoring of the Northern Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas Annual Report - 2007

Research cruises were conducted in August-October 2007 to complete the third annual remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-based assessments of nearshore rocky bottom finfish at ten sites in the northern Channel Islands. Annual surveys at the Channel Islands have been conducted since 2004 at four sites and were expanded to ten sites in 2005 to monitor potential marine protected area (MPA)effects on baseline fish density. Six of the ten sites are in MPAs and four in nearby fished reference areas. In 2007 the amount of soft-only substrate on the 141 track lines surveyed was again estimated in real-time in order to target rocky bottom habitat. These real-time estimates of hard and mixed substrate for all ten sites averaged 57%, 1% more than the post-processed average of 56%. Surveys generated 69.9 km of usable video for use in finfish density calculations, with target rocky bottom habitat accounting for 56% (39.1 km) for all sites combined. The amount of rocky habitat sampled by site averaged 3.8 km and ranged from 3.3 km sampled at South Point, a State Marine Reserve (SMR) off Santa Rosa Island, to 4.7 km at Anacapa Island SMR. A sampling goal of 75 transects at all 10 sites was met using real-time habitat estimates combined with precautionary over-sampling by 10%. A total of seventy kilometers of sampling is projected to produce at least seventy-five 100 m2 transects per site. Thirteen of 26 finfish taxa observed were selected for quantitative evaluation over the time series based on a minimum criterion of abundance (0.05/100 m2). Ten of these 13 finfish appear to be more abundant at the state marine reserves relative to fished areas when densities were averaged across the 2005 to 2007 period. One of the species that appears to be more abundant in fished areas was señorita, a relatively small prey species that is not a commercial or recreational target. (PDF contains 83 pages.)

Channel Islands Deep Water Monitoring Plan Development Workshop Report April 26-27, 2005 University of California, Santa Barbara

In 2003, twelve marine protected areas were established in state waters (0-3 nmi) surrounding the Channel Islands. NOAA is considering extending this network (3-6 nmi) into deeper waters of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS). In order for effective long-term management of the deep water reserves to occur, a well-structured monitoring program is required to assess effectiveness. The CINMS and the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) hosted a 2-day workshop in April 2005 to develop a monitoring plan for the proposed federal marine reserves in that sanctuary. Conducted at the University of California at Santa Barbara, participants included scientists from academic, state, federal, and private research institutions. Workshop participants developed project ideas that could answer priority questions posed by the NMSP. This workshop report will be used to develop a monitoring plan for the reserves. (PDF contains 47 pages.)

Procedures manual for ground water monitoring at solid waste disposal facilities.

Mode of access: Internet.

Guidance for state water monitoring and wasteload allocation programs.

Mode of access: Internet.

Illinois water monitoring strategy, 2007-2012.

"IEPA/BOW/07-005."--Cover.

Surface water monitoring strategy, 1996-2000 /

"June 1996."

Water monitoring strategy, 2002-2006.

"IEPA/BOW/02-005"--Cover.

Ambient Water Monitoring Strategy for Iowa: 2016-2021, November 30, 2016

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Ambient Water Monitoring Program provides consistent, unbiased information about the condition of Iowa’s water resources to support decisions affecting the development, management and protection of these resources. To strengthen its services, the program worked with a variety of stakeholders and other DNR programs to develop a five-year strategy for Iowa’s ambient water monitoring efforts. The strategy identifies opportunities to improve the program’s effectiveness in several categories: monitoring objectives, sampling design, data management, products and services, and program evaluation and coordination. Iowa DNR managers and technical staff will use the new strategy to guide decisions affecting the ambient monitoring program over the next five years. The strategy should also serve as a robust informational resource for stakeholders, policy makers, legislators and the public.

A demonstration of wireless sensing for long-term monitoring of water quality

At a time when technological advances are providing new sensor capabilities, novel network capabilities, long-range communications technologies and data interpreting and delivery formats via the World Wide Web, we never before had such opportunities to sense and analyse the environment around us. However, the challenges exist. While measurement and detection of environmental pollutants can be successful under laboratory-controlled conditions, continuous in-situ monitoring remains one of the most challenging aspects of environmental sensing. This paper describes the development and test of a multi-sensor heterogeneous real-time water monitoring system. A multi-sensor system was deployed in the River Lee, County Cork, Ireland to monitor water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. The R. Lee comprises of a tidal water system that provides an interesting test site to monitor. The multi-sensor system set-up is described and results of the sensor deployment and the various challenges are discussed.

Combining sampling, profiling, remote sensing and modelling to efficiently monitoring estuarine and coastal water quality

Monitoring of coastal and estuarine water quality has been traditionally performed by sampling with subsequent laboratory analysis. This has the disadvantages of low spatial and temporal resolution and high cost. In the last decades two alternative techniques have emerged to overcome this drawback: profiling and remote sensing. Profiling using multi-parameter sensors is now in a commercial stage. It can be used, tied to a boat, to obtain a quick “picture” of the system. The spatial resolution thus increases from single points to a line coincident with the boat track. The temporal resolution however remains unchanged since campaigns and resources involved are basically the same. The need for laboratory analysis was reduced but not eliminated because parameters like nutrients, microbiology or metals are still difficult to obtain with sensors and validation measurements are still needed. In the last years the improvement in satellite resolution has enabled its use for coastal and estuarine water monitoring. Although spatial coverage and resolution of satellite images in the present is already suitable to coastal and estuarine monitoring, temporal resolution is naturally limited to satellite passages and cloud cover. With this panorama the best approach to water monitoring is to integrate and combine data from all these sources. The natural tools to perform this integration are numerical models. Models benefit from the different sources of data to obtain a better calibration. After calibration they can be used to extend spatially and temporally the methods resolution. In Algarve (South of Portugal) a monitoring effort using this approach is being undertaken. The monitoring effort comprises five different locations including coastal waters, estuaries and coastal lagoons. The objective is to establish the base line situation to evaluate the impact of Waste Water Treatment Plants design and retrofitting. The field campaigns include monthly synoptic profiling, using an YSI 6600 multi-parameter system, laboratory analysis and fixed stations. The remote sensing uses ENVISAT\MERIS Level 2 Full Resolution data. This data is combined and used with the MOHID modelling system to obtain an integrate description of the systems. The results show the limitations of each method and the ability of the modelling system to integrate the results and to produce a comprehensive picture of the system.