The Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) is an integrated, long-term program that takes an ecosystem approach to identify and understand changes to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. There are more than forty institutions and organizations in the greater Monterey Bay area that are currently examining various aspects of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Marine research conducted in the sanctuary includes long-term monitoring programs that are essential to furthering our understanding, and to determining the health, of the marine ecosystem. SIMoN enables researchers to monitor the sanctuary effectively by integrating the existing monitoring programs and identifying gaps in information. By avoiding duplication of these programs, resources can be more effectively directed towards surveying and characterizing habitats, assessing the impact of natural processes or human activities on specific resources, and long-term monitoring. Finally, SIMoN serves to make the monitoring data available to managers, decision makers, the research community, and the general public. Current projects, maps and graphs, and educational information are organized by subject on the website. In addition, three interactive maps are available which allow users to visualize, analyze and extract spatial data. The SIMoN Standard Viewer provides a wide variety of GIS data layers of various themes and focus. This viewer is useful for comparing spatial data from a wide variety of scientific disciplines. The SIMoN Water Quality Viewer provides GIS data layers relevant to water quality issues in and around the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Finally the R/V McArthur II Research Cruise Viewer provides GIS data layers and links to video clips and images obtained from the April, 2004 McArthur II survey conducted in the Monterey Bay, Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones national marine sanctuaries.

This project tested the use of eDNA methods to identify fish communities, assess biodiversity, and detect invasive crabs in different types of estuaries and connected streams. Samples were collected at Apalachicola, Great Bay, He’eai, Hudson, South Slough and Wells Reserves in 2018 and 2019. The project deployed two methods to analyze DNA in water samples: metabarcoding that identifies a wide range of species, and digital droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) that identifies a single target organism. The team conducted baseline community assessments for fish at five reserve sites and conducted a survey of anadromous fish in a tributary stream at the sixth reserve. The project found that fish community and biodiversity assessments are well suited to eDNA applications, while invasive crabs are much harder to detect because they do not shed much DNA. The project developed protocols and recommendations for the collection, filtering, and extraction of eDNA samples at estuarine sites, and provided information which will support the design of sampling programs for fish communities.

This project synthesized Sentinel Site data for four New England National Estuarine Research Reserves (Great Bay, Narragansett, Waquoit Bay, and Wells), which have been individually monitoring salt marsh vegetation and elevation changes since at least 2011. The project team developed statistics-ready data packages linking vegetation change with surface elevation and other data, including output from an inundation tool. This project equipped New England reserves and coastal managers with new information to inform and improve the management, protection, and restoration of salt marshes. It produced an improved Sentinel Site monitoring protocol and established a methodology for analysis of marsh condition that can be used across the reserve system and by coastal managers nationwide. This catalyst project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to advance collaborative science. It did not produce any new data.

The project team produces educational outreach materials for audiences throughout Grand Bay. The materials will raise awareness of the positive and negative effects of land-use change for the general public, community organizations, and decisionmakers within the region. The materials will educate audiences about the ways to preserve and protect Grand Bay from waterborne pathogens and excess nutrients. The team will use science-based information to reinforce the importance of reducing stormwater contamination, improving wastewater management, and implementing land-use planning that takes water resources into account. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

The relative resilience of coral reef sites was assessed at two depths in 2015, 2016, and 2017 (note: this map layer only includes the shallow locations). The surveys were conducted as a collaborative effort by SymbioSeas, Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP), and community organizations.

These water quality data are one of many studies being done to assess and monitor coral reef ecosystems. The intent of this work is three fold: (1) to spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance, and size of both reef fishes and mega-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema); (2) to relate this information to in-situ data collected on water quality and associated habitat parameters; (3) to use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting and to establish the efficacy of those management decisions. Toward this end, the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment's Biogeography Branch (BB) has completed its fourth year and is beginning its fifth year of work in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It is critical, with recent changes in management at both locations (e.g. implementation of MPAs) as well as proposed changes (e.g. zoning to manage multiple human uses) that action is taken now to accurately describe and characterize the fish/macro-invertebrate populations in these areas. It is also important that BB work closely with the individuals responsible for recommending and implementing these management strategies. Recognizing this, BB has been collaborating with partners at the University of Puerto Rico, National Park Service, US Geological Survey and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources.To quantify patterns of spatial distribution and make meaningful interpretations, we must first have knowledge of the underlying variables determining species distribution. The basis for this work therefore, is the nearshore benthic habitats maps ( less than 100 ft depth) created by NOAA's Biogeography Program in 2001 and NOS' bathymetry models. Using ArcView GIS software, the digitized habitat maps are stratified to select sampling stations. Sites are randomly selected within these strata to ensure coverage of the entire study region and not just a particular reef or seagrass area. At each site, fish, macro-invertebrates, and associated water quality and habitat information is then quantified following standardized protocols. By relating the data collected in the field back to the habitat maps and bathymetric models, BB is able to model and map species level and community level information. These protocols are standardized throughout the US Caribbean to enable quantification and comparison of reef fish abundance and distribution trends between locations. Armed with the knowledge of where "hot spots" of species richness and diversity are likely to occur in the seascape, the BB is in a unique position to answer questions about the efficacy of marine zoning strategies (e.g. placement of no fishing, anchoring, or snorkeling locations), and what locations are most suitable for establishing MPAs. Knowledge of the current status of fish/macro-invertebrate communities coupled with longer term monitoring will enable evaluation of management efficacy, thus it is essential to future management actions.

This project will enhance stakeholder capacity to make informed decisions on the protection and restoration of buffers around the Great Bay Estuary by addressing the following question: What are the options for addressing the challenges to effectively protect and restore buffer zones around New Hampshire's Great Bay? The project will support strategic agency and nonprofit investments; inform strategies for outreach professionals to work with towns on water quality improvement, habitat protection, climate adaptation, and nonpoint source pollution control; and lead to new research questions. This integrated assessment project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to evaluate options for action. It did not produce any new data.

Southern California’s coastal environments are under intense development pressure. In the Tijuana River Valley, this pressure translates into the fragmentation and loss of coastal wetlands that provide invaluable services, such as water quality protection. Conserving and restoring these wetlands has become a priority for regional coastal managers, scientists, and environmental organizations. However, despite a wealth of knowledge about these coastal systems, decision-makers lack essential information to transform wetland recovery and management priorities into action.

Seagrasses are highly productive ecosystems. A before-after-control-impact (BACI) design was used to examine effects of dredging on seagrasses and the animals that inhabit them. The control site North Biscayne Bay (NBB) and impacted site Port of Miami (POM) had seagrass densities decreased during the before, Fish and Invertebrate Assessment Network (FIAN) 2006-2011 and after, Faunal Monitoring Due to Harbor Dredging (FMHD) 2014-2016 studies. Turbidity levels increased at NBB and POM basins during the FMHD study, especially in 2016. Animal populations decreased significantly in NBB and POM in the FMHD study compared to the FIAN study. If seagrass communities are not stabilized, animal numbers will likely continue to decrease. There could be impacts on several fisheries vital to the South Florida economy. Additional research could determine if animal populations and seagrass densities have rebounded or continued to decrease.

One of the few pristine, mangrove-forested estuaries in the country, Florida’s Rookery Bay Estuary is a critical breeding ground for the fisheries that underpin the region’s economy. Balancing the freshwater needs of the estuary with those of local communities is increasingly challenging as population growth and sea level rise tax freshwater resources. Decision-makers need information about freshwater requirements of the estuary and the perspectives of water users to effectively manage water resources.