The goal of the Network is to provide information about the health of our oceans and coastal ecosystems and inland influences on coastal waters for improved resource management.

The Network was designed by the Council and more than 80 stakeholders in response to a recommendation by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy in 2004 in “An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century".

The Network integrates biological, chemical, and physical features and links uplands to the coastal ocean. It is, in reality, comprised of a “network of networks” and represents an integrated, multidisciplinary, and multi-organizational approach that leverages diverse sources of data and information; augments existing monitoring programs; and links observational capabilities. These networks include federal agencies, the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), and regional associations representing a broad community of users, including coastal and inland states, tribes, researchers, and non-governmental organizations.

Key design features of the Network:

• clear linkages with management issues—including nutrient enrichment, oxygen depletion, toxic contaminants, and beaches—that are important to a broad community of users
• Involvement of IOOS and regional associations for monitoring offshore compartments and coastal management
• a linked data network
• inclusion of monitoring to meet diverse objectives (including fixed and probabilistic designs); and
• provisions for data comparability, management, and access.

Network refinements in 2008:

• nutrient parameters and detection limits;
• additional contaminants;
• inclusion of coastal wetlands and atmospheric contributions; and
• ancillary data needed for biological assessments. (Read the complete summary...)

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