NCCOS Chemical Contaminant and Remote Sensing Data to Support the Heinz Center’s State of the Nation’s Ecosystems Report
Upon invitation, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) scientists recently briefed staff from the Heinz Center about a range of NCCOS data products, for use in development of the second State of the Nation’s Ecosystems report, scheduled for publication in 2007. The first State of the Nation’s Ecosystems was published in 2002, and was designed to provide policymakers and the general public with a succinct yet comprehensive evaluation of the condition of the nation’s ecosystems. The NCCOS scientists provided a summary of the Mussel Watch coastal contaminant monitoring program, including a customized national and regional analysis of PCB, DDT, and mercury data from 1986 to present. In addition, senior scientific staffs from both organizations discussed a suite of climatological analyses of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll concentration slated to be included in the report, as well as topics of harmful algal blooms and eutrophication. The next Heinz Center report will present NCCOS data in a chapter on the coasts and oceans, under headings on physical conditions, biological components and human uses, and the two groups plan to reconvene in the near future to discuss how ongoing NCCOS activities can be used to inform this report.
Related NCCOS Center(s): CCMA
Shorter web link for sharing: http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/?p=924