A major goal of the GTM Research Reserve is to promote research and monitoring that contributes to a fundamental understanding of estuarine systems and supports the adaptive management of same. To date, much of the research and monitoring effort at the Reserve has been accomplished by staff and/or by facilitating, or collaborating with outside investigators from universities, government agencies, and private institutions.  The work has included a diverse array of studies (e.g., ranging from the development of molecular probes to hydrodynamic studies) that have significantly contributed to baseline information and insights on the structure and dynamics of the natural communities and processes within the GTM estuaries.  These studies have provided an essential foundation from which informational gaps and issues have been identified in the formulation and focus of the current Management Plan, and through which future research and monitoring efforts will be guided.  The GTMNERR Management Plan and Site Profile identify specific priority issues and information gaps that need to be addressed by the Reserve; examples of these include:

• Biological monitoring efforts should focus on multiple trophic levels (e.g., plankton, macroinvertebrates, fishes, and marine mammals) and habitats incorporating measures of both species/habitat biodiversity and condition.  This multiple trophic level monitoring is not yet in place.  It should complement expansion of the national SWMP effort to include assessments of habitat changes in biodiversity, population structure, and productivity in coastal communities related to anthropogenic and climate change impacts.
• There is a need for information concerning the status and trends in recreational and commercial fisheries within the Reserve’s boundary
• The GTM Reserve's submerged habitats are not well characterized.  An up-to-date baseline inventory of habitats and species together with the development of protocols for conducting change analyses and predictive modeling is needed.
• Storms are often the cause of major coastal shoreline changes, exacerbating the impact of anthropogenic influences, such as sea level rise, inlet management, beach renourishment and channel dredging on natural sediment dynamics.  Sediment transport modeling is necessary to quantify these processes and to predict the outcome of anthropogenic and natural events.

Research and monitoring initiatives that inform adaptive management decision-making is a fundamental charge of the GTM Research Reserve program.  But equally important is an integration with educational and resource management to interpret the results of research and monitoring for coastal decision makers and stakeholders responsible for implementing restoration/conservation planning.