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Aquatic Resource Monitoring - Recent Additions & Current Events

The Aquatic Resource Monitoring web site has been recently revised, updated and expanded to provide a wider resource for those interested in aquatic monitoring. Our original objective was to provide convenient access to current information on the background, overview, specific details and technical resources for probability monitoring designs, analysis and implementation. The expanded objective includes information and links for indicators, field procedures and manuels, plus a wider scope of links to other monitoring related web sites.

Comments, Suggestions and Feedback are welcomed and appreciated. Contact us!

Periodic additions and updates are envisioned over the coming months, check here for recent additions and current events. Site additions, Monitoring Program Updates

Web Site Additions

March 30, 2006 Update

Status of State Implementation of Probability Monitoring has been updated and categories changed to reflect quantative indicators of implementation status.

Febuary 3, 2006 Update

Presentations and examples:

  • Introduction to R and psurvey.analysis software
  • New expanded analysis example for psurvey.analysis
  • Relative Risk presentation and example
  • Software Updates

  • Updates to psurvey.analysis (Version 2.9) and psurvey.design (Version 2.2.1)
  • R Statistical Software Version 2.2.1 available from this site, the R version used for current versions of psurvey.analysis and psurvey.design.
  • Additions

  • Maps for National Coastal Assessment State Sampling Sites
  • Guidelines and examples for obtaining Landowner access permission
  • Documents

  • Mid-Atlantic Highlands Streams Assessment, Aug 2000
  • Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) Western Streams and Rivers Statistical Summary, June 2005
  • An Ecological Assessment of Western Streams and Rivers, Sept 2005
  • Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA)State of the Flowing Waters Report, Feb 2006
  • November 9, 2005 Update

    ArcGis maps for design examples are now available for downloading. ArcReader (a free software package from ESRI) is required to view, explore and print maps.

    October 2005 Update

    Information, examples (streams, lakes, estuaries, ecoregions) and software for selecting GRTS samples is available for psurvey.design 2.1.

    July 2005 Update

    Updates to Population Estimation Algorithms - psurvey.analysis (Version 2.7, 6/30/05). Documentation of version changes and user guides updated. Provides downloadable algorithms in S-Plus and R code.

    Presentations and Training Materials have been added to provide the access to some of the Design Team and closely related presentations.

    The design decisions and maps of sampling sites for the 2205-2006 National Coastal Assessment (NCA) are now available on this site.

    Description and examples have be updated and expanded for the site selection processes.

    April 2005 Update

    Updates to Population Estimation Algorithms - psurvey.analysis (Version 2.6, 3/31/05). Documentation of version changes and user guides are updated. Provides downloadable algorithms in S-Plus and R code. Updated version 2.6 is compatable with R versions 2.x.x., an archive includes prior versions, with accompanying examples. Examples for Streams and Estuaries, including input files, R text files for adjusting weights and population estimation, and results are provided to facilitate uses.

    psurvey.analysis_2.6 includes a new function, relrisk. This function calculates the relative risk estimate for a 2x2 table of cell counts defined by a categorical response variable and a categorical explanatory (stressor) variable for an unequal probability design. In addition the standard error of the log of the relative risk estimate and confidence limits for the estimate are calculated.

    Pages Added:

    • Download Software - Facilitates easier access to psurvey.analysis software. User guides and readme files converted to webpages with pdf files available for downloading.
    • Indicators - Intended to provide introducory material, references and links to aquatic indicator information.
    • Field Manuals - Information and links to field manuals to facilitate consistent data collection and information compatability.

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    Monitoring Program Updates

    Euporean Project develops Lake Habitat Survey (LHS).

    The importance of European lakes for conservation and resource use is widely recognised, yet a systematic procedure for classifying lake characteristics and habitat quality is lacking. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the assessment of ‘ecological status', in which the hydromorphological (or physical) features of standing waters is a key management consideration.

    LHS has a potentially valuable role in systematising the monitoring and management of conservation interests, e.g. monitoring internationally significant habitats, such as Special Areas of Conservation, assessing the condition of sites notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and wider applications in environmental impact assessment and restoration programmes. From the outset of the project it was envisaged that the LHS protocol could contribute to the work of a CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) Task Group on the development of a guidance standard for assessing the hydromorphology of standing waters.

    Development of a Technique for Lake Habitat Survey (LHS): Phase 1, 2004. Rowan, et. al. University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland. (Executive Summary)

    EPA's Office Water National Stream Survey and Report

    The Design Team is working with the Office of Water, Regions and States to design a survey of wadeable streams in the 38 States not included in EMAP-West. The Wadeable Streams Assessment is currently scheduled to submit its report in December of 2005. The field work was completed in October 2004. As of April 1, 2005 all of the data except the macroinvertebrate data are available. Final reconciliation of the macroinvertebrate data based on a 10% QA check is in the final stages with a complete data set for macroinvertebrates expected May 1, 2005. The OW anticipates publishing a report on condition of streams in December of 2005 that combines the survey results for 48 States - 12 covered by EMAP-West and the remainder covered by sampling during the 2004 field season.

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