HR: 15:30h
AN: B44A-01    [Abstracts]
TI: Tampa Bay Pilot Study: Development of an Integrated Science Strategy for Understanding Estuarine Ecosystems
AU: * Yates, K K
EM: kyates@usgs.gov
AF: U. S. Geological Survey, 600 4th St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 United States
AB: Many of the nation's estuaries have been environmentally stressed since the turn of the century and will continue to be impacted in the future. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has initiated a research effort in the Gulf of Mexico with the goal of developing reliable predictive capabilities for resource managers based on a system-wide understanding of natural and anthropogenic influences on estuarine ecosystems. Key to the USGS approach is the recognition that estuarine systems function as a result of a dynamic interplay among biologic, geologic, hydrologic, atmospheric, and chemical processes. Therefore, achieving credible results requires a research strategy integrated among scientific disciplines. In order to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, Tampa Bay was selected for a five-year study. A primary goal of the Tampa Bay Pilot Study is to develop science and management strategies for U.S.G.S. to engage in integrated science that will provide a research template for studies in other Gulf of Mexico estuaries. The Tampa Bay Pilot Study, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and key federal, state, and local entities, has successfully combined regional and high resolution mapping techniques, groundwater and surface water research, wetland and seagrass studies, geological investigations, and information management strategies to assess system-wide impacts of environmental change in Tampa Bay. Successful completion of the two and a half years of this study has provided the foundation to develop predictive modeling capabilities for understanding potential impacts of environmental perturbations in the future.
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
DE: 4235 Estuarine processes
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly