HR: 13:45h
AN: NB13E-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: A Protocol for Development of Linked and Tiered Criteria for Biota and Nutrients
AU: * Stevenson, J
EM: rjstev@msu.edu
AF: Michigan State University, Department of Zoology, East Lansing, MI 48824 United States
AB: Protecting or restoring aquatic life use has emerged as an important goal for establishing nutrient criteria; and more than one level of protection is needed for outstanding resource waters versus all others. Linking nutrient criteria to support of specific biocriteria and "tiering" both types of criteria for different designated uses can increase stakeholder support of criteria. The many steps and options for criteria development can be organized into a protocol. First, relations between valued ecological attributes, contaminants, and human activities must be established to warrant criteria development. Expected conditions of valued attributes, typically biological, should be defined. Then the stressor levels sustain those attributes, and certainty of sustainability, can be determined with stressor-response relationships. Keys for stakeholder support, such threshold responses and highly valued attributes, should be emphasized. Many tools can be used to refine stressor-response relationships, such as adjusting scales of observations, classifying ecosystems according to natural variability, using both single and multimetric indices, joint criteria, and inferring stressor conditions with biota. In addition, criteria calculations may vary depending upon planned methods for measuring compliance. These issues represent important points to consider and options for refinement. They will be related in the protocol and illustrated with studies of streams.
DE: 0345 Pollution--urban and regional (0305)
DE: 1699 General or miscellaneous
DE: 4211 Benthic boundary layers
DE: 4845 Nutrients and nutrient cycling
DE: 6324 Legislation and regulations
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly