Coastal monitoring of basic physical, chemical, and biological data

Summary: Having reference points for any variable is critical to understanding change. Yet across most USA coastlines we lack baseline data for basic environmental variables. Moreover, we know climate changes is causing shifts in latitudinal patterns in physical attributes of coastal and ocean regions (e.g., Temp, CO2) as well as organismal shifts in ranges. To understand, how environments and organisms are changing, a national monitoring system of basic physical, chemical and biological attributes is needed. Because this is such a simple basic concept that will have profound advantages, and has been repeatedly argued for, I do not think more needs to be stated here.

Sector: Academia
Organization: University of North Carolina Wilmington
POC: Ken Halanych, halanychk@uncw.edu
Other Contacts: Chris Blanco, Blancoc@uncw.edu