Great Lakes Great Lakes Monitoring Inventory Monitoring Inventory

and Gap Analysis:and Gap Analysis:

Recommendations for Addressing Recommendations for Addressing Shortfalls and Improving Shortfalls and Improving

Monitoring Coordination in the Monitoring Coordination in the Great Lakes BasinGreat Lakes Basin

Anne SturmGreat Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Regional Data ExchangeApril 5, 2006

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Why was the Great Lakes Why was the Great Lakes Monitoring Inventory Monitoring Inventory

developed?developed? Need was identified for a comprehensive Need was identified for a comprehensive

database of monitoring program metadatadatabase of monitoring program metadata

Previous monitoring inventories developed Previous monitoring inventories developed by the Great Lakes Commission and others by the Great Lakes Commission and others established the framework for this projectestablished the framework for this project

Commission was approached to expand Commission was approached to expand monitoring inventory projects to the entire monitoring inventory projects to the entire Great Lakes Great Lakes

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What is the Great Lakes What is the Great Lakes Monitoring Inventory?Monitoring Inventory?

A comprehensive inventory of monitoring A comprehensive inventory of monitoring programs for the Great Lakes basin programs for the Great Lakes basin Actively collected program metadataActively collected program metadata Geographic databaseGeographic database Fully searchable online databaseFully searchable online database

An analysis of gaps and overlaps in An analysis of gaps and overlaps in monitoring and associated monitoring and associated recommendations for improving recommendations for improving monitoring coverage and coordinationmonitoring coverage and coordination

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Relationship to Similar Relationship to Similar Regional EffortsRegional Efforts

Grant awarded to the Commission by the Joyce Grant awarded to the Commission by the Joyce Foundation and EPA GLNPO in Spring 2002Foundation and EPA GLNPO in Spring 2002

Binational Executive Committee (BEC) began Binational Executive Committee (BEC) began development of similar monitoring inventory development of similar monitoring inventory concurrentlyconcurrently

Scope of projects differed so each progressed Scope of projects differed so each progressed independentlyindependently

Duplication of effort minimized by sequenced Duplication of effort minimized by sequenced data collection and data sharingdata collection and data sharing

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Monitoring Inventory Monitoring Inventory MethodologyMethodology

Target ProgramsTarget Programs Active monitoring programs focusing Active monitoring programs focusing

on water, air, biota, sediment, or landon water, air, biota, sediment, or land

Program Metadata – including 50 fieldsProgram Metadata – including 50 fields Contact information, program Contact information, program

description, parameters, geographic description, parameters, geographic elements, methods, funding elements, methods, funding information, links to data locationinformation, links to data location

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Program Metadata Program Metadata CollectionCollection

Previous inventory efforts (e.g. Lake Previous inventory efforts (e.g. Lake Michigan, Lake St. Clair, Lake Ontario)Michigan, Lake St. Clair, Lake Ontario)

Online survey Online survey Email and phone correspondenceEmail and phone correspondence Web searches for missing informationWeb searches for missing information Information collected through BEC inventoryInformation collected through BEC inventory Monitoring inventory circulated throughout Monitoring inventory circulated throughout

monitoring communitymonitoring community Issue area conference callsIssue area conference calls

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Monitoring Inventory Monitoring Inventory ResultsResults

> > 640 programs with extensive 640 programs with extensive metadatametadata

Majority of the monitoring programs Majority of the monitoring programs taking place at the state/provincial taking place at the state/provincial levellevel

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Distribution of Sampling Distribution of Sampling Programs by AgencyPrograms by Agency

157

294

8957

40

50

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Federal State/Prov. Local University NGO Private

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Distribution of Sampling Distribution of Sampling Programs by LakePrograms by Lake

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Michigan Superior Huron Erie Ontario

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Water Quality Monitoring Water Quality Monitoring Programs by LakePrograms by Lake

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Michigan Superior Huron Erie Ontario

Water Quality (total) Watershed Open Water

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Monitoring Inventory Monitoring Inventory LimitationsLimitations

US programs make up >80% of inventory entriesUS programs make up >80% of inventory entries

Commission relied on BEC inventory for Canadian Commission relied on BEC inventory for Canadian program information program information

More detailed information is needed on Canadian More detailed information is needed on Canadian monitoring efforts monitoring efforts

To address shortfall, products circulated widely to US To address shortfall, products circulated widely to US and Canadian agencies for review and Canadian agencies for review

All invited to participate on issue area conference All invited to participate on issue area conference calls to clarify analysiscalls to clarify analysis

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Searchable Online Searchable Online DatabaseDatabase

Fully searchable monitoring program Fully searchable monitoring program metadatametadata

Searchable GIS mapping tool (in Searchable GIS mapping tool (in development)development) GIS layers of sampling station locations GIS layers of sampling station locations

associated with monitoring programs associated with monitoring programs Linked to program metadataLinked to program metadata

http://mds.glc.org/glmon/search.htmlhttp://mds.glc.org/glmon/search.html

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14

15

16

17

18

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Gap Analysis Gap Analysis MethodologyMethodology

Developed Needs Assessment using Developed Needs Assessment using SOLEC indicators as the foundationSOLEC indicators as the foundation 21 needs categories identified21 needs categories identified

Gaps and overlaps in monitoring efforts Gaps and overlaps in monitoring efforts assessed by comparing monitoring assessed by comparing monitoring inventory results to needs assessmentinventory results to needs assessment Monitoring program characteristics were Monitoring program characteristics were

compared to the purpose and intent of compared to the purpose and intent of SOLEC indicatorsSOLEC indicators

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Gap Analysis Methodology Gap Analysis Methodology (cont.)(cont.)

Gap analysis document circulated for Gap analysis document circulated for review throughout the monitoring review throughout the monitoring community community

To insure a comprehensive review, To insure a comprehensive review, issue area conference calls held to issue area conference calls held to review gap analysisreview gap analysis > 50 participants on calls and more > 50 participants on calls and more

comments via emailcomments via email

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Monitoring CategoriesMonitoring Categories Fish ConsumptionFish Consumption Drinking WaterDrinking Water Beach SafetyBeach Safety Air MonitoringAir Monitoring Water QualityWater Quality Sediment QualitySediment Quality SoilSoil GroundwaterGroundwater Climate/WeatherClimate/Weather Fish Population Fish Population

HealthHealth Urban IssuesUrban Issues

Aquatic Invasive SpeciesAquatic Invasive Species Coastal WetlandsCoastal Wetlands Wildlife EcologyWildlife Ecology Benthic and Invertebrate Benthic and Invertebrate

EcologyEcology Plant EcologyPlant Ecology Habitat and CommunityHabitat and Community Atmospheric DepositionAtmospheric Deposition Nutrient ManagementNutrient Management Land UseLand Use ErosionErosion

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Observations and Observations and Recommendations:Recommendations:Climate/WeatherClimate/Weather

Much weather related data from land-Much weather related data from land-based stationsbased stations

47 marine buoys, but not as widespread 47 marine buoys, but not as widespread as land-based stations as land-based stations

Differences in spatial coverage may lead Differences in spatial coverage may lead to accuracy differences between land and to accuracy differences between land and marine temperature models marine temperature models

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Observations and Observations and Recommendations:Recommendations:

Sediment MonitoringSediment Monitoring

Considerable issue-driven sediment Considerable issue-driven sediment sampling sampling

More baseline sediment monitoring may More baseline sediment monitoring may be needed be needed

Little guidance on baseline sampling for Little guidance on baseline sampling for nearshore or open waters nearshore or open waters

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Observations and Observations and Recommendations:Recommendations:Fish ConsumptionFish Consumption

US EPA measures contaminants through skin-on US EPA measures contaminants through skin-on dorsal fillets, but the Ontario Sport Fish dorsal fillets, but the Ontario Sport Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program tests Contaminant Monitoring Program tests contaminants in skin-off dorsal fillets. contaminants in skin-off dorsal fillets.

The Ontario program includes both dioxin and The Ontario program includes both dioxin and dioxin-like PCB contaminant levels for fish dioxin-like PCB contaminant levels for fish consumption restrictions; EPA relies solely on consumption restrictions; EPA relies solely on dioxin-like PCB analysis.dioxin-like PCB analysis.

These discrepancies in analysis methods could These discrepancies in analysis methods could limit usefulness for a Great Lakes basinwide limit usefulness for a Great Lakes basinwide evaluation.evaluation.

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Observations and Observations and Recommendations:Recommendations:

Water Quality MonitoringWater Quality Monitoring

Allocate financial resources based on Allocate financial resources based on current monitoring needs rather than current monitoring needs rather than previously set limitspreviously set limits

Consider if the benefits of monitoring the Consider if the benefits of monitoring the toxic chemical concentrations in water is toxic chemical concentrations in water is worth the added expense when similar worth the added expense when similar data are collected in sediments and fishdata are collected in sediments and fish

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Monitoring Community Monitoring Community RecommendationsRecommendations

Recommendations based on:Recommendations based on: Findings from the Gap Analysis Findings from the Gap Analysis Monitoring inventory resultsMonitoring inventory results Feedback from monitoring community Feedback from monitoring community

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Monitoring Community Monitoring Community RecommendationsRecommendations

Encourage regular discussions among Encourage regular discussions among individuals managing similar monitoring individuals managing similar monitoring programsprograms

Monitoring programs need to be assessed Monitoring programs need to be assessed for compatibilityfor compatibility

Form coordinating bodies to organize Form coordinating bodies to organize monitoring efforts in each main issue areamonitoring efforts in each main issue area

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Monitoring Community Monitoring Community Recommendations (cont.)Recommendations (cont.)

Federal and state monitoring directives and Federal and state monitoring directives and mandates should more carefully look at regional mandates should more carefully look at regional basinwide monitoring needsbasinwide monitoring needs

Evaluate monitoring needs, costs, and current Evaluate monitoring needs, costs, and current regulations prior to establishing funding levelsregulations prior to establishing funding levels

The monitoring inventory should be used by the The monitoring inventory should be used by the SOLEC indicator working groups as a resource for SOLEC indicator working groups as a resource for information on monitoring efforts currently taking information on monitoring efforts currently taking place in the region. place in the region.

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Monitoring Inventory Monitoring Inventory ImprovementsImprovements

More detailed information is needed on More detailed information is needed on monitoring efforts in the Canadian portion monitoring efforts in the Canadian portion of the Great Lakes basin. of the Great Lakes basin.

The completeness and accuracy of The completeness and accuracy of monitoring inventory needs to be monitoring inventory needs to be regularly evaluated by the Great Lakes regularly evaluated by the Great Lakes monitoring community. monitoring community.

More information on specific monitoring More information on specific monitoring locations is needed. locations is needed.

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Monitoring Inventory Monitoring Inventory Improvements (cont.)Improvements (cont.)

More information is needed on the More information is needed on the funding sources that support monitoring funding sources that support monitoring programs. programs.

Program descriptive information needs to Program descriptive information needs to be expanded. be expanded.

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Future MaintenanceFuture Maintenance

Limited support for maintenance of Limited support for maintenance of stand-alone inventorystand-alone inventory

Incorporate within a broader Incorporate within a broader geospatial framework through GLOSgeospatial framework through GLOS Distributed network of observation and Distributed network of observation and

monitoring effortsmonitoring efforts Coordinate and integrate with BEC Coordinate and integrate with BEC

inventory?inventory?

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Next StepsNext Steps Disseminate findings to the monitoring Disseminate findings to the monitoring

community, resource managers, and federal and community, resource managers, and federal and state legislatorsstate legislators Legislative briefingLegislative briefing BrochuresBrochures WebsiteWebsite

Complete GIS portion of the web search databaseComplete GIS portion of the web search database Determine future integration with BEC inventoryDetermine future integration with BEC inventory Integrate findings into the GLOS initiative to Integrate findings into the GLOS initiative to

enhance coordination and collaboration enhance coordination and collaboration possibilitiespossibilities

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Contact:Contact:Great Lakes Great Lakes Commission Commission Anne Sturm (Anne Sturm (

asturm@glc.orgasturm@glc.org))734-971-9135734-971-9135

QUESTIONS?