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Opportunities for the Gulf Research Program: Monitoring Ecosystem Restoration and Deep Water Environments Summary of a Workshop (2015) / Chapter Skim
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3 Monitoring to Support Environmental Restoration
Pages 9-15

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From page 9...
... • Efforts to monitor, measure, or predict ecosystem services must consider social and economic parameters. • Industry supports real-time ocean observing over extended periods of time that included not only physical ocean ography but biological, chemical, and ecological monitoring programs incorporated into fixed and autonomous ocean observing platforms.
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From page 10...
... As the NRC Committee Barbier's second case study involved an approach on Assessing and Valuing the Services of Aquatic and used for oils spills and wetland compensation in lieu of Related Terrestrial Ecosystems has noted, "the funda- restoration. Since the 1990 Oil Pollution Act, parties mental challenge of valuing ecosystem services lies in releasing oil into the environment are liable for the cost providing an explicit description and adequate assess- of cleaning up those releases and monetary compensament of the links between the structure and functions tion for damages to natural resources caused by the of natural systems, the benefits (i.e., goods and servic- releases.
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From page 11...
... For exthat we can learn from restoration projects that have ample, food, raw materials, and recreation consistently already occurred so we can pick highly suitable loca- ranked among the top three ecosystem services for the tions," she said. offshore environment, and ecosystem services typically involved both nearshore areas and the deep Gulf.
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From page 12...
... "Modeling is probably the only way you can get to questions about ‘what if? '" Rebecca Allee, fisheries biologist and senior scientist for NOAA's Gulf Coast Services Center, observed that models will have difficulty incorporating some relevant factors, such as living marine resources, but many parameters can be modeled.
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From page 13...
... , she observed, NOAA cannot main Rebecca Allee, fisheries biologist and senior scien- tain the monitoring on its own. "We've looking for tist for NOAA's Gulf Coast Services Center, leads the partners and opportunities to leverage." science plan development team for the RESTORE Act Science Program, which has been developing a long- The Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund term plan to guide the ecological and economic recov- of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ery of the Gulf Coast states.1 One of the focus areas of the plan is "holistic approaches to observing and moni- Jonathan Porthouse, senior manager with the Natoring with advanced and innovative technologies to tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation, briefly described monitor fisheries, federal trust species, and other natu- the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, which is receivral resources, and data integration tools focused on the ing money directed from court settlements from BP observing needs in the Gulf of Mexico." As examples of and Transocean to fund projects benefiting the natural this monitoring, the plan cites "observation and moni- resources of the Gulf Coast that were impacted by the toring efforts to identify, map, and assess habitats, in- spill.2 cluding poorly known deep‐water habitats, including The funding available to programs like NFWF prorelevant physical and biochemical parameters" and vides a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to approach "observation assets to monitor resources, including the challenges facing the Gulf as "a single restoration fisheries and protected species, and to enhance and project," Porthouse said.
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From page 14...
... But the kinds of data available monitoring programs incorporated into fixed and au- from satellites can be extended to different regions, tonomous ocean observing platforms. such as estuaries, and different parameters once new She added that the Gulf Research Program could data products are validated.
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From page 15...
... As restoration projects are being • Conduct public awareness, education, and outdeveloped, there is an opportunity to integrate local reach campaigns to explain restoration science and socioeconomic metrics as part of the evaluation of the the importance of the deep ocean, with assessments restoration effort. A monitoring program of a success- of effects of communications and education proful environmental restoration project has the potential grams.
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Key Terms

  • restoration projects
  • environmental restoration
  • gulf research
  • gulf coast
  • services provided

  • coastal ecosystem
  • restoration project
  • restoration activities
  • gulf region
  • deep ocean

  • ocean observing
  • sea level
  • gulf environmental
  • tem services
  • monitoring program

  • environmental benefit
  • storm surge
  • dwh oil
  • oil spill
  • wildlife foundation

  • benefit fund
  • level rise
  • deep gulf
  • valuing ecosystem
  • ecosystem service

  • coastal wetland
  • restoration planners
  • coastal wetlands
  • support monitoring
  • coast services


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