1 GCOOS and GOMA Collaborations

2 Nutrient and Water Quality Team telecons and meetings Coastal Resiliency meetings Education and Outreach Development of HABIOS NWQMN Proposal & Follow-on

3 GCOOS/GOMA HABIOS Joint Workshop on plan development GOMA WQ Team Proposal to NOAA: Award October 2008 Workshop 1 - Endpoints to Model Design Workshop 2 - Implementation Priorities GCOOS support offered CDC OOS Workshop

4 Potential study sites identified in NWQMC proposal

5 GOMA Nutrient Source, Fate, and Transport Study Design Workshop February 2008 Galveston, TX

6 Workshop Goals Steve Wolfe, FL DEP

7 Workshop Goals Background: Background: Nutrient criteria must be developed for the estuaries and coastal waters of all Gulf Alliance states.

8 Workshop Goals Background: Background: Gulf Alliance states feel that nutrient criteria should protect ecosystems by preventing undesirable ecosystem changes. These criteria are preferably based on cause- effect relationships.

9 Workshop Goals Background: Background: GOMA states are working together to devise methods that can be used by the individual states to establish these criteria.

10 Project Goals & Objectives Examine the links between nutrients and potential key indicators of community health Examine the links between nutrients and potential key indicators of community health Identifying the locations in the systems where the potential indicators first exhibit effects Identifying the locations in the systems where the potential indicators first exhibit effects Compare different methods to measure and assess the potential indicators Compare different methods to measure and assess the potential indicators Compare the utility of the indicators as tools for use in differing systems Compare the utility of the indicators as tools for use in differing systems Develop hydrodynamic (circulation) models and water quality models to help us understand nutrient fate and transport

11Strategy 1) Design core study protocol* 1) Design core study protocol* *Note: This is not for GOMA coastal monitoring effort 2) Conduct studies using the core design in 3-5 very different Gulf systems. 2) Conduct studies using the core design in 3-5 very different Gulf systems. 3) Identify a ‘new’ simpler core study useable anywhere in Gulf. 3) Identify a ‘new’ simpler core study useable anywhere in Gulf. 4) Use ‘new’ core study to set criteria for priority areas and to develop simpler methods for specific types of areas or habitats. 4) Use ‘new’ core study to set criteria for priority areas and to develop simpler methods for specific types of areas or habitats.

12 Strategy 1) Design core study protocol: 1) Design core study protocol: A) sufficient to allow criteria to be established at the site being studied B) broad enough to be transportable between sites that are very different and provide comparable results.* *GOMA Round Robin *GOMA Round Robin

13Strategy 2) Conduct studies using the core design in 3-5 very different systems around the Gulf of Mexico 2) Conduct studies using the core design in 3-5 very different systems around the Gulf of Mexico A) Studies must be sufficient to establish nutrient criteria for the area being studied. B) Determine how reduced the study could have been and still result in the same nutrient criteria.

14 Strategy 3) Identify a ‘new’ simpler core study useable anywhere in Gulf of Mexico. 3) Identify a ‘new’ simpler core study useable anywhere in Gulf of Mexico. Compare the 3-5 ‘minimum’ studies and combine into a new core study design, one which would have given same results at all sites studied.

15 Strategy 4) Use ‘new’ core study to develop criteria for high-priority areas and to develop simpler methods for specific types of estuaries/coastal areas and habitats. 4) Use ‘new’ core study to develop criteria for high-priority areas and to develop simpler methods for specific types of estuaries/coastal areas and habitats. Following same approach, use “new” core design to conduct studies that establish nutrient criteria at 3-5 “different” sites sharing certain similar characteristics. Identify further-reduced minimum study design to establish nutrient criteria for sites of this type.

16 Advantages of approach: 1) It provides recommended nutrient criteria for all the study sites. 1) It provides recommended nutrient criteria for all the study sites. 2) It provides immediately useable and continually-improving (e.g., less expensive) methods for establishing nutrient criteria. 2) It provides immediately useable and continually-improving (e.g., less expensive) methods for establishing nutrient criteria.

17 Advantages of approach: 3) Studies do not need to be carried out simultaneously to be comparable. 3) Studies do not need to be carried out simultaneously to be comparable. 4) As long as core study is unaltered, the study design can be expanded/modified to suit site- specific conditions and goals of funding sources. 4) As long as core study is unaltered, the study design can be expanded/modified to suit site- specific conditions and goals of funding sources.

18 Advantages of approach: 5) Studies spin off tools (such as hydrodynamic models) and information that will help resource managers and are also needed for TMDL efforts. 5) Studies spin off tools (such as hydrodynamic models) and information that will help resource managers and are also needed for TMDL efforts. 6) Methods provide results that are comparable. 6) Methods provide results that are comparable.

19 Advantages of approach: 7) Nutrient criteria can be developed as soon as costs match priority of estuaries/coastal areas. 7) Nutrient criteria can be developed as soon as costs match priority of estuaries/coastal areas.

20 Disadvantages of approach: 1) Initial studies must be comprehensive (= expensive) to provide objective means to identify a minimum study design. 1) Initial studies must be comprehensive (= expensive) to provide objective means to identify a minimum study design. 2) Simpler, less-expensive methods will not be quickly available. 2) Simpler, less-expensive methods will not be quickly available.

21 Next Step: Draft Design by late April; Four Working Groups 1) nutrient pathways 1) nutrient pathways 2) biological indicators 2) biological indicators 3) physical/chemical monitoring 3) physical/chemical monitoring 4) monitoring needed to support model development 4) monitoring needed to support model development