System Wide Monitoring Program

With over 25 sites that reflect the diverse coastal biogeographic regions of the Nation, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System is ideally suited for a long-term trend-monitoring program to address estuarine management issues. The System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) was created to identify and track short-term variability and long-term changes in representative estuarine ecosystems and coastal watersheds.

SWMP is a phased monitoring approach that focuses on three different ecosystem characteristics:

Abiotic Factors, including atmospheric, water quality (nutrients, contaminants, etc.) and physical parameters (salinity, tidal range, groundwater, freshwater inflow, bathymetry, etc.)
Biological Monitoring, including biodiversity habitat and population characteristics
Watershed and Land Use Classifications, including historic changes in spatial coverage and assessments of consumptive and non-consumptive uses

The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - MD is working with government agencies in the Bay region to integrate their SWMP into the bay-wide water quality monitoring effort to assess shallow water habitats. This integrated effort will provide managers with information to help characterize water and habitat conditions and identify specific problem areas throughout the Bay's tidal waters. Data collected through this effort is available at www.eyesonthebay.net usually within one week of collection.

Additional information on the program can be found at these web sites:
http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Monitoring
http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu
http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/pdf/nerrswmp96-98.pdf

More Information

Calendar of EventsView all

Education Volunteer Training - Cancelled04/01/2020 @ 9:30 am-3:00 pmHelp students discover and explore estuary ecology and conservation. We show you how. Come for as much or little of the training as your schedule allows. Wednesday we will train for elementary field trips, and Thursday will include training for middle and high school field trips. Snacks provided each day. Please bring your own lunch.
Education Volunteer Training - Cancelled04/02/2020 @ 9:30 am-3:00 pmHelp students discover and explore estuary ecology and conservation. We show you how. Come for as much or little of the training as your schedule allows. Wednesday we will train for elementary field trips, and Thursday will include training for middle and high school field trips. Snacks provided each day. Please bring your own lunch.
Friday Night Froggin' - Cancelled04/03/2020 @ 7:30 pm-9:00 pmTraipse through the wetlands in search of some springy species. Strap on your rain boots and let’s see how many frogs can be found. *Meet at Bosely Conservancy
Wood Duck Canoe - Cancelled04/04/2020 @ 3:00 pm-6:00 pmExplore our wooded marsh on the first canoe trip of the season to welcome back the wood ducks. *Meet at Bosely Conservancy
The Best Nest - Cancelled04/05/2020 @ 2:30 pm-4:00 pmBirds use string, grass, feathers, mud and sticks to weave, plaster, stitch, stack or glue a proper home for their babies to be. Experiment with different materials, tools, and methods to appreciate the science and art of nest building!