scholarly journals Challenges and Benefits of Approaches Used to Integrate Regional Monitoring Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Arciszewski ◽  
D. R. Roberts ◽  
K. R. Munkittrick ◽  
G. J. Scrimgeour
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Integrated Monitoring ◽  
Regional Monitoring ◽  
Analysis And Design ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Northern Alberta ◽  
Combining Information

Although challenging to develop and operate, some degree of integrated monitoring is often necessary, especially at regional scales, to address the complex questions of environmental management and regulation. The concept of integration is well-understood, but its practice across programs and studies can be diverse suggesting a broader examination of the existing general approaches is needed. From the literature, we suggest integration of monitoring can occur across three study components: interpretation, analysis, and design. Design can be further subdivided into partial and full integration. Respectively combining information, data, and designs, we further define these types of integration and describe their general benefits and challenges, such as strength of inference. We further use the Oil Sands Monitoring program in northern Alberta as an example to clarify the practices common among integrated monitoring programs. The goal of the discussion paper is to familiarize readers with the diverse practices of integrated monitoring to further clarify the various configurations used to achieve the wider goals of a program.

scholarly journals Drivers, pressures, and state responses to inform long-term oil sands wetland monitoring program objectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cari D. Ficken ◽  
Stephanie J. Connor ◽  
Rebecca Rooney ◽  
Danielle Cobbaert
Keyword(s):  
Human Development ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Surface Water Chemistry ◽  
Wetland Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Programs

AbstractBoreal peatlands provide numerous ecosystem services ranging from carbon sequestration to the provisioning of habitat for species integral to Indigenous communities. In the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada, human development related to oil and gas extraction occurs in a wetland-dominated landscape. Wetland monitoring programs can determine the extent to which development impacts wetlands, but existing monitoring programs focus on characterizing biodiversity across the region and on compliance and regulatory monitoring that assumes impacts from oil sands development do not extend past lease boundaries. This is unlikely to be true since some impacts, such as particulate deposition, can extend over large areas contingent on local weather and topography. To inform the development of a new regional wetland monitoring program to assess the cumulative effects of oil sands development on wetlands, we synthesized information on the scope of wetland research across the Oil Sands Region, including the anthropogenic stressors that impact wetlands and the wetland characteristics sensitive to different disturbances. We developed a conceptual model linking human development with wetland ecology in the region to make explicit the relationships among oil sands development stressors and different components of wetland ecosystems. By highlighting testable relationships, this conceptual model can be used as a collection of hypotheses to identify knowledge gaps and to guide future research priorities. relationships among We found that the majority of studies are short-term (77% were ≤ 5 years) and are conducted over a limited spatial extent (82% were sub-regional). Studies of reclaimed wetlands were relatively common (18% of all tests); disproportionate to the occurrence of this wetland type. Results from these studies likely cannot be extrapolated to other wetlands in the region. Nevertheless, the impacts of tailings contaminants, wetland reclamation activities, and surface water chemistry are well-represented in the literature. Research on other types of land disturbance is lacking. A coordinated, regional monitoring program is needed to gain a complete understanding of the direct and indirect impacts of human development in the region and to address remaining knowledge gaps.

scholarly journals Shellfish Toxin Uptake and Depuration in Multiple Atlantic Canadian Molluscan Species: Application to Selection of Sentinel Species in Monitoring Programs

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Wade A. Rourke ◽  
Andrew Justason ◽  
Jennifer L. Martin ◽  
Cory J. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Sentinel Species ◽  
Paralytic Shellfish Toxins ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Paralytic Shellfish ◽  
Shellfish Toxin ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Toxin Uptake ◽  
Bivalve Shellfish ◽  
Selection Of

Shellfish toxin monitoring programs often use mussels as the sentinel species to represent risk in other bivalve shellfish species. Studies have examined accumulation and depuration rates in various species, but little information is available to compare multiple species from the same harvest area. A 2-year research project was performed to validate the use of mussels as the sentinel species to represent other relevant eastern Canadian shellfish species (clams, scallops, and oysters). Samples were collected simultaneously from Deadmans Harbour, NB, and were tested for paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) and amnesic shellfish toxin (AST). Phytoplankton was also monitored at this site. Scallops accumulated PSTs and AST sooner, at higher concentrations, and retained toxins longer than mussels. Data from monitoring program samples in Mahone Bay, NS, are presented as a real-world validation of findings. Simultaneous sampling of mussels and scallops showed significant differences between shellfish toxin results in these species. These data suggest more consideration should be given to situations where multiple species are present, especially scallops.

Comprehensive Piping Vibration Monitoring Programs

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyorgy Szasz ◽  
Karen K. Fujikawa
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Rotating Machinery ◽  
Vibration Monitoring ◽  
Vibration Testing ◽  
Routine Manner ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Meaningful Data

Though piping is one of the largest and most expensive types of components in a plant, piping vibration is seldom monitored in a routine manner. Piping itself rarely fails due to vibration, but the same can not be said for related components such as supports, welds, valves, etc. Typically the only time piping vibration is monitored is if high vibration is perceived by operators or is expected due to plant operational changes such as uprates or major component replacements. The procedure for a comprehensive piping vibration monitoring program is thus not as widely known as that for other components such as rotating machinery. This paper presents the steps involved with monitoring piping vibration, obtaining meaningful data and ways to interpret the data. It could be viewed as a primer to those who have never been involved with vibration testing on piping, or as a guideline and checklist for those who have.

Using confidence intervals to estimate the response of salmon populations (Oncorhynchus spp.) to experimental habitat alterations

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 2716-2726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Bradford ◽  
Josh Korman ◽  
Paul S Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Considerable Uncertainty ◽  
Monitoring Programs

There is considerable uncertainty about the effectiveness of fish habitat restoration programs, and reliable monitoring programs are needed to evaluate them. Statistical power analysis based on traditional hypothesis tests are usually used for monitoring program design, but here we argue that effect size estimates and their associated confidence intervals are more informative because results can be compared with both the null hypothesis of no effect and effect sizes of interest, such as restoration goals. We used a stochastic simulation model to compare alternative monitoring strategies for a habitat alteration that would change the productivity and capacity of a coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) producing stream. Estimates of the effect size using a freshwater stock–recruit model were more precise than those from monitoring the abundance of either spawners or smolts. Less than ideal monitoring programs can produce ambiguous results, which are cases in which the confidence interval includes both the null hypothesis and the effect size of interest. Our model is a useful planning tool because it allows the evaluation of the utility of different types of monitoring data, which should stimulate discussion on how the results will ultimately inform decision-making.

scholarly journals Geoscience of Climate and Energy 10. The Alberta Oil Sands: Developing a New Regime of Environmental Management, 2010–2013

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Miall
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Alberta Oil Sands

    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2013.40.015

scholarly journals Need for establishing integrated programs to monitor endocrine active compounds

2003 ◽  
Vol 75 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 2435-2444 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Segner
Keyword(s):  
Weight Of Evidence ◽  
Reproductive Disorders ◽  
Integrated Monitoring ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Monitoring Strategies ◽  
Effect Monitoring ◽  
Integrated Programs ◽  
Basic Biology ◽  
Current Monitoring

Environmental monitoring programs on endocrine active compounds (EACs) have been used to document the level of exposure and to assess the possible association to the occurrence of developmental and reproductive disorders in wildlife. The establishment of causal links between exposure and effect data, however, was found to be difficult due to, for example, the presence of confounding factors or limited understanding of EAC mechanisms and interactions, but also because of conceptual and methodological limitations of current monitoring strategies. In order to provide plausibility of an EAC etiology for a developmental or reproductive alteration in a wildlife population, integrated monitoring programs are needed that will use a combination of complementary approaches: methods for a targeted search for suspected EACs in an environmental mixture, analysis of internal EAC doses instead of external EAC concentrations, utilization of mechanism-based end-points in bioanalytical and effect monitoring, investigation of the basic biology and physiology of wildlife sentinel species, laboratory replication of field effects, as well as consideration of epidemiological and weight-of-evidence criteria in the design and data evaluation of monitoring programs.

Advancing an Ecosystem Approach in the Gulf of Maine

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Zooplankton Dynamics ◽  
Biological Environment

<i>Abstract</i>.—Zooplankton communities perform a critical role as secondary producers in marine ecosystems. They are vulnerable to climate-induced changes in the marine environment, including temperature, stratification, and circulation, but the effects of these changes are difficult to discern without sustained ocean monitoring. The physical, chemical, and biological environment of the Gulf of Maine, including Georges Bank, is strongly influenced by inflow from the Scotian Shelf and through the Northeast Channel, and thus observations both in the Gulf of Maine and in upstream regions are necessary to understand plankton variability and change in the Gulf of Maine. Large-scale, quasi synoptic plankton surveys have been performed in the Gulf of Maine since Bigelow’s work at the beginning of the 20th century. More recently, ongoing plankton monitoring efforts include Continuous Plankton Recorder sampling in the Gulf of Maine and on the Scotian Shelf, U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service’s MARMAP (Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment, and Prediction) and EcoMon (Ecosystem Monitoring) programs sampling the northeast U.S. Continental Shelf, including the Gulf of Maine, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program on the Scotian Shelf and in the eastern Gulf of Maine. Here, we review and compare past and ongoing zooplankton monitoring programs in the Gulf of Maine region, including Georges Bank and the western Scotian Shelf, to facilitate retrospective analysis and broadscale synthesis of zooplankton dynamics in the Gulf of Maine. Additional sustained sampling at greater-than-monthly frequency at selected sites in the Gulf of Maine would be necessary to detect changes in phenology (i.e. seasonal timing of biological events). Sustained zooplankton sampling in critical nearshore fish habitats and in key feeding areas for upper trophic level organisms, such as marine mammals and seabirds, would yield significant insights into their dynamics. The ecosystem dynamics of the Gulf of Maine are strongly influenced by large-scale forcing and variability in upstream inflow. Improved coordination of sampling and data analysis among monitoring programs, effective data management, and use of multiple modeling approaches will all enhance the mechanistic understanding of the structure and function of the Gulf of Maine pelagic ecosystem.

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