Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Implementation Plan GCOOS Board of Directors Meeting Feb 2008 Alan Lewitus

Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan (2001) Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Goal – reduce the 5-year running average of the hypoxic zone to less than 5,000 km 2 by the year 2015 by reducing the annual discharge of N into the Gulf

Areal Extent of Hypoxic Zone – Coastal Goal Metric Rabalais et al.

Task Force Reassessment Process Gulf Science Upper Miss Lower Basin Science Advisory Board Panel Review Task Force Revisions to Action Plan of 2001 Source, Fate, and Transport Coordinating Committee Synthesis & Recommendations 4 Symposia

Need for Extension of Monitoring Action Plan (2001): “greatly expand the long-term monitoring program for the hypoxic zone, including greater temporal and spatial data collection, measurements of macro-nutrient and micronutrient concentrations, and hypoxia…” Monitoring, Modeling, and Research Workgroup Report (MMR, 2004): “…(monitoring) efforts need to be increased in frequency, at a minimum monthly from May through September. To develop a more complete understanding of ecosystem dynamics, selected sites should be monitored year- round. The spatial boundaries of some of these existing monitoring efforts should be expanded to collect data for defining boundary conditions in modeling efforts."

Need for Extension of Monitoring EPA SAB Report (2007): “…affirms and reiterates the CENR’s call to improve and expand monitoring of the temporal and spatial extent of hypoxia and the processes controlling its formation…” 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan: “…improved characterization of nutrient flux and hypoxic zone properties is needed to further refine management strategies…Improvements in hypoxic zone monitoring are needed to better characterize its magnitude and the processes that lead to its development, maintenance, and distribution as well as its impacts. Greater temporal and spatial coverage in monitoring efforts are needed to account for variability and pre-cruise storm events, define boundaries, characterize seasonality, and support modeling efforts.”

Summit on Gulf Hypoxic Zone Monitoring Summit on Long-Term Monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone: Developing the Implementation Plan for an Operational Observation System

Summit Outcomes White Paper to Improve Monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone in Support of the Hypoxia Task Force’s Coastal Goal White Paper: Compilation of a Hypoxia Data Inventory Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Implementation Plan

Implementation Plan Committees Steering CommitteeTechnical Committee Alan Lewitus (NOAA), co-chairJim Ammerman (Rutgers) Nancy Rabalais (LUMCON), co-chairBob Arnone (NRL) Phil Bass (EPA)Brenda Babin (LUMCON) Russ Beard (NOAA)Charlie Crawford (USGS) Rick Greene (EPA)Steve DiMarco (TAMU) Ann Jochens (TAMU)Jim Hagy (EPA) Steve Lohrenz (USM)Sharon Mesick (NOAA) David Shaw (MSU)Rich Patchen (NOAA) Janice Ward (USGS)Nancy Rabalais (LUMCON) Dave Whitall (NOAA)

Implementation Plan Committees Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Stakeholder Committee Joe Stinus (NOAA), ChairAnn Jochens (TAMU) Scott Phipps (AL DCNR)Charles Kovach (FL DEP) Dugan Sabins (LA DEQ)Kris Pintado (LA DEQ) Gregory DuCote (LA DNR)Henry Folmar (MS DEQ) Mark Fisher (TX CEQ)Ed Buskey (U. Texas)

Management Drivers Provide sufficient monitoring data to ensure that management is adequately informed in efforts to achieve the Coastal Goal of the Action Plan Assess annual changes in the magnitude, seasonality, duration, and distribution of hypoxia, and relate these to management activities that affect nutrient loading and other influences on hypoxia

Management Drivers Provide adequate data for predictive models to develop accurate forecasts of hypoxia given alternative management targets for nutrient reduction and alternative scenarios of climate change Determine the relationship between hypoxic zone magnitude, timing, and distribution, and the distribution, production, and health of ecologically and commercially important finfish and shellfish

Transect C Transect F * * * * * * * * C6C/CSI-6 CSI-9 C D Current Monitoring Program

System Requirements Expand spatial boundaries and increase frequency of surveys Increase coverage by instrumented observing systems Integrated sampling (AUVs, remote sensing) Improve models on hypoxia causes and effects Improve accuracy of nutrient loading data Create a portal to maximize accessibility to, and exchange of, hypoxia data Outreach program to promote effective communications to increase awareness of hypoxia

System Requirements - Prioritization Core Characterize the annual area and volume of hypoxia as metrics to determine whether mitigation measures on nutrient reductions are having an effect. Maintain the two transects (off Atchafalaya and Terrebonne/Timbalier) for the continuity and for the relationships with river constituent data. Dissemination of information to managers, basic web site information. Archival of the data in NODC, as currently required.

System Requirements - Prioritization Non-core (to be ranked) use of coastal observing systems and AUVs to improve characterization of hypoxia and its causes on survey cruises, collection of physical, chemical, and biological data that support models determining causes of hypoxia metrics on direct effects, such as benthos and fisheries independent surveys (basic information); also ancillary metrics (e.g. from remote sensing) public outreach of hypoxia information, nutrient issues, policy decisions etc. modeling efforts that are currently covered under ‘research’ funds. other efforts that are covered by other agencies or funding avenues more ‘research’ oriented, e.g. nutrient bioassays, indirect effects

Core System Requirements Expand spatial boundaries of shelf-wide surveys

O 2 miminum water Local, MissR or Pearl R water some Mobile Bay on E MissR or PearlR water Mobile Bay water Miss R water

Increase number of surveys Currently: one mid-summer shelf-wide survey monthly sampling at Transect C south of Terrebonne Bay, and bimonthly sampling at Transect F off the Atchafalaya River (11 cruises/year) Implementation Plan: 8 surveys/year (Apr, May, Jun, Jul (2), Aug (2), Sep) Maintain current design for transects Core System Requirements

Tier 2 System Requirements Increase number of observing systems 50 km Transect C Transect A 14 Transect F Terrebonne Bay Atchafalaya RL.Calcasieu Mississippi R Sabine L. >75% >50% >25% <25% 50 km Terrebonne Bay Atchafalaya RL.Calcasieu Mississippi R Sabine L. >75% >50% >25% <25% >75% >50% >25% <25% 50 km Transect C Transect A 14 Transect F

Add 2 Buoys East of Mississippi River

Implementation Plan Matrix Actions: 1)Hypoxic Zone characterization 2)Causes of Hypoxia 3)Impacts of Hypoxia 4)Data Management 5)Outreach