Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Implementation Plan

1. Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Implementation Plan GCOOS Board of Directors Meeting 26-27 Feb 2008 Alan Lewitus

2. 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 km2 by the year 2015 by reducing the annual discharge of N into the Gulf

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

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

5. 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."

6. 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.”

7. 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 http://www.ngi.msstate.edu/hypoxia/janconference.html

8. 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 http://www.ngi.msstate.edu/hypoxia/whitePaper.html

9. Implementation Plan Committees Steering CommitteeTechnical Committee Alan Lewitus (NOAA), co-chair Jim Ammerman (Rutgers) Nancy Rabalais (LUMCON), co-chair Bob 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)

10. Implementation Plan Committees Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Stakeholder Committee Joe Stinus (NOAA), Chair Ann 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) http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/activities/gulf-hypoxia-stakeholders/view

11. 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

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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

17. Core System Requirements • Expand spatial boundaries of shelf-wide surveys

18. Local, MissR or Pearl R water some Mobile Bay on E MissR or PearlR water Mobile Bay water Miss R water O2 miminum water

19. Core System Requirements • 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

20. Tier 2 System Requirements Frequency of mid Frequency of mid - - summer bottom summer bottom - - water hypoxia, 1985 water hypoxia, 1985 - - 2002 2002 L.Calcasieu L.Calcasieu L.Calcasieu L.Calcasieu Atchafalaya R Atchafalaya R Atchafalaya R Atchafalaya R Sabine L. Sabine L. Sabine L. Sabine L. Mississippi R Mississippi R Mississippi R Mississippi R 14 Terrebonne Terrebonne Terrebonne Terrebonne Bay Bay Bay Bay Transect F >75% >75% >75% >75% >75% >75% >50% >50% >50% >50% >50% >50% Transect A >25% >25% >25% >25% >25% >25% Transect C 50 km 50 km 50 km <25% <25% <25% <25% <25% <25% LUMCON/LSU WAVCIS/BIO2 LUMCON/LSU WAVCIS/BIO2 LUMCON/LSU potential sites LUMCON/LSUpotential sites TAMU site TAMU site USM site = USM3 USM site = USM3 Suggested additional sites Suggested additional sites Increase number of observing systems L.Calcasieu L.Calcasieu Atchafalaya R Atchafalaya R Sabine L. Sabine L. Mississippi R Mississippi R 14 14 Terrebonne Terrebonne Bay Bay Transect F Transect F >75% >75% >75% >50% >50% >50% Transect A Transect A >25% >25% >25% Transect C Transect C 50 km 50 km 50 km <25% <25% <25%

21. Add 2 Buoys East of Mississippi River

22. Implementation Plan Matrix • Actions: • Hypoxic Zone characterization • Causes of Hypoxia • Impacts of Hypoxia • Data Management • Outreach