Maryland Coastal Bays - Report Card:
This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2010 Coastal Bays health.
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Indicators and Indices
Environmental and cultural change is one constant in the Coastal Bays due to their position at the land and sea interface and as a result of changes occurring similarly in coastal areas throughout the world, such as sea level rise, land conversion, and population pressures. As a result of these changes, there have been major impacts on the health of the Coastal Bays.
The Coastal Bays report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2010 Coastal Bays health. This report card will be released each year in June, providing an assessment of the previous year’s health. The report card rates six reporting regions of the Coastal Bays and uses six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of health.Health is defined as progress of the six indicators towards established scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals. A low score therefore means that the region rarely meets the ecological threshold levels. A high score means that the region often meets the threshold levels. This website enables you to explore the report card through the six regions, by the indicators and index, and as an overview of 2010 Coastal Bays health.
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The data and methods underpinning this report card represent the collective effort of many individuals and organizations working within the Maryland Coastal Bays scientific and management community. The following organizations are acknowledged for their significant contributions to the development of the report card: The Maryland Coastal Bays Program, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Assateague Island National Seashore, and Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
While acknowledging the critical role of these organizations in generating, analyzing, and reviewing the data, the Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership) are responsible for the report card release.