Project compiles national data to guide coastal water management

San Francisco Bay estuary (Credit: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons)

Recent research is making comprehensive data explaining the effects of human activity on national estuaries and bays available to their caretakers,  according to a release from Michigan State University.

The results are available online, so managers have information about their own systems and can compare their activity to others. Estuaries are typically cared for by several agencies on varying levels, but agency managers don’t always have the resources to monitor system changes over time. This can make difficult to decide which parts require additional attention or funding.

The project compiled and combined data collected from observing changes in multiple factors responsible for healthy water systems. The study was a part of a larger project by the National Fish Habitat Partnership.

Image: San Francisco Bay estuary (Credit: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons)