title: An approach to integrated ecological assessment of resource condition: the Mid-Atlantic estuaries as a case study.
abstract: The complex and interconnected nature of ecological systems often makes it difficult to understand and prevent multiresource, multistressor problems. This article describes a process to assess ecological condition at regional scales. The article also describes how the approach was applied to the Mid-Atlantic estuaries, where it focused on characterizing the current state of the environment rather than on predicting future effects from humans. The necessity for iteration during the exercise showed how important it was to identify the purpose of the assessment and its users, that appropriate, consistent data are lacking for large-scale assessments, and that it remains a challenge to communicate succinctly the results of such an assessment.
authors.affiliation: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, Atlantic Ecology Division, 27 Tarzwell Dr, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA. brown.barbara@epa.gov
authors.forename: Barbara S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Wayne R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Munns
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D011157:Population Dynamics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012924:Social Conditions; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants