Subject Areas Monitored by Each Sanctuary
National marine sanctuaries conduct and support monitoring programs that target a wide array of topics involving natural processes and human influences on water, habitat, living resources and maritime archaeological resources. The following tables provide a listing of the major subject areas that are being monitored at each sanctuary. For a complete listing and description of all monitoring programs please visit each sanctuary's Monitoring Inventory.
Water Quality
- Currents
- Nitrogen
- Dissolved Oxygen
- pH
- Fecal coliform
- Phosphorus
- Light penetration
- Salinity
- Water Temperature
- Turbidity
Living Marine Resources
- Algae
- Cetaceans
- Coral
- Reef Fish
Habitat
- Algae
- Coral
- Type (presence, distribution)
General
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
Water Quality
- Algal Blooms
- Salinity
- Fluorometry
- Oxygen
- Ocean Color
- Water Temperature
- Surface Currents (direction, speed)
Living Marine Resources
- Marine Mammals (photogrammetry, populations)
- Abalone
- Pinnipeds (population assessments)
- Cetaceans
- Eelgrass
- Sea Turtles
- Seabirds (reproductive success, distribution)
- Fish (population surveys)
- Kelp (population dynamics, coverage, locations)
- Whale Sightings
- Marine Invertebrates (indicators, population trends, core monitoring, biodiversity)
Habitat
- Eelgrass
- Kelp
- Type (presence, distribution)
General
- Changing Oceanographic Conditions
- Population dynamics
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
- Introduced Species
- Fish (recruitment, tracking)
- Weather Quality
Water Quality
- Algal Blooms
- Salinity
- Current Speed
- Tides
- Fluorometry
- Turbidity
- Ocean Color
- Water Temperature
- Oxygen
- Wind
- Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
Living Marine Resources
- Cetaceans
- Phytoplankton
- Commercial Fisheries
- Pinnipeds
- Ground Fish
- Sea Turtles
- Invertebrates
- Zooplankton
- Marine Birds
Habitat
- Coral
- Hard-bottom
- Seafloor Characterization
- Seagrass
- Soft-bottom
General
- Acoustics
- Climatologies
- Fishing Impacts
- Human Health
- Marine Debris: Fishing Gear
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
- Tracking
Water Quality
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Phytoplankton
- Nutrients
- Salinity
- pH
- Turbidity
- Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
- Water Temperature
Living Marine Resources
- Coral
- Invertebrates
- Mangroves
- Queen Conch
- Spiny Lobster
Habitat
- Coral
- Mangroves
- Type (presence, distribution)
General
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
Water Quality
- Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
- Depth
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Salinity
- pH
- Water Temperature
Living Marine Resources
- Algae
- Invertebrates
- Coral
- Lobster
- Diadema
- Manta Ray
- Fish
- Sea Turtles
Habitat
- Algae
- Coral
- Low Relief and High Relief Habitat
General
- Fish Tracking
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
Water Quality
- Chlorophyll a
- pH
- Conductivity
- Salinity
- Depth
- Turbidity
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Water Temperature
Living Marine Resources
- Cetaceans
- Fish (population surveys)
- Marine Invertebrates
- Sea Turtle
Habitat
- Hard-bottom
- Type (presence, distribution)
General
- Marine Debris
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
- Vessel Traffic
Water Quality
- Rainfall
- Salinity
- Current Speed
- Wind (speed, direction)
- Fluorometry
- Turbidity
- Oxygen
- Water Temperature
Living Marine Resources
- Cetaceans
- Phytoplankton
- Invertebrates
- Pinnipeds
- Fish
- Kelp
- Ground Fish
- Sea Turtles
- Marine Birds
- Mussels, Oysters
Habitat
- Rocky Intertidal
- Hard-bottom
- Kelp
- Sediment Quality
- Soft-bottom
- Sandy Intertidal
General
- Acoustics
- Remote Sensing
- Side Scan Sonar
- Weather Quality
Water Quality
- N/A
Living Marine Resources
- Cetaceans
Habitat
- bathymetry
General
- Marine Debris (derelict fishing gear)
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
- Ship Strikes
Water Quality
- Air Temperature
- NOAA Data Buoy
- Water Temperature
- Waves
- Wind
Living Marine Resources
- Fish
- Invertebrates
Habitat
- Artificial reef
General
- Maritime Heritage
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
Water Quality
- Algal Blooms
- Salinity
- Current Speed
- Tides
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Toxicity
- Fluorometry
- Turbidity
- Nutrient Content
- Wind (speed, direction)
- Oxygen
- Water Temperature
- Water (circulation, flow, level, temperature)
Living Marine Resources
- Cetaceans
- Phytoplankton
- Commercial Fisheries
- Pinnipeds
- Elasmobranchs
- Kelp
- Ground Fish
- Sea Turtles
- Invertebrates
- Zooplankton
- Marine Birds
- Mussels, Oysters
- Population Surveys
Habitat
- Coral
- Rocky Intertidal
- Hard-bottom
- Sandy Intertidal
- Seafloor Characterization
- Kelp
- Seagrass
- Sediment Quality
- Soft-bottom
General
- Changing Oceanographic Conditions
- Acoustics
- Climate Change
- Chemical Contamination
- Fishing Impacts
- ENSO
- High Frequency Radar
- Human Health
- Oil Spills
- Remote Sensing (AUVs)
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
- Side Scan Sonar
- Waste Water
- Weather Quality
Water Quality
- Fluorometry
- Salinity
- Algal Blooms
- Carbon Dioxide
- Currents
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Tides
- Water Temperature
- Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
Living Marine Resources
- Cetaceans
- Algae
- Invertebrates
- Pinnipeds
- Macroinvertebrate
- Sea Otter
- Reef Fish
- Kelp
- Ground Fish
- Turtles
- Marine Birds (near shore, off shore)
- Mussels, Oysters
Habitat
- Rocky Intertidal
- Sandy Intertidal
- Hard-bottom
- Coral
- Kelp
- Seafloor
- Algae
- Subtidal
- Soft-bottom
General
- Invasive Species (Green Cab)
- Fishing Intensity
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
- Weather Quality
- Changing Oceanographic Conditions
- Acoustics
- Remote Sensing (ROV, AUV)
Water Quality
- Currents
- Tides
- Water Temperature
- Waves
Living Marine Resources
- Benthic Algae
- Non-coral Invertebrates
- Coral
- Reef Fish
- Marine Birds
- Sea Turtles
- Monk Seals
- Slipper Lobster
- Spiny Lobster
Habitat
- Algae
- Coral
General
- Carbonate Chemistry
- Derelict Fishing Gear
- Invasive Species
- Marine Debris
- Maritime Heritage
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
Water Quality
- Contaminants (organic, inorganic)
- Water Temperature
Living Marine Resources
- Cetaceans
- Commercial Fish
Habitat
- Hard-bottom
General
- Acoustics
- Ship Strikes
- GMOOS, NERACOOS
- Trawl Surveys
- Historical Ecology
- Vessel Traffic
- Ocean Observing
- Real-time Oceanographic Data
Water Quality
- Water Temperature
- Waves
- Wind
Living Marine Resources
- N/A
Habitat
- N/A
General
- Maritime Heritage
- Real-time Oceanographic Data