This chapter discusses how to create the physical communication products needed to broadcast the messages within a communication strategy (see Chapter 4). To determine the kind of product needed, several different elements should be considered, including the background of the audience, the size of the audience, and the amount of time available to produce the product. The products discussed are conceptual diagrams, newsletters, presentations, websites, posters, and books.

Drawing from the last chapter and its emphasis on the importance of communication, this chapter discusses ways to broadcast a message internally within a coastal assessment program and externally to the general public. Throughout the chapter, the steps involved in broadcasting the message (such as determining target audience, ways in which to relay the message, and how to create an appropriate timeline) will be explained in detail.

Chapter 4 discussed how selecting an appropriate communication product can affect an audience and persuade opinions. This chapter discusses how using another tool, an indicator (Figure 5.1), not only can persuade opinions, but also can be used to evaluate the health of an ecosystem.

This chapter continues the discussion of ecological indicators but with the specific application of producing ecological report cards. It explains the reasons for producing report cards, the steps to produce indicators based on ecological thresholds, and the process of combining indicators into overarching indices. Ecological report cards, like the indicators that they are based on, are one of the most important products for directing data collection and analysis.

This chapter provides an overview of the process of developing, producing, and releasing an ecological forecast, which is supported by statistical analysis and models that underpin forecasts (see Chapters 8 and 9). Areas discussed in this chapter include why you may consider conducting ecological forecasting, some of the essential elements of a forecasting program, and some of the challenges you may face.

One of the most important goals of a coastal assessment program is to increase the knowledge of individuals and agencies who make management decisions. Information must be presented in an easy-to-understand format and supported by quantitative analyses. Quantitative analyses often involve applying statistical techniques that are used to visualize, describe, and model data.

Models can act as an interface among scientists, managers, and the public to build a shared understanding of the status and trends of coastal resources (Figure 9.1). Environmental models can be an effective way of synthesizing large quantities of environmental data. These models can assume a variety of forms and be used to address many different types of research questions.

Vast areas of the globe's coastal zone have experienced significant declines in ecosystem health. Deteriorating water quality, loss and alteration of vital habitats, and reduced populations of fish and shellfish are some of the major changes recorded. Regardless of the differences between cultures, climate regions, and population pressures, integrated management and assessment is required to solve coastal environmental problems.

While engaged in professional oceanographic research and teaching, Marshall, like the postman who goes for a hike on Sundays, spent much of his free time cruising in his 30-foot auxiliary sloop. Underway he realized that, with the equipment readily available on vessels, whether large or small, interested observers could learn a great deal about their surroundings. This prompted him, in his retirement, to write Oceanography: An Observer's Guide.

The environmental challenges now facing humanity are particularly acute in the coastal zone. Research in this region and in other aquatic ecosystems is complicated by interactions that occur over broad scales of time, space, and ecological complexity. Enclosed experimental ecosystems have become critical research tools because they provide a degree of control not achievable through field experiments.