This report describes the baseline condition assessment produced by EcoCheck for Friends of Deep Creek Lake in preparation for production of future annual lake ecosystem health report cards. A new and innovative assessment framework, discussion of the individual indicators, and results of data analysis are presented, along with suggestions for future monitoring and research needs.

Effective local management of coral reefs has a direct effect on reducing threats and improving overall coral community health. Careful zoning and effective enforcement of resource use within a marine managed area reduces impact of overfishing, allowing populations of grazing fish to rejuvenate and maintain healthy ecosystem functioning. Coral reefs that are healthy have greater resilience and ability to recover from chronic and acute stress.

Intense rainfall between 10-12 January 2011 caused flash and river flooding throughout the region. This newsletter focuses on the flood impacts on creeks, streambanks and paddocks. The floods caused significant impacts to waterways and the adjacent floodplains. The greatest impacts occurred in the Lockyer, Mid and Upper Brisbane and Bremer catchments with devastating loss of life and significant environmental damage.

The 2011 floods in South East Queensland were devastating to the people and economy of Queensland, with lives lost and homes and infrastructure destroyed. As communities across Queensland rebuild their homes and businesses, the impact of the floods on the ecosystems that support commercial and recreational activities of the state are unknown.

This report card is an assessment of the aquatic health of the Magothy River, and is based on data collected by the Magothy River Association and various partners. It reports the status of vital habitats and water quality in the Magothy during 2010 based on three different indicators.

This report details the findings of the Scientific and Technical Working Group, comprised of experts representing six sectors—human health, agriculture, forests and terrestrial ecosystems, bay and aquatic ecosystems, water resources, and population growth and infrastructure. Each sector assessed climate change vulnerabilities, and recommended adaptation strategies for the State of Maryland.

Beryllium-7 is a potentially powerful tracer of atmospheric deposition and recent sediment transport, but the quantity and distribution of Be-7 on arid landscapes have not been described. We measured Be-7 in soil, vegetation, and dust in Owens Valley, California, and describe its distribution in aridisols and mollisols to evaluate its potential as a sediment tracer in desert environments.

Improving watershed nutrient budgets, ecosystem models, and our understanding of the impact of land-use management on ecosystem functioning depends on the development of remote sensing methods that can predict aspects of the nitrogen (N) cycle. This is particularly true for temperate managed grasslands, which constitute a large portion of agricultural land and, at times, export a significant amount of N to aquatic systems and the atmosphere.

The Integrated Ocean Observing System (100S (R)) Regional Associations and Interagency Partners hosted a water quality workshop in January 2010 to discuss issues of nutrient enrichment and dissolved oxygen depletion (hypoxia), harmful algal blooms (HABs), and beach water quality.

The challenge of making conservation economically attractive is a critical hurdle for the creation and effective management of marine managed areas. This document describes three approaches to shaping incentives, project design and tool selection, and provides 27 case studies worldwide where incentives were employed in changing behavior.