Sampling and data analysis protocols for Mid-Atlantic tidal tributary indicators

This document provides guidelines for the successful production of tidal ecosystem health report cards. Specifically, this document develops clear and consistent protocols for the identification, collection, and analysis of indicators to be used by report card-producing organizations in the mid-Atlantic region.The overall objective of this protocol document is to encourage and enable comparisons of monitoring results from report card-producing organizations and to increase the scientific validity of report cards as outreach tools. This document is intended for use in tidal areas only, as the ecosystem health indicators and thresholds discussed are pertinent only to tidal ecosystems.

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