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This data set was developed by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The main objectives of the Mussel Watch Project are to evaluate the ecological status of the estuaries and coasts of the US, determine change in environmental quality through time (trends), and support NOAA ecosystem-based management. This work is performed along the conterminous coasts of the U.S. and the shores of the Great Lakes, Hawaii and Alaska. Samples are also regularly collected in Puerto Rico. Mussels and oysters are the sentinel species of the Project and sites are collected and analyzed biennially with contaminants characterized in sediment approximately once every ten years. Mussels are collected from sites historically collected by state monitoring programs and other forerunners of the current Project. The Project's data are available back to 1986 but certain parameters can be compared to earlier monitoring of the 1960s and 1970s.These interrelated activities are designed to provide coastal managers with national context to measures of local and regional environmental condition. Outcomes include a status of contaminant concentrations around the U.S. including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Great Lakes. Monitoring activities are designed to quantify and assess spatial and temporal trends in coastal contamination, and to provide a baseline to assess impacts of anthropogenic and natural events, including chemical spills, tropical storms, and hurricanes.The NS&T Mussel Watch Project is not intended to quantify contaminants in "hot spots;" rather, mollusk collection sites were selected to be representative of their surroundings. Therefore, Mussel Watch sites were not located in areas such as New Bedford Harbor, where PCB concentrations are known to be uniquely high, or near waste discharge points or poorly flushed industrialized waterways.
Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:NOAA requests that all individuals who download NOAA data acknowledge the source of these data in any reports, papers, or presentations. If you publish these data, please include a statement similar to: Some or all of the data described in this article were produced by the NOAA's National Ocean Service through its National Status and Trends Mussel Watch Project.
These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.
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Network links: |
https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/ltmonitoring/nsandt/ |