Subject Areas Monitored by Each Sanctuary

photo of diver monitoring underwater

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