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National Estuarine Research Reserve System
Overview of Research and Monitoring Program
Estuaries are the connection between the ocean and the land. Humans depend on both
ocean and land for their very existence, so caring for both – and the connection between
them – is pivotal to our society’s well-being. The National Estuarine Research Reserve
System protects more than 1.3 million acres of coastal and estuarine habitats in order to
investigate their physical and biological processes. These studies are vital to the
understanding and management of these crucial ecosystems.
The National Estuarine Research Reserves serve as living laboratories and classrooms for
on-site education and research staff, visiting scientists, and students. In this capacity, the
reserves serve as platforms for long-term research and monitoring, as sentinel sites to
better understand the effects of environmental change, as reference sites for comparative
studies, and places to convey to people the scientific findings and principles. The goals
of the Reserve System's research and monitoring program include (1) ensuring a stable
environment for research through long-term protection of Reserve resources;
(2) addressing coastal management issues through coordinated estuarine research within
the System; and (3) collecting information necessary for improved understanding and
management of estuarine areas, and making the information available to stakeholders.
By understanding how estuaries function and change over time, Reserve System
scientists hope to predict how coastal systems respond to changes in climate and humaninduced disturbances. The factors that influence estuarine systems often occur over long
periods of time and across broad geographic areas. This makes it difficult to separate
natural change from human-induced change. The Reserve System relies on sustained
long-term monitoring to identify patterns of change. Research then helps to establish the
causes of observed changes. The Reserve System’s monitoring program, coupled with
supported research programs, provides a foundation for developing solutions to coastal
management problems by determining how estuarine ecosystems change, and why these
changes occur.
Each reserve works on a variety of research projects, in addition to participating in
the System-wide Monitoring Program. The projects are quite varied and depend on local
needs and issues, as well as issues of national concern. Topics may include issues such
as investigating the impacts of non-point source pollution, understanding the role of
social science in coastal resource management, and controlling invasive species.
The NERRS Science Collaborative is designed to put Reserve-based science to work for
local communities. Administered by the University of Michigan, this program funds
research projects that bring scientists, intended users of the science, stakeholders,
educators, and trainers together to address problems related to coastal pollution and
habitat degradation in the context of climate change. The results of these projects will be
shared throughout the System.
The NERRS Sentinel Sites Program will build upon SWMP by focusing data collection
and measurements on specific climate-related issues, and by leveraging resources and
partnerships to provide the necessary support. The ultimate goal of the NERRS Sentinel
Sites Program is to help determine reserve vulnerabilities to climate change (initially, sea
level/lake level change and inundation and habitat response), and to translate our
understanding to coastal communities and coastal managers.
Last Updated on: 8.13.2015