Cape Cod Aquatic Biomonitoring Protocol

Research topics > Aquatic Studies > Biomonitoring of Lakes and Ponds

Freshwater lakes, ponds, and wetlands, and the plants and animals that they support, are among the most important natural resources of the Cape Cod National Seashore. The development of an inventory of the biological resources of the Seashore's fresh waters, and the establishment of a program for long-term biological monitoring to detect changes in water quality and other parameters in Seashore waters, are high priorities for the National Park. We are conducting research designed:

1. to categorize freshwater bodies in the Cape Cod National Seashore;
2. to carry out an inventory of a selected subset of those water bodies in order to identify indicator species, assemblages, or metrics useful for monitoring changes over time;
3. to develop a protocol for use by Seashore staff for long-term monitoring of the ecological state of the water bodies over time;
4. to present the National Park Service with a report detailing the results of the initial classification of water bodies, inventory, and method development; and
5. to provide the Seashore with a step-by-step protocol for implementation of the monitoring program.