ACADEMIC
UNH/GMWICS
The goal of the UNH project is to develop a regional, geographic information system (GIS) based characterization system for drainage basins that empty into the Gulf of Maine. This characterization system includes an archive of relevant GIS-based data sets, historical and near real-time discharge and water chemistry data, and the results of water balance and water chemistry modeling. Our goal is to provide an online reference source for scientists, coastal and freshwater managers, citizen groups and students of digital maps and water quality monitoring data for the basins of the Gulf of Maine Watershed. Research at UNH is striving to produce a synoptic picture of the status of fluvial inputs to the Gulf of Maine coastal zone. This water and nutrient synopsis is being developed from a GIS-based analysis of the anthropogenic activities that take place within drainage basins influencing riverine biogeochemical fluxes. A key focus of this research is to gain an understanding of the seasonal and inter-annual variability in the Gulf of Maine watershed basins. The management of inland landscapes and freshwater resources is a key determinant of coastal zone water quality. Observations of water quality in many parts of the world show that river loadings of biotically active elements have increased several folds since the beginning of the Industrial Era. Website: http://www.gm-wics.unh.edu/ [Summary provided by the University of New Hampshire.]