@prefix skos: . @prefix ns0: . skos:prefLabel "M - O"@en ; a skos:Concept ; skos:narrower . ns0:altLabel [ ] ; skos:broader ; skos:prefLabel "NS&T"@en ; skos:inScheme ; skos:definition """The National Status and Trends (NS&T) program monitors the spatial distributions, temporal trends and biological effects of chemical pollutants in estuarine and coastal marine areas of the United States. The program was designed to help determine the present conditions of the Nation's coastal marine environment, and establish whether these conditions are improving or declining. To accomplish this, the program annually measures the concentrations of selected contaminants in marine biota and sediments, collected from coastal areas around the country. The relationship between contaminant exposure and indicators of biological responses in marine organisms is also examined. Policy makers and resource managers may use NS&T data to help assess the effects of human activities on the coastal marine environment and to indicate areas where pollution control measures are working or might be needed. The NS&T program is administered by ORCA's Coastal Monitoring and Bioeffects Division (CMBAD), in conjunction with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Office of NOAA Corps Operations; ORCA is a major line office of the National Ocean Service (NOS) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Some components of the NS&T program are conducted through cooperative agreements with state and regional environmental monitoring programs. The primary emphasis of the NS&T program is the determination of the status and effects of toxic chemicals in coastal marine and estuarine areas. Through its Mussel Watch Project, the program monitors the levels of over 70 contaminants in sediments and the soft tissue of mussels and oysters. The program's Benthic Surveillance Project monitors the same suite of chemicals in sediments and benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish, and additionally analyzes fish for disease conditions and specific physiological responses that are associated with contaminant exposure. The chemicals selected by the NS&T program serve as indicators of human activity and, at certain levels, may be acutely or chronically toxic to marine life. Monitored contaminants include 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); 20 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); 15 chlorinated pesticides, including Chlordane and DDT (and breakdown elements of DDT); butyltins; four major elements; and 12 trace elements. Sediments also are analyzed for total organic carbon content (TOC), and for spore concentrations of the bacterium Clostridium perfringens, which is associated with sewage contamination. The grain size distribution among sediment particles also is recorded to account for differences among contaminant levels, due to differing capacities for sediments to accumulate contaminants. The NS&T program also conducts Bioeffects Surveys, and prepares Historical Trends reports and Coastal Contamination Assessments in selected coastal areas. Bioeffects Surveys provide information on the magnitude and extent of contaminant-associated effects by measuring such properties as external and internal disease, reproductive impairment and genetic damage in fish and bivalves, and sediment toxicity resulting from contaminants. Historical Trends reports identify patterns of contamination in selected coastal areas over extended periods of time. These studies compare new NS&T data with pertinent historical data, including chemical analyses of of sediment core segments. Coastal Contamination Assessments combine contaminant findings with such estuarine-related information as hydrologic features, point source characteristics, and projected population trends to provide comprehensive environmental assessments of selected coastal areas. The NS&T program concentrates on estuaries, bays, and near-shore marine areas. Through the program's Mussel Watch and Benthic Surveillance projects, samples are collected at regular intervals from over 300 sites throughout the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Monitoring activities are designed to describe national and regional distributions of contamination. Sampling sites generally are located between 10 and 100 kilometers apart. Sites are selected to represent contaminant levels in the surrounding area and to avoid small-scale patches of contamination, or 'hot spots'. Conversely, Bioeffects Surveys are performed in areas where NS&T monitoring projects indicate high chemical pollutant levels. These surveys are conducted primarily in urban embayment areas, such as Boston Harbor, Tampa Bay, and the Southern California Bight. Coastal Contamination Assessments are directed toward estuaries and embayments such as the Long Island Sound, and larger regions, such the Gulf of Maine. Sediment core samples for NS&T's Historical Trends studies also are collected from selected estuaries and embayments. The NS&T program was initiated in 1984. A primary objective of the program is to determine the current status and distribution through time of chemical pollutants. To accomplish this, samples are collected from most NS&T monitoring sites on an annual basis. Presently, the NS&T monitoring data base contains data on contaminant concentrations in fish livers collected from 1984 to 1988, and in molluscan tissues collected from 1986 to 1990. The data base also contains data on contaminant concentrations in sediments from selected sites collected from 1984 to the present. Recent trends in contamination may be inferred by comparing NS&T data with relevant historical data, derived from other sources. Data from NS&T core sample analyses will allow the determination of contaminant trends since pre-industrial times. Since 1986, the NS&T program has conducted biological effects surveys, ranging from two to four years in duration. Quality Assurance is a major component of the NS&T program, as it is necessary that the analytical data generated by participating laboratories be consistent and of known quality. Analytical procedures adhere to the standard procedures of the NS&T Quality Assurance (QA) Project, established for all laboratories participating in the NS&T program. As part of the QA Project, laboratories associated with the NS&T program participate in yearly intercomparison exercises administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. The NS&T program also administers a 'specimen bank' of samples for the purpose of retrospective analyses. Samples are collected from selected NS&T monitoring sites, preserved in liquid nitrogen and stored at -150 C at the NIST facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland. NS&T data are available in a variety of reports and publications (over 400 to date). Raw data from the Benthic Surveillance Project (1984- 88) and Mussel Watch Project (1986-90) are available upon request in microfiche format and on 3.5' PC and Macintosh computer diskettes. In conjunction with ORCA's Strategic Environmental Assessment Division (SEA), the NS&T program is developing a desk-top database information and display system that will allow the portrayal of spatial distributions and temporal trends of contamination in the coastal marine environment. Software has been developed for examining, displaying, and mapping environmental and natural resource information on high-resolution base maps. Using Macintosh-related software, NS&T data will be expressed in graph form and on high- resolution base maps. Point of contact: Andrew Robertson The National Status and Trends Program Coastal Monitoring and Bioeffects Assessment Division Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment 6001 Executive Blvd; Rm. 312 Rockville, MD 20852 (301) 443-8933 Selected NS&T projects also are supported by a number of programs administered by ORCA's Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Division, including the National Coastal Pollutant Discharge Inventory (NCPDI), the National Estuarine Inventory (NEI), and the National Shellfish Register."""@en ; a skos:Concept .