Gulf of Maine Research, Policy and Management Issues

Background: A sea beside the sea

The Gulf is a semi-enclosed sea bounded to the south and east by underwater banks.  The seafloor terrain contours were shaped by glaciers many thousands of years ago.  The Gulf is a complex and biologically productive environment, bounded on the land side by 3 US New England States and 2 Canadian Atlantic provinces. The Gulf of Maine watershed encompasses much of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and a small portion of Quebec.

Gulf of Maine marine waters and shoreline habitats host myriad species of plants and animals and ocean currents control temperatures and bring nutrients and food to them.  These natural characteristics give the Gulf a very high value for multiple and sometimes competing human uses.  Through a variety of activities and events, a number of issues have been identified by research scientists and resource managers.  These issues are subjects of on-going investigations and discussions and will be highlighted by RARGOM and the Gulf of Maine Council.  These issues include:

Chemical Contamination & Contaminant Cycling

Sources, pathways, fates and effects of organic and heavy metal chemical contaminants

Harmful Algal Blooms

Causes of noxious phytoplankton populations and effects of toxins

Climate Change Effects

Effects of natural and human-induced climate changes on intertidal and marine coastal systems

Nutrient Enrichment & Eutrophication

Nutrient fluxes, primary production, dissolved oxygen, effects on commercially valuable resources and natural resources

Changes in the Physical Environment

Effects of habitat alteration due to dredging, wetlands filling, trawling, shoreline engineering.

Biological Diversity

Food chain disruptions, exotic invasive species.

Coastal Observatories & Observing Systems

Observatory structure, research focus, regional collaborations, data sharing

Upland Watersheds

River damming (dam removal), groundwater flux,

Seafloor Mapping

High resolution bathymetry, GIS, geo-spatial tools

Marine Reserves & Marine Protected Areas

Design, goals, management strategy

Research & Monitoring

Temporal and spatial trends in chemical and biological contaminants

“State of the Gulf” assessments

Habitat Identification, Status Assessment & Wetlands Restoration

Classification schemes, essential fish habitat, descriptions and functioning of banks, ledges, basins, estuaries, rocky shoreline, marshes, sandy beaches

Restoration

This portion of the RARGOM website will be under continual development, adding information concerning any of these topics as available.  It will display a series of "regional conversations" on specific issues, providing an opportunity for community comment.  Information included will be of value to researchers and managers, providing basic background information and context for each subject.  Each issue, will contain a collection of issue documents, background pdfs, maps, photos, diagrams, web links, bulletin board discussions, etc. The specific content items in any issue collection will vary from topic to topic and will develop over time.  Similar issues are also presented in the “knowledgebase” series being developed on the Gulf of Maine Council website (http://www.gulfofmaine.org/)