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Sensitivity of indicators matters when using aggregation methods to assess marine environmental status
Haniyeh Nemati1, Mohammad Reza Shokri1, Zohreh Ramezanpour2
1Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C. Evin, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Marine Pollution Bulletin
|March 25, 2018
Summary
The abundance of Pontogammarus effectively distinguishes between Caspian Sea areas impacted by beach nourishment and those unaffected. This key indicator aids in monitoring environmental changes from management actions aimed at preserving bathing activities.
Area of Science:
- Marine ecology
- Environmental monitoring
- Ecological assessment
Background:
- Assessing the environmental impact of human activities like bathing is crucial for marine ecosystem health.
- Complex aggregation methods require sensitivity analysis to identify key environmental indicators.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the sensitivity of 15 environmental indicators within the Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool (NEAT).
- To identify the most effective indicators for discriminating between areas impacted and non-impacted by bathing activities in the Caspian Sea.
- To assess the role of specific indicators in detecting impacts from management measures such as beach nourishment.
Main Methods:
- A case study was conducted in the Caspian Sea, Iran, using the NEAT method with 15 environmental indicators.
- Two sensitivity analyses were performed: one-way analysis by grouping indicators and random indicator removal using Monte Carlo simulations.
- NEAT values were calculated after omitting indicator groups and individual indicators to test their discriminatory power.
Main Results:
- The abundance of the indicator Pontogammarus was identified as the single most effective factor in differentiating between impacted and non-impacted areas.
- This indicator demonstrated significant sensitivity in distinguishing locations affected by bathing activities and subsequent management interventions.
- Other indicator groups (physicochemical, bacteria, plankton, benthos) showed less discriminatory power compared to Pontogammarus abundance.
Conclusions:
- Pontogammarus abundance is a highly sensitive and reliable indicator for monitoring the environmental impacts of bathing activities and beach nourishment in the Caspian Sea.
- The findings highlight the importance of selecting sensitive indicators for effective environmental status assessment and management.
- This research provides a valuable tool for marine environmental management, enabling the detection of changes resulting from human interventions.
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