Estuaries of the United States: Vital Statistics of a National Resource Base

摘要

The report describes briefly the Nation's estuarine resource base. It updates information presented in several previous NOAA reports and atlases developed through its National Estuarine Inventory (NEI) Program and provides the environmental characteristics of 102 U.S. estuaries. Each estuary is unique, described by its own set of vital statistics that define its natural processes and the level and impact of human uses. With this information, a factual basis exists for comparing estuaries, placing them in a regional or national context, assessing their condition, and approaching management of the Nation's estuaries on a comprehensive rather than a case-by-case basis.