White Paper on the Status and Needs of Science in the Delaware Estuary. 2006

摘要

In early 2005, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) convened a two-part science and management conference to bring researchers, resource managers and other interested parties together to summarize the current state of science and identify and prioritize science and management needs for the Estuary. The Delaware Estuary Science Conference was the first meeting of its kind in more than 10 years and attracted an unprecedented number of attendees from government agencies, academia, industry and non-governmental organizations. More than 250 scientists, managers and scienceinterested people met to deliver more than 130 presentations. These presentations provided a long overdue update on science activities in the Estuary and also identified critical knowledge gaps in our understanding of the estuarine environment, defined as including both tidal and non-tidal portions of the watershed. In addition, particular attention was devoted by the participants to data gaps that hamper sustainable management of natural resources. The aim of this white paper is to translate the key points and science needs articulated at the conference into a consensus summary of the state of our scientific knowledge and to provide guidance for channeling future efforts toward the most pressing science and management needs. Specifically, the objectives of this white paper are to: summarize key points and science needs that were reported at the science conference and subsequent related meetings, synthesize key points and science needs into a consensus list of needs that is prioritized, and provide a blueprint for addressing these needs by the science and management community in the Delaware Estuary.