Data Sets for Developing Measures of Biological Integrity in Maryland Streams

摘要

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources has ongoing commitments to investigatethe chemical and biological effects of acidic deposition in Maryland. An important step in this process is understanding and developing management strategies to assess the problems associated with acidic precipitation. The project involved conducitng a literature review to identify, acquire, and assemble existing data sets which would be applicable for the development of biotic indices for Maryland's non-tidal streams. The collection focused on obtaining water quality, fish, benthic, and habitat assessment data sets which included station location information and are available electronically. Ideally, stations were sampled concurrently for both water quality and biological variables. The review resulted in the identification and collection of 29 potentially useful data sets and reports. Of these 29, only a few were available electronically and only one, the Western Maryland Stream Survey met all the criteria established to be of use for further analysis.