Defining the coast and sentinel ecosystems for coastal observations of global change |
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Authors: | Stefano Mazzilli Robert R Christian |
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Institution: | (1) Global Terrestrial Observing System/Biology Department, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA;(2) Global Terrestrial Observing System/Environment and Natural Resources Service, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 00185, Italy |
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Abstract: | The detection, attribution and prediction of global and large scale regional change are goals for the Global Observing Systems
of the United Nations. Coastal areas are particularly sensitive to global change, but there is a variety of limitations to
universal coverage of observations. The coastal module of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (C-GTOS) considers sentinel
ecosystems to address these goals for the terrestrial, wetland and freshwater ecosystems of the coast. Sentinel ecosystems
for observing systems are a limited number of well understood systems that have substantial datasets and are observed in a
sustained fashion, forming an early warning and core system for broader regional and global change. A necessary step in the
development of C-GTOS is the examination of current definitions of coastal areas by anticipated users and information providers,
and identification of potential coastal networks and sites. We applied the sentinel system framework to the selection of C-GTOS
observation sites from several international programs using various global delineations of coastal areas. Delineations were
based on the most common definitions of the coast adopted by potential C-GTOS users and information providers, and included
mapped areas of various distance from the coastline, coastal areas of low elevation, and a seaward boundary matching the Economic
Exclusive Zone (EEZ). Decreases in the number of sites within each international program occurred with each definition marking
area closer to the coastline. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands demonstrates the greatest percentage of coastal sites by any
definition. The process of choosing specific sentinel sites for C-GTOS continues from this initial screening, and is the next
step towards the development of an in situ site network supporting the observation of global and large scale change.
An erratum to this article is available at . |
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Keywords: | Coast Global Terrestrial Observing System ecosystems Long-term monitoring Ramsar Convention on Wetlands World Heritage Convention |
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