Aquatic Ecology: Expert Reports
The division produces 60-70 reports per year. These reports are unique, authoritative expert evaluations. Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review. The experts who volunteer their time participating on study committees are vetted to make sure that the committee has the range of expertise needed to address the task, that they have a balance of perspectives, and to identify and eliminate members with conflicts of interest. All reports undergo a rigorous, independent peer review to assure that the statement of task has been addressed, that conclusions are adequately supported, and that all important issues raised by the reviewers are addressed. Thus, while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy.
Scientific Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit (2012)
This report provides a scientific review of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from the National Park Service that compares the effects of extending a permit to operate the Drakes Bay Oyster Company shellfish farm in Drakes Estero for the next 10 years, or denying the permit and converting the site from potential wilderness to full wilderness status. The report looks at the Park Service's evaluation of the following resource categories... More >>
Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Fourth Biennial Review, 2012 (2012)
Twelve years into the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project, little progress has been made in restoring the core of the remaining Everglades ecosystem; instead, most project construction so far has occurred along its periphery. To reverse ongoing ecosystem declines, it will be necessary to expedite restoration projects that target the central Everglades, and to improve both the quality and quantity of the water in the ecosystem. The ne... More >>
Report in Brief
Approaches for Ecosystem Services Valuation for the Gulf of Mexico After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Interim Report (2011)
The unprecedented magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill presents significant challenges for oil spill responders and those tasked with assessing the impacts of the spill. Evaluating changes to ecosystem services—the benefits people receive from natural resources and processes—caused by the oil spill could expand the potential to capture and value the full breadth of impacts to the ecosystem and the public. This report assesse... More >>
Report in Brief
Assessing the Relationship Between Propagule Pressure and Invasion Risk in Ballast Water (2011)
The release of invasive species from the ballast water of ships to U.S. waterways has caused extensive environmental and economic impacts (on the order of $1 billion since 1989 for zebra and quagga mussels alone). To limit the spread of invasive species, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard are developing plans to regulate the concentration of living organisms discharged from ballast water. These plans assume that ther... More >>
Report in Brief
A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California's Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan (2011)
Report in Brief >> California's draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan—a draft plan to conserve habitat for endangered and threatened species, while continuing to divert water to agriculture and domestic water users in central and southern California—is incomplete and contains critical scientific gaps. The Bay Delta is a large, complex ecosystem that supplies water from the state's wetter northern regions to the drier southern regions, and als... More >>
Report in Brief