Towards a coastal condition assessment and monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem (GoM LME): Terminos Lagoon pilot site

The demonstration project on monitoring and environmental evaluation of the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem (GoM LME) aims to provide the basis for the joint monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico between the USA and Mexico. The project is roughly based on the National Coastal Condition (NCC) reported by the USEPA–NOAA–USGS and changes to the approach used in the USA have been adopted. It consists of five modules: Habitat degradation, water quality, sediment quality, fish, and benthic fauna. For each module different parameters are measured, and categorized as being in “good” (score of 5), “fair” (score of 3) or “poor” (score of 1) condition according to pre-determined criteria. The Coastal Condition Index is calculated as the mean of the scores for all modules. Results were presented to stakeholders and environmental managers as maps with color-coded “street lights” indicating the status of each sampling station and parameter. Terminos Lagoon in Mexico was exclusively used as a site for the demonstration study. We discuss the importance of adopting a bilateral (Mexico-US) transboundary monitoring strategy to assess the coastal condition of the GoM LME.