Causes of Biological Impairment

The causes of ecological impairment need to be determined before effective action can be taken; to educate the public and governments, to remove or reduce the stressors, and to protect and restore environmental resources. This research coordinates three components of a research program among NERL, NCEA, and NRMRL that is designed to better identify and understand causes of biological impairments. The four components are: 1) Guidance and Capacity Building, 2) Case Studies, 3) Development and Review of Tools for Causal Analysis, and 4) Causal Analysis and Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS).

Guidance and Capacity Building involves revision of the Stressor Identification Guidance, workshops, and web-enabled training modules.

Case Studies are undertaken to develop new guidance and approaches for causal analysis such as episodic events, watershed scale causes, multiple similar impairments, and multiple concurrent causes.

The Causal Analysis and Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS) will combine the knowledge of the first two components in a web-enabled system that will make it easier for states and Tribes to perform and document causal analyses. CADDIS will also include stressor-response relationships and information regarding the removal of a candidate cause with subsequent effects (restoration).

Develop strategies to determine causes of biological impairment in rivers and streams.

• Development Plan for the Causal Analysis / Diagnosis Decision Information System
• Determining Causes of Ecological Impairment