Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program: Ecological Indicators

Environmental Monitoring And Assessment Program: Ecological Indicators by Carolyn Thomas Hunsaker. This comprehensive reference describes the EMAP planning framework and the standard set of indicator sheets used to classify and monitor ecosystem condition across forests, arid lands, agroecosystems, and cross-cutting categories such as animals, biomarkers, landscapes, and atmospheric stressors. It presents a self-contained template for each indicator (name/code, category, status, application, index period, measurements, variability, primary problems, costs, and references) and outlines how indicators are organized into resource categories and RSU-based sampling designs. The document details probabilistic and scalable sampling with a national grid of landscape sampling units, a two-stage RSU selection, and a rotating four-year cycle that supports regional trend detection while maintaining data comparability. Indicator types include response, exposure, habitat, and stressor indicators, with emphasis on integration across soil, vegetation, climate, pollutants, and land-use factors. The work highlights data sources, cost considerations, and the role of expert peer review and regional demonstrations in establishing core indicators and developmental indicators for long-term monitoring.