Monitoring Program Design - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 324

measured not less than two times per day (Table 7.1) . Second, the internal lagoon
monitoring station should be (1) in areas under the influence of salinity inflows (e.g.,
near lagoon entrances) as well as areas under the influence of the main freshwater
inlets; (2) in the remote semiclosed subareas important to modeling objectives; (3)
in the transition zones of active water mixing, local hydrological fronts, etc. Vertical
profiling of the salinity field is preferable at the points of monitoring measurements,
or, as a last resort, sampling at the upper, intermediate, and bottom layers may be
used.
If the implemented model aims at transport prediction in the scale of hours or
days in the whole lagoon (not in the vicinity of the salinity front), the salinity data
may not have enough contrasts, and in this case a special artificial conservative tracer
should be used. The literature for recommendations on execution of tracer experi-
ments includes Zac 14 and Martin et al . 15
An artificial tracer is also very useful for obtaining calibration data on short-
term water mixing and transport both in a hypersaline lagoon (where salinity is
transformed not only by direct dissolving but by evaporation as well; for example,
Kara Bogaz Gol Lagoon in the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan), or in a freshwater
lagoon, where salinity is usually found only in close vicinity to the lagoon entrance,
for example, Curonian Lagoon in the Baltic Sea, Lithuania/Russia.

7.5 ASSESSMENT OF MONITORING RESULTS

AND FORMS OF PRESENTATION

Monitoring is a costly, time-consuming endeavor. Therefore, its results should be
well elaborated and made available not only to decision makers but also to other
users, including the public. Thus, it may be necessary to develop more than one
assessment document to suit different users and audiences.
For example, the following documents serve different but useful purposes:

• Background document (mainly for scientists, but also for decision makers)
• Executive summary (developed with decision makers in mind, and includ-
ing references to the background document)
• Popular document (for media and public consumption)
•

Indicator-based assessment (usually requested by the decision makers)

The form of presentation chosen will depend on the audience. Decision makers
generally prefer summary documents, short on detail but including information
useful for making environmental management decisions. People with a technical
understanding of methodologies are interested in more detailed technical informa-
tion. The public and mass media want general information, but access to more
technical information if desired. It is useful to develop a communication strategy
early in the monitoring program. Recently, an indicator-based document has been
required by economists and decision makers. It is also desirable to produce demon-
stration programs/scenarios based on modeling results. This is particularly useful
for decision makers, other potential users, and the public ( see Chapter 8 for details).