Ecosystem status for the Gulf of Mexico

"The goal of this report is to summarize the various focal ecosystem components in the Gulf of Mexico necessary to consider from an ecosystem perspective. The report highlights potential indicators that could be used to track these focal ecosystem components. Broadly following the DPSER framework, selected indicators span a wide range of ecosystem components, from climatic and physical drivers of ecosystem change, to the states of biological and human communities. The intention of the work is to cover the entire Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem, including U.S., Mexican, and Cuban waters. However, due to the difficulty in obtaining data from Cuba, only remotely sensed observations are available for this report from this section of the Gulf. Where possible, we have developed indicators based on the Southern Gulf of Mexico using Mexican data sources, but much of the information in the report is weighted heavily towards the Northern Gulf of Mexico. We expect that this interdisciplinary report will serve to elucidate linkages not only between these geographical regions, but also between different components of the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem, and that it will provide context as we move toward ecosystem-based management of this ecosystem"--Introduction. Mandy Karnauskas, Michael J. Schirripa, Christopher R. Kelble, Geoffrey S. Cook, and J. Kevin Craig. "December 2013." System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references (pages 46-52). 2013 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) SEFSC (Southeast Fisheries Science Center) Library Public Domain 1863