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<br />detailed data analysis and literature search, hypotheses <br />must be generated to explain the deviation. These <br />hypotheses will form the basis for investigations to <br />determine the problem. Field and laboratory research will <br />then be carried out until the cause is determined. If, by <br />gathering additional data, the deviation can be attributed <br />to natural environmental factors, the model will be <br />refined and analysis will stop. If, however, the cause is <br />industry related, mitigation methodology can be <br />implemented. <br /> <br />Application of this logic to reclaimed or modified <br />areas is identical. However, in this instance, the model <br />is used to measure similarity to pre-development <br />conditions or projected goals and legal requirements for <br />the area. Effectiveness of mitigation, reclamation, or <br />habitat enhancement will require evaluation of each <br />important relationship by knowledgeable investigators as <br />well as consultation with the governing regulatory agency <br />at appropriate intervals to determine if reclamation is <br />complete and mitigation or enhancement is effective. <br /> <br />EXAMPLE OF THE MONITORING APPROACH <br /> <br />To illustrate the application of this logic, consider <br />the following example. Assume the following represent a <br />set of primary relationships describing a subsetz of the <br />ecosystem and that primary production (mg OZ/m /hr) is <br />the community-level parameter being monitored. <br /> <br />Net Primary Production = f(light, chlorophyll, <br />community respiration) <br /> <br />Light = f(season, time of day, turbidity) <br /> <br />Chlorophyll = f(season, storm events, nutrients) <br /> <br />Community Respiration f(standing crop of <br />invertebrates, microbes, organics) <br /> <br />If at Level I we enter the most recent data into <br />MONITOR and the relationships still hold, that is, the <br />confidence limits of the relationship curves are not <br />violated, the system is normal and we need proceed no <br />further. If, however, we observe net primary production <br />to be lower than expected by our model and that <br />correspondingly, community respiration is higher than <br />expected, while light and chlorophyll are normal, MONITOR <br />outputs a red flag for net primary production (NPP) and <br />community respiration (CR). <br /> <br />284 <br /> <br />a <br />