All news related to Indices of Biotic Integrity

Prototype dashboard built to help identify ecologically healthy streams to protect

SCCWRP has developed an initial prototype of a public facing data dashboard designed to help watershed managers statewide visualize and determine which streams that are ecologically healthy should be priorities ... More

Bight program modernizing computational methods for bioassessment scoring tools

The Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Program has launched an effort to modernize the computational methods used to score the biological health of organisms living in and on the sediment ... More

Taxonomic standards developed to support biological indicators for dry streams

SCCWRP and its partners have developed taxonomic data standards for terrestrial arthropods and bryophytes, paving the way for these organisms to be used as routine bioassessment indicators for tracking the ... More

Exploratory work launched to build integrated, multitrophic tool for scoring stream health

SCCWRP and its partners have begun exploring how to build a multitrophic index tool that integrates three lines of evidence about biological condition in wadeable streams to assess overall ecological ... More

Draft science product released to support development of statewide stream policy

SCCWRP and its partners have released for public comment a draft science product that is expected to serve as the technical foundation for the State Water Board in developing a ... More

Newly discovered algae species named after former SCCWRP scientist

A newly discovered species of algae has been named after former SCCWRP Senior Scientist Dr. A. Elizabeth “Betty” Fetscher in recognition of her decades of contributions to the field of ... More

Interactive mapping tool to help managers ID causes of poor stream condition

SCCWRP and its partners are wrapping up production of an initial version of a user-friendly, web-based management tool for helping stream managers rapidly narrow down likely causes of poor stream ... More

Algae DNA being sequenced to build molecular version of stream health scoring tool

SCCWRP and its partners have begun sequencing the DNA of hundreds of stream algae samples in preparation for building a molecular version of the statewide Algal Stream Condition Index scoring ... More

Resources unveiled to boost utility, accessibility of stream bioassessment data statewide

SCCWRP has unveiled a comprehensive set of resources intended to overcome common end-user challenges associated with analyzing, accessing and interpreting stream bioassessment data – challenges that have stymied more widespread ... More

Guidance developed on how to work through issues affecting usability of stream bioassessment data

SCCWRP has developed detailed guidance for California watershed managers on how to identify and work through common factors that can affect the usability of stream bioassessment data, including when it’s ... More

DNA-based methods for identifying algae shown to be reliable, possibly more insightful

SCCWRP and its partners have shown in a proof-of-concept study that using DNA methods to conduct algae-based assessments of stream health offers a reliable, cost-effective alternative to traditional biological assessment ... More

Ephemeral stream bioassessment tools show promise for monitoring oil spills

SCCWRP and its partners at California State University, Monterey Bay, have shown in a proof-of-concept study that bioassessment tools designed to evaluate the health of ephemeral streams have the potential ... More

Study launched to determine chances of improving condition of Bay Area streams

SCCWRP has been invited by stormwater managers in the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in a one-year study that will shed light on where managers are more vs. less ... More

DNA-based algae identification methods show promise for stream condition assessments

SCCWRP and its partners have shown in a proof-of-concept study that DNA sequencing methods have the potential to be incorporated into algae-based assessments of stream condition. During the multi-year study ... More

Ephemeral streams condition index being developed using locally collected bioindicator data

SCCWRP and its partners have begun using biological indicator data collected from dry streams across Southern California to refine the design of a set of new tools for assessing ephemeral ... More

Study completed to characterize benthic infaunal communities living in Bight continental slope

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and SCCWRP have completed a three-year project to comprehensively characterize sediment-dwelling infaunal communities that live in the continental slope region of the ... More

Three key stream condition indicators integrated via index

The Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition (SMC) and SCCWRP have developed a new assessment tool that synthesizes three key lines of evidence about the ecological health of wadeable streams to ... More

Science products endorsed as foundation for crafting statewide stream policy

An expert scientific panel has endorsed a set of draft science products developed by SCCWRP as a strong technical foundation for crafting a State Water Board policy intended to better ... More

Bioassessment scores to be extrapolated for 4 modified streams via statistical modeling

SCCWRP and its partners have launched a one-year study to determine the geographical extent to which ecological condition scores calculated for four modified streams in California may be extrapolated ... More

Study examining extrapolation limits of bioassessment scores in engineered channels

SCCWRP and its partners have launched a study exploring the spatial extent to which ecological condition scores calculated for sites in engineered and modified channels may be extrapolated to upstream ... More

Scoring tool developed to quantify habitat condition

SCCWRP and its partners have developed a statewide scoring tool for quantifying the condition of a stream’s physical habitat, enabling watershed managers for the first time to readily interpret and ... More

Science tools for proposed stream biointegrity-biostimulatory policy released in draft form

The State Water Board has published draft versions of a suite of technical reports, journal manuscripts and tools co-authored by SCCWRP that will serve as the technical foundation for the ... More

New workgroup to standardize DNA-based methods for routine aquatic monitoring

The California Water Quality Monitoring Council has formed a statewide workgroup to be led by SCCWRP that will examine how to bring greater consistency and standardization to DNA-based analysis methods ... More

Ephemeral stream scoring tools being transitioned to management use

A new set of tools co-developed by SCCWRP to assess the condition of ephemeral streams when they are dry is being transitioned to pilot testing by the end-user management community. ... More

Effort launched to develop West Coast DNA barcoding library for marine invertebrates

The Smithsonian Institute has partnered with SCCWRP, the Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program and the Western Association of Marine Labs to begin developing a DNA barcoding library that ... More

Study exploring how to dramatically streamline stream causal assessments

SCCWRP and its partners have begun test-driving a novel approach to assessing stream health that has the potential to shave a year or more off the time required to determine ... More

Study sheds light on how to improve DNA sequencing analysis methods to ID organisms

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a two-year study shedding light on best-practices approaches for analyzing raw DNA sequencing data to identify the organisms present in an environmental sample, the ... More

Stream food webs to be examined in study to better integrate stream assessment tools

SCCWRP and its partners have launched a three-year effort to better integrate stream condition assessment tools in California by examining how ecological stress alters the complexity and interconnectedness of stream ... More

Management impacts of stream biointegrity policies explored in new SMC report

The Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition (SMC) has released a comprehensive new report chronicling how the region’s stream management community will potentially be impacted by new and proposed changes to ... More

Science tools for proposed biointegrity-biostimulatory policy to be released this summer

SCCWRP and its partners will begin soliciting public comments this summer on a series of new scientific tools and synthesis reports that will form the technical backbone for a proposed ... More

Algae-based stream scoring tool to be finalized this fall

An assessment tool that will score the ecological health of California wadeable streams by analyzing algal communities is scheduled to be finalized and published as early as this fall. The ... More

New interactive mapping app helps visualize chances of improving stream condition

SCCWRP and its partners have developed a web-based interactive mapping program to help stream managers visualize where in the San Gabriel River watershed they are more vs. less likely to ... More

Effort launched to adapt ephemeral stream bioassessment tools for oil spill monitoring

SCCWRP and its partners have kicked off a study examining whether bioassessment tools being developed to assess the health of ephemeral streams also can be used to assess ecological damage ... More

Technical foundation created for ephemeral stream tools

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a pair of studies that establish a technical foundation for building watershed management tools for Southern California streams that run dry for much of ... More

Stream assessment tool under development to score physical habitat condition

SCCWRP and its partners have developed a preliminary version of a stream assessment tool that can quantitatively score the condition of physical habitat using field data collected during routine monitoring ... More

Condition bioindicators to be developed for ephemeral streams

SCCWRP and its partners are launching a three-year project to develop bioindicators for ephemeral streams in California and Arizona, following the successful completion of a proof-of-concept study showing that these ... More

Initial development work completed for algae-based stream scoring tool

SCCWRP and its partners have completed initial development work on an assessment tool that will score the ecological health of California wadeable streams by analyzing the condition of in-stream algal ... More

SCCWRP exploring expanded use of extrapolation modeling technique for stream condition assessments

SCCWRP and its partners are exploring how to expand use of a modeling technique for extrapolating bioassessment results to unmonitored stream reaches, following the completion of a pilot study that ... More

SMC kicks off Year 3 field sampling for second cycle of stream monitoring program

The Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition in March kicked off Year 3 of field sampling for the second five-year cycle of its regional stream monitoring program. The SMC Regional Watershed ... More

Demonstration maps reveal extrapolation limits of stream condition scores

SCCWRP has generated a series of maps that reveal the geographical extent to which ecological condition scores calculated for stream sampling sites may be extrapolated to unsampled reaches upstream and ... More

SMC completes analysis of bioassessment scores for engineered channels

The Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition has completed a comprehensive analysis of the range of ecological condition scores obtained when engineered channels across coastal Southern California are scored using existing ... More

Experts create gradient for interpreting stream scores

A 16-member expert panel convened to interpret bioassessment scores for wadeable streams statewide has reached consensus on how the scores correspond to various ranges of ecological condition. The Biological Condition ... More

Year 1 field sampling wraps up for developing intermittent stream bioindicators

SCCWRP and its partners have completed Year 1 of field sampling for a study investigating the feasibility of using terrestrial arthropods, riparian insects and bryophytes (e.g., mosses) to assess the ... More

Year 1 field sampling wraps up for developing intermittent stream bioindicators

Expert panel weighs in on extrapolation limits of stream condition scores

SCCWRP and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife convened an expert panel in September to review how far stream condition scores calculated for a given stream sampling site can ... More

Arthropods, bryophytes being developed as condition bioindicators for intermittent streams

SCCWRP and California State University, Monterey Bay, in June launched a study to investigate the feasibility of using terrestrial arthropods and bryophytes (e.g., mosses) to assess the biological condition of ... More

Method comparison study seeks to assess utility of using DNA to identify stream algae

SCCWRP and its partners have launched a first-of-its-kind study to determine whether DNA-based methods can reliably be used to identify algae in wadeable streams across California, a finding that could ... More

Study to investigate extrapolation limits of stream condition scores

SCCWRP and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in August will launch a study seeking to clarify how far stream condition scores calculated for a single stream site can ... More

SCCWRP unveils algaeMetrics tool to simplify algae-based bioassessment calculations

SCCWRP has created a free online tool to help Southern California stream managers and scientists automatically generate stream bioassessment scores using raw algae data collected from wadeable streams. The algaeMetrics ... More

SCCWRP hosts kickoff meeting to develop statewide algae assessment program

SCCWRP hosted a day-long kickoff meeting with state, federal and local agencies in January to begin developing a statewide freshwater bioassessment program that uses algae as the indicator of waterbody ... More

SCCWRP transitioning new stream condition scoring tool to managers

SCCWRP and its partners have launched a series of outreach and training exercises to teach watershed managers how to use a new scoring tool for evaluating the biological health of ... More

CTAG user groups delve into next-gen tech projects at first meetings

Two new CTAG user groups that will pool together resources and expertise from SCCWRP’s member agencies to tackle next-generation data acquisition and visualization technology projects met for the first time ... More

SCCWRP applies bioassessment index to streams statewide

A new scoring tool that was developed to assess the biological condition of California’s wadeable streams has been applied for the first time to all wadeable streams statewide, with the ... More

Stream survey tracks biological degradation across Southern California

A five-year monitoring study of Southern California’s perennial wadeable streams has found that 75% of the region’s 4,300 miles of streams are degraded, with no discernable improvements in the health ... More

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