| The fragile coastal areas of the Northeast, stretching from Long Island Sound to Maine, are threatened by a host of manmade and natural stressors. The issues involving coastal ecosystems and resources in the Northeastern United States stem from complex interactions across a variety of temporal and spatial scales. These issues can be addressed only by integrated, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary science. Responding to stakeholder needs, and building on a long history of scientific excellence, the Eastern Region of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) offers this plan for integrated science to guide future activities and to expand existing partnerships with other Federal, state, and local governments, universities, non-governmental organizations, and private-sector business in the region. The plan was formulated following a meeting convened by the USGS in January 2003 at the Coastal Institute of the University of Rhode Island at Narragansett, R.I. More than 70 scientists from the four USGS disciplines -- Water, Geology, Biology, and Geography -- met with representatives of over a dozen partner organizations. Meeting participants prioritized key issues associated with major threats in the coastal zone, identified a number of geographic areas where interdisciplinary efforts could be expanded, and recommended specific actions to increase interdisciplinary science and engage cooperators. A writing team distilled the meeting discussions into this integrated science plan meant to capitalize on the strength of the USGS disciplines and to identify expertise needed from outside collaborators. |  |
