摘要: |
The San Francisco Bay Area Inventory and Monitoring Network (SFAN) includes National Park Service (NPS) sites such as Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GOGA), John Muir National Historic Site, Pinnacles National Park, and Point Reyes National Seashore (PORE). SFAN has identified vital signs, indicators of ecosystem health, which represent a broad suite of ecological phenomena operating across multiple temporal and spatial scales. The intent is to monitor an integrated set of vital signs that meets the needs of current park management, as well as indicate environmental conditions over time. Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) represent a vital sign for SFAN because they are ecologically significant, have protected status through the Marine Mammal Protection Act (P.L. 92-522), and are of high interest to the public. Also, pinnipeds, including harbor seals, are good indicators of the potential effects of changes in climate such as sea level rise. |