Estuaries Regions of interaction between rivers and nearshore ocean waters, where tidal action and river flow mix fresh and salt water. Examples include bays, mouths of rivers, salt marshes, and lagoons. Forests Lands with at least 10 percent of their surface area stocked by trees of any size, or formerly having had such trees as cover and not currently built up or developed for agricultural use. The resource that encompasses Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario, including river mouths up to the maximum extent of influence. Wetlands Areas saturated by surface or ground water with vegetation adapted for life under those soil conditions.
Examples are swamps, bogs, fens, marshes, and estuaries.
Landscapes Areas where interacting ecosystems are grouped and repeated in similar form. Each resource group uses compatible sampling designs, indicators, methods, and information management approaches to facilitate integrated assessments of ecological condition. Ecological assessments produced by the program identify the magnitude and extent of problems, indicating areas that need more intensive research and monitoring. In addition, EMAP data will be integrated with data from other research and monitoring programs, as appropriate. An ambitious effort such as EMAP requires the participation of the nation's best scientists.