Forecasts are a part of our everyday lives. Weather forecasts help businesses make plans. Economic forecasts help individuals and businesses navigate the uncertainties of the financial world. Similarly, ecological forecasts allow people to answer the “what if” questions in coastal management. Why do we need this? Because our coasts and oceans are constantly changing!
Just as a weather forecast may help you decide if you need to pack an umbrella, different types of ecological forecasts help coastal managers and scientists make better decisions based on what may lie ahead for a local beach, a large Bay, or even an entire coast.
This knowledge can help us respond to extreme natural events like hurricanes or human activities like wastewater runoff. And it can help us solve resource management problems, such as how to best manage an important fishery.
Improving ecological forecasting capabilities is one of NOAA’s top priorities.
via Explore: Ecological Forecasting from NOAA’sNational Ocean Service.