Project Abstract
In this project we will develop and refine adaptive survey
designs to meet the reporting needs of the rapidly changing
environment in Qatar. The immediate challenge of managing
ecosystems is measurement of spatial and temporal changes in
population size and extent. Our research will provide a
framework for long term environmental monitoring in Qatar.
Key issues we will address include optimal monitoring designs
to provide reliable quantification of Qatar’s sustainable
development challenges, changes in quality of marine
environment, early detection of threats to water, and the
impact of climate change and their human development issues.
Adaptive sampling designs are becoming increasingly popular
in environmental science. An adaptive sample is where the
survey design is modified, or adapted, in some way on the
basis of information gained during the survey. There are many
different variations on adaptive survey designs that can be
used but all have the common thread of unequal probability
sampling, and the idea of targeting survey effort to local areas
of interest. Adaptive designs are particularly useful for long term monitoring where the location and intensity of
environmental change shift over time. The adaptive design
allows survey effort to follow the changes in the environmental
system yet still ensures estimates of the variable of interest are
comparable. The research team is based in Qatar and includes
internationally recognized researchers in New Zealand and
USA.
