APM 6A FY04 Sensitivity of food web responses to nutrient loading in coastal systems 
(GED). 
APM 6B FY05 Propose classification scheme for predicting sensitivity of coastal 
receiving waters to effects of nutrients on food web structure (GED). 
APM 6C FY06 Report on empirical and numeric models for food webs (WED). 
APM 6D FY 06 Report on parameterization of food web models (GED). 
APM 6E FY06 Report on classification scheme for grouping coastal or lake receiving 
waters based on sensitivity to food web alterations (WED, GED, AED, MED). 
Critical Path 
The components of the critical path seen in Figure 5 consist of five main steps that are the same 
or each of the response endpoints (DO, SAV, Food Webs): 
Step L Mine and Assess Existing Information. 
Evaluate available data and models from the peer-reviewed literature and determine if the data 
and models are useful to aid the development and improvement of nutrient load-response models. 
This will be a continuous process since new data and models are continuously being developed 
by other Federal and academic institutions. 
Step 2, Develop Conceptual Models, 
Conceptual models, describing how the three assessment endpoints respond to excess nutrients, 
will be defined in order to catalog the controlling mechanisms and processes. 
Step 3, Develop Classification Scheme, 
Included within this step is the development of a classification scheme and the assembly of data 
needed to apply a classification scheme across the Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific, and Great Lakes 
receiving waters. A tabulation of some of the factors that likely will be used in classifying 
receiving waters or in scaling or standardizing loading or response variables can be found in 
Table 3. 
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