Natural Resource Monitoring at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Field technicians collect a rainwater sample as part of air quality monitoring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NPS Photo.

In order to protect and preserve natural resources in a National Park, it is imperative to know what resources the park has (inventory) and understand how the health of those resources is changing through time (monitoring). Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) achieves this monitoring through the Vital Signs Monitoring Program. Part of a Park Service-wide effort to ensure natural resource monitoring is efficient, timely, and effective, the Vital Signs program enables each park to monitor critical resources that are representative of overall park health.

What is a Vital Sign?

Just like measuring human vital signs (pulse-rate, temperature, etc.), measuring park vital signs helps us get an overall sense of the health of an ecosystem. Good vital signs respond quickly to stress--things like poor air quality, invasive species, or a changing climate--and serve as indicators of change in the ecosystem as a whole. For example, if our aquatic insect community vital signs are improving, it likely means that our water quality is improving, which is also good news for fish, vegetation, and many other organisms.

What are GSMNP’s Vital Signs?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park monitors six vital signs: Air Quality, Soil Quality, Water Quality, Climate Changes, Vegetation Communities, and Aquatic Communities. Each vital sign has a monitoring protocol that outlines how the data are collected and analyzed. While there are many more important resources out there, these six Vital Signs are the best measurements to reflect the overall health of the park.

Where can I learn more?

Check out the Vital Signs story map below!