Is SEAKEYS successful, necessary?

[Jim Hendee]

Dear Francisco,

	Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you on this. I think
it is of benefit to the list to know the answer to this, as well.

	If you mean, do seven sites strung along the Florida Keys and
Florida Bay actually continually send out meteorological and oceanographic
data 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for eight years continuously, and
provide good data, then Yes, this systems works (albeit with much
attention to care and maintenance by the venerable Florida Institute of
Oceanography field team of Chris Humphrey, Jeff Absten, Trent Moore, Karol
Ferguson and Dave Forcucci over the years). If you mean does it actually
provide *information* (as opposed to data), the answer is still Yes.  In
this sense, the SEAKEYS system is unlike any other marine environmental
monitoring system in the world, because a) the data are actually screened
using expert heuritics and deductions to determine whether data can
reasonably be expected to represent good values are not, and are reported
back to the FIO field team and to the knowledge engineer (that's me) in
near real-time, and, b) the data are are transformed into information and
knowledge for purposes of determining whether or not conditions are
conducive to coral bleaching, or not.  These tasks are accomplished with
an artificial intelligence tool--expert systems--and will soon also be
accomplished with another artificial intelligence tool, neural networks.  
The suite of tools used for this particular coral bleaching application is
called the Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS), and is also being
deployed in a modeling research mode for conditions conducive to coral
bleaching at selected sites on the Great Barrier Reef, also in a
continuous mode. To learn more about these *research* products, see

	http://www.coral.noaa.gov/sferpm/seakeys/es
	http://www.coral.noaa.gov/gbr/es

for the Florida Keys and the GBR, respectively.  (I want to underscore
again that these are modeling research products still under development.  
Set aside for the moment discussions as to what *actually* is responsible
for coral bleaching!)  Other applications are being developed besides for
coral bleaching, too. On a very provisional basis we are also
investigating the use of the SEAKEYS data for conch and spiny lobster
larval recruitement modeling.

	If you also want to ask, "Is SEAKEYS necessary?" then the
answer--in light of today's more rapidly deteriorating marine environment,
where timely decisions by marine park and sanctuary managers are very
critical to ensuring the integrity of their respective marine
ecosystems--is Yes again, at least in my opinion.

	This is not to say that the SEAKEYS system trivializes monitoring,
measuring, and understanding the marine ecosystem.  We all know how
difficult it is to understand nature, but we have to start somewhere, and
I personally believe that any attempt to model such a complex phenomenon
is worthy of the time and effort.  Also, we all know that we need
long-term data to understand the reaction of coral reefs to anthropogenic
and natural perturbations.

	Personally, I think the SEAKEYS system, brilliantlly conceived and
implemented by Dr. John Ogden and his colleagues (see citation below),
serves as a model for other nations and should be looked at very carefully
and considered for implementation at their critical coral reef areas.  If
you'd like to know more about efforts in this direction, please ask (or
others from coral-list can respond).

	I hope this helps answer your question.

	Cheers,
	Jim Hendee

Ogden, J.C.; Porter, J.; Smith, N.; Szmant, A.; Jaap, W.; and Forcucci, D.
1994. A long-term interdisciplinary study of the Florida Keys seascape.
Bulletin of Marine Science 54(3): 1059-1071.

On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Francisco KELMO wrote:

> Hi Folks, 
> I am afraid to ask this (I might be sounding  arrongant and/or/even 
> pretentiuos), but: Are you sure that this system works?
> How a delicated, complicated and little understood ecosystem can be 
> monitored in this way?
> Many thanks for your comments, Frank.
> 
> 
> > Date:          Mon, 31 Jan 2000 21:28:41 GMT
> > From:          Sandra Vargo <svargo at seas.marine.usf.edu>
> > To:            coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > Cc:            Deborah Haynes <dhaynes at seas.marine.usf.edu>,
> >                ogden <jogden at seas.marine.usf.edu>,
> >                milliken <milliken at seas.marine.usf.edu>
> > Subject:       Publications using SEAKEYS monitoring station data
> > Reply-to:      Sandra Vargo <svargo at seas.marine.usf.edu>
> 
> > 
> > The SEAKEYS network is a series of 7 automated environmental monitoring
> > stations located along the Florida Reef Tract and in Florida Bay.  The
> > data is transmitted by satellite and can be viewed on bulletin boards
> > maintained by NOAA/AOML and Dept. of Marine Science/University of South
> > Florida.  The URLs are http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cman and
> > http://comps.marine.usf.edu.  This network is supported by grant funds. We
> > need your help in compiling a list of users of the SEAKEYS data and any
> > publications which may have resulted.  Please e-mail or send by mail a
> > list of your publications which may utilize this data to Deborah Haynes
> > (dhaynes at marine.usf.edu), Fax 727/553-1109, and mailing address FIO, 830
> > First Street S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712.
> > 
> > Thanks for your help.
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > Sandy Vargo
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
> > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program
> > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov).  Please visit the Web site
> > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list.
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > 
> F.Kelmo
> Coral Reef Ecology
> Benthic Ecology Research Group
> 613 Davy Building, University of Plymouth,
> Drake Circus, Devon, PL4 8AA
> United Kingdon.
> Phone: +44 (0)1752 232951 (Lab) +44 (0)870 710 5741 (home)
> Fax: +44 (0)1752 232970
> E-mail: fkelmo at plymouth.ac.uk
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
> sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program
> (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov).  Please visit the Web site
> for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program
(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov).  Please visit the Web site
for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~