[Coral-List] SEAKEYS Project Terminated

[John McManus]

I believe that a very strong argument for the need for the Sea Keys system
is the recently initiated oil drilling off Havana
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/cuba-drills-for-oil-but-us
-unprepared-for-spill/2012/02/23/gIQAWTx0jR_story.html).

If there is to be a spill from that rig, there will be no large loops and
eddies that will protect the reefs and coasts of Florida and eastern states
to the north from the full impact. The long-term data set from SeaKeys would
be essential to the analysis of impacts, particularly as a way of
eliminating other environmental changes as causative agents of the damage
that will be witnessed. 


John

John W. McManus, PhD
Director, National Center for Coral Reef Research (NCORE)
Professor, Marine Biology and Fisheries
Coral Reef Ecology and Management Lab (CREM Lab)
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)
University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, 33149
jmcmanus at rsmas.miami.edu      http://ncore.rsmas.miami.edu/
Phone: 305-421-4814   

"Far better an approximate answer to the right question, which is often
vague, 
   than an exact answer to the wrong question, which can always be made
precise."
              
     --John Tukey, Statistician, National Medal of Science and IEEE Medal of
Honor


 

-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Douglas Fenner
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2012 8:01 PM
To: Steve S; Sarah Frias-Torres
Cc: coral list
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] SEAKEYS Project Terminated

One of the problems in the modern world is that many scientists are employed
by government.  They are often not free to speak to the press.    Doug



----- Original Message -----
From: Steve S <wpbdiver at bellsouth.net>
To: Sarah Frias-Torres <sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>
Cc: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, March 6, 2012 3:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] SEAKEYS Project Terminated

Yes! Embrace the media, no matter how localized they are. Everything helps.
Reach out. Make an effort to do so, don't wait for them to come calling.

Traditionally scientists and media don't gel - like oil and water.
Scientists are afraid of the media and the members of the media don't get it
because they don't understand.

I happen to be a "citizen scientist" - I've been doing a long-term research
project with juvenile sea turtles for the last nine years. I am also a
"media" person.

You want to make a change? Do so by reaching out to your local newspapers
and TV stations, I don't care how little they are. If they rebuff you, don't
give up ... keep trying until you get a response.

I've done several stories with Dr. Frias-Torres and she gets it. She
understands.

The scientific community and the media have to coexist. Publishing papers is
great, but it means nothing if the public doesn't know.

Steve S


On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 12:40 PM, Sarah Frias-Torres <
sfrias_torres at hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> It seems the coral reefs have no voice and no CEOs to demand a bailout.
> Is there anything the scientific community can do to reverse this 
> decision ?
>
> Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D. Schmidt Ocean Institute Postdoctoral 
> FellowOcean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) 1420 Seaway 
> Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida 34949 USA Tel (772) 
> 467-1600http://www.teamorca.orghttp://
> independent.academia.edu/SarahFriasTorres
>
>
> > From: jim.hendee at noaa.gov
> > Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2012 11:43:43 -0500
> > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > Subject: [Coral-List] SEAKEYS Project Terminated
> >
> > This sad bit of news comes from a recent SECOORA (Southeast Coastal 
> > Ocean Observing Regional Association) bulletin.  The station 
> > referred to that AOML will maintain is located on the Molasses Reef
lighthouse.
> >
> >
> > *SEAKEYS Assets Removed from Water*
> >
> >
> > **
> >
> > The SEAKEYS network has been operational for over 20 years and 
> > provides a long time series of observations in the Florida Keys. The 
> > program
> provides
> > a framework for long-term monitoring and research along the 220 mile 
> > Florida coral reef tract and in Florida Bay at a geographical scale 
> > encompassing the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS).
> > Compounding the problem of limited funding, the instruments are 
> > primarily on a series of stationary platforms (lighthouses, towers), 
> > the structural integrity of which has now becoming questionable due 
> > to age. The US Coast Guard do not have plans to repair the 
> > lighthouses but intend to sell. It
> is
> > anticipated that non-profit entities will purchase these for their 
> > historical value.
> >
> >
> >
> > To address the future of SEAKEYS and its infrastructure and funding, 
> > the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) held a meeting at the 
> > Keys Marine Lab in November 2011. The user community was invited and 
> > included representatives from many areas of NOAA (Florida Keys 
> > National Marine Sanctuary; National Weather Service; Atlantic 
> > Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory; Great Lakes 
> > Environmental Research
> Laboratory),
> > the National Park Service, the Ocean Reef and Gun Club, and FIO. The 
> > NOAA/National Data Buoy Center, Coast Guard, FL Fish and Wildlife
> Research
> > Institute, and representatives from Audubon, the dive and fishing 
> > communities, and staff from a local legislative office were unable 
> > to attend, but some sent letters of support. Following the meeting 
> > other funding sources were sought but were not successfully identified.
> >
> >
> > At the end of 2011, due to a lack of financial support, FIO made the 
> > difficult decision to terminate the SEAKEYS program, and are 
> > withdrawing all FIO assets from the water. NOAA/AOML, with 
> > assistance from
> NOAA/FKNMS,
> > has agreed to take over maintenance of one station (FIO is loaning 
> > an instrument to NOAA/AOML for this purpose); NOAA/GLERL are 
> > investigating
> the
> > possibility of maintaining a second station; and a limited subset of 
> > meteorological sensors will be visited every two years by NOAA/NDBC, 
> > with no maintenance support between visits.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa..gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
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>
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