Is SEAKEYS successful, necessary?
Bruce at Island Resources
bpotter at irf.org
Mon Feb 7 10:21:15 EST 2000
To the list ---
I think I understand and support SEAKEYS as a powerful research tool,
and as a way to begin to understand the dynamics of coral bleaching,
for example.
But not sure I understand how this changes the MANAGEMENT of the reefs.
Do management practices change when bleaching occurs?
What else might SEAKEYS reveal that changes reef MANAGEMENT in
controlled systems like the parks and reserves in the Keys?
Is this a technology that could be readily exported to Bonaire, or
Saba, or San Andres?
best wishes
bruce potter
>Jim,
>I can only reinforce and support your comments on the success of the SEAKEYS
>project. As a coral reef manager I continually rely on the system
>for real-time
>data and for predictive conditions. The system has been particularly
>useful for
>predicting coral bleaching and correlating the events with Al Strong and Jim
>Hendee's more global assessments.
>
>Jim ... you were kind in your response. Had I invested as much of my time and
>energy into SEAKEYS as you and others have, I would have been a little less
>polite in my response. Billy Causey
>
>Jim Hendee wrote:
>
> > 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.
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>--
>Billy D. Causey, Superintendent
>Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
>PO Box 500368
>Marathon, FL 33050
>Phone (305) 743.2437, Fax (305) 743.2357
>http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>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.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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