[Coral-List] Benthic Environments I: Shallow-water Habitats

[Rusty Brainard]

Dear colleagues,

Please note that the deadline for submission of abstracts for the 
TOS/AGU/ASLO Ocean Sciences Meeting (February 20-24, 2006) is this 
Thursday October 20th. We encourage you to submit abtracts for the 
session OS102 "Benthic Environments I: Shallow-Water Habitats" or the 
companion session "Benthic Environments II: Deep-Water Habitats" is 
being covened by Chris Kelley and Gary Greene.  Details are accessible 
from http://www.agu.org/meetings/os06/.

Best wishes,
Rusty Brainard and Mark Monaco

OS102 " Benthic Environments I: Shallow-Water Habitats"

Description:
Shallow water benthic habitats are the foundation of coastal and insular 
marine ecosystems. They are comprised of a complex array of 
geomorphological and biological substrates that provide essential food 
and shelter for the highest diversity of benthic-associated organisms in 
the global ocean. In tropical areas, shallow water habitats include 
coastal, atoll, and insular coral reef ecosystems, as well as sheltered 
estuarine environments supporting productive mangrove and sea grass 
ecosystems. Over the past several years, extensive efforts have been 
undertaken to systematically develop benthic habitat maps and monitor 
the health of coral reef ecosystems around the globe. This session 
invites presentations of recent findings of both the geomorphology and 
ecology of shallow water habitats in the tropics. Topics of interest 
include, but are not limited to shallow-to-moderate depth (0 - ~200 m) 
benthic habitat mapping and classification, multi-disciplinary ecosystem 
monitoring, recent technological advances to map or monitor these 
habitats and ecosystems, and the seamless integration of shallow and 
deep water benthic habitat mapping products derived using fundamentally 
different technologies, aerial imagery and multibeam sonar, respectively.

Conveners:
Russell E. Brainard
/NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center/
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division
1125B Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI, USA  96814
(808)592-7011;  rusty.brainard at noaa.gov <mailto:rusty.brainard at noaa.gov>

Mark E. Monaco
/NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science/
Biogeography Program
National Ocean Service, Room 9306
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD, USA  20910
(301) 713-3028 ext 160;  mark.monaco at noaa.gov <mailto:mark.monaco at noaa.gov>