Transcript Marine Science Network

Smithsonian Institution
Office of the Under Secretary for Science
MARINE SCIENCE NETWORK
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Smithsonian Marine Science Network
The Smithsonian
Marine Science
Network is a unique
array of laboratories
and research
vessels that spans
the latitudinal
gradient of the
western Atlantic and
crosses the isthmus
of Panama.
Smithsonian research stations
www.si.edu/marinescience
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MSN Mission
The Smithsonian Marine Science
Network is dedicated to understanding
the rich biodiversity and complex
ecosystem dynamics that sustain coastal
processes and productivity. We study
evolutionary, ecological, and
environmental change in the ocean’s
coastal zones.
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MSN Vision
“To increase scientific knowledge of
marine coastal environments and to
improve society’s appreciation of the
ocean’s effect on our lives”
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Importance
Ocean productivity is concentrated in the
coastal zone where nutrients run off the land
and well up from the deep. The coastal
environments include the Earth's most
biologically productive ecosystems:
estuaries, wetlands, mangroves, sea grasses,
coral and oyster reefs.
They are of immense economic and
environmental importance and comprise 95%
of the oceans' fisheries. Our coastal
communities are the most densely populated
and fastest growing areas in the U.S.
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MSN Goals
To ensure the Network’s integrated support of
“Discovering and Understanding Life’s
Diversity,” a core scientific mission of the
Smithsonian Science Strategic Plan.
To ensure that the whole of the integrated Network
is larger than the sum of its parts leading to
enhanced productivity through:
• collaborative and comparative research
facilitated by increased inter-unit coordination
and access;
• marine infrastructure development and support;
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MSN Goals (cont.)
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professional training and outreach;
• effective allocation of funding; and,
• transparent development, buy-in, participation,
and support from scientists, program
managers, Unit Directors, Under Secretary and
Secretary.
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NATURE
24 June 04
Ocean Planet (1995)
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MSN Milestones
1998:
Formalization of a pan-institutional Marine Science Network
initiated at a workshop at SERC (50+ SI participants)
1999: 2 follow-up MSN organizational meetings (10 participants)
1999: Dedication of new Carrie Bow Cay Marine Field Station
1999: Dedication of new SMS at Fort Pierce facility
2000: MSN concept and infrastructure allocations approved by
Under Secretary and Director of Scientific Programs
2001: Lang, M. and A. Hines. Smithsonian marine research. J.
Marine Techn. Soc. 34 (4): 50-60
2001: Launch of the MSN website www.si.edu/marinescience
2001-2004: Annual MSN Calls for Proposals for Infrastructure and
Research Awards and Fellowships
2003: Dedication of Bocas del Toro Marine Laboratory
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Clavelina picta
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Marine Research Expertise
Systematics
Evolutionary Biology
Ecology
Geology
Paleontology
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Marine Scientist Employees (53)
STRI: Bermingham, Capson, Christy, Collin, D’Croz,
Fortunato, Guzman, Jackson, Knowlton, Lessios,
Robertson, Torchin.
SERC: Breitburg, Coats, Feller, Gallegos, Hines, Jordan,
Osman, Neale, Ruiz, Whigham.
NMNH Botany: Adey, Faust, Littler, Norris. Zoology:
Baldwin, Cairns, Fauchald, Ferrari, Harasewych, Hope,
Johnson, Kornicker, Lemaitre, Mead, Norenburg, Pawson,
Ruetzler, Springer, Tyler. Mineral Sciences: Fiske.
Paleobiology: Buzas, Huber, Macintyre, Stanley.
Entomology: Mathis. SMS: Paul, Tunberg.
NZP: Frazier, Hagedorn, Oftedal, Ralls.
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MSN Use by SI Scientists
(FY00-04)
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No. Scientists
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SERC (10)
NMNH (27)
STRI (11)
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2
0
SERC
SMSFP
CBC
STRI
MSN Facility
Note:
NMNH - 9 of 27 employees did not use MSN facilities
NZP - 1 of 4 employees used SMSFP once
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Marine Science Resources
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Long-term field research and site stability
 SERC: 39-yr research on coastal zone
 SMS: 30-yr research Florida ecosystems
 CCRE: 32-yr marine research
 STRI: 40-yr marine research
Location
 spans the latitudinal gradient of the
western Atlantic and across the isthmus of
Panama.
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Marine Collections and Publications
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Peer-reviewed publications: 6,000+
Field guides and identification keys
Marine invertebrate, algal, fish and
geological collections
Smithsonian Contributions to Marine
Science, Zoology, and Botany
Atoll Research Bulletin
Databases
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MSN Assets
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Facility access to important ecosystems:
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Research vessels:
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Chesapeake Bay
Indian River Lagoon and Gulf Stream
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
Isthmus of Panama: Caribbean/Pacific
Near-shore coastal oceanographic research
vessels and workboats
Scientific Diving Program
• www.si.edu/dive
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MSN Funding
• Federal appropriations, and
• Johnson and Hunterdon Oceanographic
Research Endowments
provide core support for staff salaries,
facilities, collections, long-term environmental
monitoring and operating funds.
This support is used to leverage significant
extramural funding from NSF, NIH, NOAA,
DOD, EPA, USCG, USF&W, State and regional
governments, and private foundations.
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MSN Competitive Award Programs
MSN Postdoctoral Fellowships: ($40,000) 2-year
appointment, main criteria are research excellence
and use of two primary MSN research sites for
comparative work.
Marine Workshops and Colloquia: ($15,000) e.g., Bocas
del Toro Taxonomy (2); Historical records analysis
for coral reef management; Twin Cays Mangrove
Symposium; Marine Genetics.
Marine Research Awards: Pilot projects ($10,000) serve
as seed funding to develop proposals for external
funding; Large research projects ($50,000) using at
least two MSN sites.
Marine ROF: ($3,000) travel funds for marine research
opportunity or for presentation of research results at
symposia.
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Marine Postdoctoral Fellowships
SERC:
CCRE:
SMS:
MSN:
Xuemei Bai
Amy Erickson
Scott Santagata,
Angela Capper,
Mark Clementz
Cristina Diaz,
Luiz Rocha,
Anja Schulze
Sandra Duran
David Kline
Steven Vollmer
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MSN Awards
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Marine PostDoc Fellowships: 5 (03); 6 (04)
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Marine Workshops/Colloquia: 2 (03); 3 (04)
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MSN Major Research Awards: 2 (04)
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MSN Pilot projects:
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CCRE & SMSFP awards:
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Marine ROF: 13 (03); 11 (04)
11 (03); 6 (04)
52 (03); 55 (04)
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MSN Infrastructure Support
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SMSFP relocation, lab and pier construction, and
seawater system
• Bocas del Toro marine laboratory completion
• Carrie Bow Cay rebuild and program support
• SERC 4 laboratory and marine tech support staff
• NMNH Zoology Curator of Fishes
• STRI Bocas del Toro Head Scientist and 3 support staff
• SMSFP Head Scientist and 6 support staff
• STRI and SERC research vessels retrofits
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Outreach
• STAR (Student Training in
Aquatic Research)
• Galapagos 3D IMAX film
• Smithsonian Sustainable
Seafood Cookbook
• Marine Algae of the
Caribbean
• Shorefishes of the Eastern
Tropical Pacific
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Education and Outreach
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NZP Marine Invertebrate Exhibit
SERC Philip D. Reed Education Center
NMNH Ocean Hall Exhibit (FY08)
SMSFP Marine Ecosystems Exhibit
CCRE Belize Teachers’ Mangrove Workshops
STRI Culebra Marine Exhibition Center
STRI/OTS and Princeton Tropical Marine
Ecology Courses
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MSN Future
1. RESEARCH PRIORITIES
a. Crucial marine ecosystems:
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Sustain leadership in mangrove, estuarine and
plankton research;
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Enhance leadership in coral reef research; and,
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Focus research expertise on deep reefs in Belize
and Florida.
b. Marine invasive species:
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Enhance latitudinal comparisons of invasions; and,
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Test effects of altered marine food web structure on
invasions, using Marine Protected Areas, MSN
inventories, and standardized experiments.
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MSN Future (cont.)
c. Ecological linkages among systems:
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Determine mechanisms of land-sea interactions;
and,
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Determine controls on population structure and
dynamics of key species.
d. Biodiversity of the sea:
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Complete species inventories for MSN sites
(Encyclopedia of Life and marine barcoding);
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Speciation and evolution; and,
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Assess biogeographic patterns including species’
range expansions and declines as a function of
habitat fragmentation and global change.
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MSN Future (cont.)
2. FACILITATE RECRUITMENT of marine research
scientists to ensure critical mass and fill gaps in MSN
expertise
• Coral paleo-ecologist;
• Key marine groups systematists;
• Zooplankton ecologist; and,
• Marine microbiologist.
3. FUND-RAISING PRIORITIES
• Facilitate Unit development efforts for SMS, CCRE,
SERC, and STRI; and,
• Encourage grant and contract awards.
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MSN Future (cont.)
4. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PRIORITIES
• Increase visibility and research results in popular
media;
• Promote distance learning;
• Increase number of fellowships; and,
• Enhance links and participation of MSN in
professional not-for-profit organizations, scientific
societies and government agencies.
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MSN Future (cont.)
5. IT INFRASTRUCTURE GOALS
• Distributed data systems that permit:
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access to MSN long-term environmental and
biological datasets; and,
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enhanced acquisition of spatially explicit data;
• Automated and standardized long-term
environmental data collection; and,
• Interactive video communication among MSN sites
to promote scientific exchange and educational
outreach.
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MSN Steering Committee
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Biff Bermingham (STRI Deputy Director)
• Tuck Hines (SERC Assistant Director)
• Michael Lang (Ofc. Under Secretary for Science)
• Valerie Paul (NMNH-SMSFP Director)
• Klaus Ruetzler (NMNH-CCRE Director)
• Phil Taylor (NSF Biol. Oceanography Director)
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