Regional ConnectionsRegional ConnectionsAndAnd

Observing ToolsObserving Tools

Frank Muller-KargerFrank Muller-KargerChuanmin Hu Chuanmin Hu

AndAndIMaRS TeamIMaRS Team

College of Marine ScienceCollege of Marine ScienceUniversity of South FloridaUniversity of South Florida

OutlineOutline

• IntroductionIntroduction

• Regional settingRegional setting

• Coastal Ocean Observing SystemsCoastal Ocean Observing Systems

• Conclusions and Action Conclusions and Action RecommendationsRecommendations

Ecosystem ValueEcosystem Value

• Coral reef ecosystems:Coral reef ecosystems:– support a wide range of organisms support a wide range of organisms – control water flowcontrol water flow– important biogeochemical roleimportant biogeochemical role– significant cultural, recreational, and economic significant cultural, recreational, and economic

valuevalue

• Coral reefs ecosystems: ~$220 ha-1 y-1Coral reefs ecosystems: ~$220 ha-1 y-1– Example: $2.5 billion y-1 by Florida reefsExample: $2.5 billion y-1 by Florida reefs

Ecosystem-based Ecosystem-based managementmanagement• Activities that affect oceans and coasts may take place:Activities that affect oceans and coasts may take place:

– LocallyLocally– far inlandfar inland– in parts of the ocean and atmosphere far awayin parts of the ocean and atmosphere far away

• Need to consider:Need to consider:– effects of interplay among social, economic, and ecological factorseffects of interplay among social, economic, and ecological factors– the need to protect the resources for future usethe need to protect the resources for future use– origin of neutral, ameliorating or aggravating impact:origin of neutral, ameliorating or aggravating impact:

• natural ornatural or• due to human activitiesdue to human activities

• We cannot manage one activity, or one part of the system, without We cannot manage one activity, or one part of the system, without considering its connections with all the other parts.considering its connections with all the other parts.

• Policies governing use of resources must:Policies governing use of resources must:– consider interactions (air, land, sea, people): ecosystem-basedconsider interactions (air, land, sea, people): ecosystem-based– based on information: science-basedbased on information: science-based– adaptiveadaptive

Regional settingRegional setting

• Local, regional, and global scalesLocal, regional, and global scales• Natural & anthropogenic forcingsNatural & anthropogenic forcings

– Short and event-scalesShort and event-scales• weather, productivity, spawning weather, productivity, spawning

and survival, circulationand survival, circulation• Fishing, local nutrient inputsFishing, local nutrient inputs• Ship groundingsShip groundings

– Seasonal and regionalSeasonal and regional• River plumes/Everglades River plumes/Everglades

dischargedischarge• Florida Bay processesFlorida Bay processes• HurricanesHurricanes• TourismTourism

– Interannual: ENSOInterannual: ENSO– Climate changeClimate change

• (warming, sea level, storm (warming, sea level, storm frequency, etc.)frequency, etc.)

SE region is linked oceanographically, meteorologically and by land forcing (discharge,

human factors).

Loop Current/Florida Current/Gulf Stream

(Possible) Connectivity Assessment (Possible) Connectivity Assessment PrioritiesPriorities

• Prime concern: establish local patternsPrime concern: establish local patterns– Florida Keys and W FL ShelfFlorida Keys and W FL Shelf

• Pollutant dispersal: septic tanks, non-point, point sourcesPollutant dispersal: septic tanks, non-point, point sources• Larval dispersalLarval dispersal• Bleaching conditionsBleaching conditions• Human health and safetyHuman health and safety

• Second tier: regional patternsSecond tier: regional patterns– Gulf of Mexico, Mesoamerica, CaribbeanGulf of Mexico, Mesoamerica, Caribbean

• Larval dispersal?Larval dispersal?• Forcing of circulationForcing of circulation

• Third tier:Third tier:– Global weather and climateGlobal weather and climate

Regional setting requires Regional setting requires tools that span range of tools that span range of space and time scalesspace and time scales

Ecosystem management Ecosystem management requires integration of requires integration of

observationsobservations

Coastal Ocean Observing Coastal Ocean Observing SystemsSystems

• Are components of “Regional Are components of “Regional Associations” (RA’s) of the Associations” (RA’s) of the Integrated Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)Ocean Observing System (IOOS)

• SEACOOS: Southeast Atlantic COOSSEACOOS: Southeast Atlantic COOS– http://seacoos.orghttp://seacoos.org

• GCOOS:GCOOS: Gulf of Mexico COOS Gulf of Mexico COOS– http://gcoos.orghttp://gcoos.org

COOS elementsCOOS elements

• Observing elementsObserving elements

• ModelingModeling

• Data ManagementData Management

• Product disseminationProduct dissemination

• Outreach and EducationOutreach and Education

Observing subsystem has two main components:

The “Backbone” of federal observing (NOAA buoys, satellites, tide gauges, USGS river gauging network, EPA point sampling,…)

Regional enhancements by academia, state agencies and private interests including:

Buoys/moorings and existing fixed platforms – host a wide variety of sensors

Remote sensing- coastal radar- regional satellite data

capture/processing

Liz Williams and Ed KearnsLiz Williams and Ed KearnsUniversity of Miami - RSMASUniversity of Miami - RSMAS

Data sources: NDBC, Co-OPS, USGS, Metar, SEA-COOS

Remote Sensing forRemote Sensing forRegional Coastal OceanRegional Coastal OceanObserving SystemsObserving Systems

Institutions around GoM:Institutions around GoM:

University of South Florida (University of South Florida (http://imars.usf.edu))University of MiamiUniversity of MiamiLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityNaval Research LabNaval Research Lab

Sea Surface Temperature:

-Strong seasonal variation-Warm water via the Loop Current-Marked cold and warm events:

-Tortugas eddy-NEGOM Cold tongue-Local upwelling

Pigment concentration:-Strong seasonal variation throughout interior of GoM-Clear water via the Loop Current-Marked turbid water or bloom events:

Yucatan upwelling/Loop Current front

NEGOM Cold tongue

Rivers (Mississippi, Everglades)Tortugas eddy/Local upwelling

Red tides and “Black Water” events

Regional Marine Bottom Regional Marine Bottom AssessmentsAssessments

using historical Landsat datausing historical Landsat data

10 Km

N

Landsat Change Detection: Carysfort Landsat Change Detection: Carysfort ReefReef

1984

N

1990 1994 1999 2000

1984

Coral Cover for Carysfort Reef

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000

Year

Per

cen

t C

ora

l

Landsat In Situ

KEY: ‘coral-dominated’ ‘sand’

‘covered substrate’

‘bare substrate’

100m

Landsat vs. CREMP DataLandsat vs. CREMP Data

Covered SubstrateSand

Sparse Seagrass

KEY: CoralBare Substrate

Dense Seagrass

200m

Grecian Rocks2002200219961996

200m

Alligator

200m

Looe Key19981998

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Year

% C

ora

l

CRMP Landsat

CREMP has conducted in situ video surveys of 40 reef sites within the FKNMS since 1996.

Regional Marine Bottom Regional Marine Bottom AssessmentsAssessments

• Major limitations: Major limitations:

– Cost to access moderate volumes of Cost to access moderate volumes of Landsat-7 ETM+ data at USGS EDC Landsat-7 ETM+ data at USGS EDC (~100’s of scenes)(~100’s of scenes)

– Funding to carry out systematic analysesFunding to carry out systematic analyses

ConclusionsConclusions

• Significant knowledge, experience, Significant knowledge, experience, and infrastructure exists in the and infrastructure exists in the regionregion– SEACOOSSEACOOS– GCOOSGCOOS– Remote sensing helps address local to Remote sensing helps address local to

global processes and change over timeglobal processes and change over time

ActionAction

• Managers need to convey requirements to scientists:Managers need to convey requirements to scientists:– Define critical areas in KeysDefine critical areas in Keys

• Classify types of disturbance for different reefsClassify types of disturbance for different reefs– Fine tune COOS for monitoring and fast response Fine tune COOS for monitoring and fast response

assessmentsassessments– Adapt policies for different reefs based on assessmentsAdapt policies for different reefs based on assessments

• Agencies should nurture and support capacity and Agencies should nurture and support capacity and infrastructure in regionsinfrastructure in regions– (as opposed to half-way across the country)(as opposed to half-way across the country)

• Establish link between Monroe County SeaGrant and Establish link between Monroe County SeaGrant and COSEECOSEE– help educate others around the state and country on the help educate others around the state and country on the

KeysKeys

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

NASA

Florida DEP

All unnamed colleagues and friends

USGS

NOAA and FKNMS

ONR