LAND-OCEAN INTERACTIONS IN THE COASTAL ZONE

March 2000 No. 14 LOICZ NEWSLETTER

to the sea is considered by some to The threat mud poses to be of the most threatening impacts on coastal reefs of the Great Barrier the Reef (Bell and Elmetri 1995). of . HISTORICAL CHANGES Eric Wolanski1 and Norman Duke2 1Australian Institute of Marine Science, The impact of man on this sector of [email protected] the coastline of the Great Barrier 2 University of Reef has been dramatic. Old pho- [email protected] tographs of the waterfront suggests that the Cairns beach was The Cairns coast (Figure 1) of the sandy at the end of the 19th century, Great Barrier Reef of Australia has it is now muddy and the bed is 1.5 been severely impacted by man- to 2 m higher. This is affirmed by induced erosion. Over the last 100 oral accounts gathered from people years in this area much of the forest living in Cairns through 1930 to the and natural coastal vegetation and 1950s. The consensus is clear and wetlands have been modified to uniform, namely there was a sandy permit urban, port, industrial and beach before, the Esplanade was agricultural development (Wolanski This is the fourteenth newsletter used as a swimming and picnicking 1994, Larcombe et al. 1996, of the Land Ocean Interactions recreational area and there was Wachenfeld et al. 1997). The in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) even an open saltwater swimming coastal rivers have become drains International Project of the enclosure at the mouth of Trinity bringing eroded mud to settle in the IGBP. It is produced quarterly Inlet - now a mud bank. estuaries, in the coastal shallows to provide news and information and on the inshore reefs. Additional regarding LOICZ activities. Further evidence for this very rapid mud from dredging Cairns port is accumulation of mud comes from a dumped in coastal waters. The re- comparison of the navigation charts sulting addition of nutrient-rich mud from 1878 and 1972 (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Map of the coast of the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns Figure 2: Chart of showing the 0 and 2 depth contours (at low spring tides) in 1878 and 1972. page 2 LOICZ NEWSLETTER

This suggests that on the wave- Before European settlement, the tion. This pioneer study was mostly sheltered eastern side of Trinity Bay holocene deposition rate of mud in carried out near Low Isles offshore the intertidal flat has prograded was about 6 m in 6000 years, ie 1 Port Douglas. The scientists mea- seaward by up to 1 km (see the metre/1000 year (P. Larcombe sured visibility weekly and found changes in the 0 m depth contours). pers. com.). In the 20th century, clear water (mean visibility ~ 11 m) Also the 1878 chart refers to the man apparently increased this de- during the South East trade wind tidal flat as a sandy mud bank that position rate to 1 to 2 metres/100 season (the windy, dry season dries at low water spring tides. In years, resulting in: the 1897 sandy when river runoff is negligible). In 1999 this tidal flat dries at 1.5 m beach now buried by 1-2 m of mud; 1997, for the same dry season and above low spring tides and is soft the establishment of new man- distance offshore, the visibility off- mud. The 1878 chart refers to the groves on the western coast of Trin- shore from Double Island was only Cairns beach as a white sand ity Bay since 1952; a wider mud flat 50% of what it was 70 years ago beach barely covered at high water. over the western side of Trinity Bay; near Low Isles (Wolanski and In 1999 the only sand there is a and shallower water by 1-2 m on Spagnol submitted). Assuming the strip of sand a few meters wide and the eastern side. 1927 data are an indicator of natu- dumped there by man to beautify ral conditions, these data suggest the area, everything else is mud. THREATS TO THE GREAT BAR- mud is increasingly being exported Thus a 1.5 m thick layer of mud has RIER REEF from Trinity Bay toward the Great apparently accumulated in the last Mud from Trinity Bay is readily re- Barrier Reef. 100 years and covered the original suspended by wind and is exported beach. This increased siltation has northward alongshore in a turbid Long-term effects of low-level sedi- also apparently resulted in the re- coastal band during southeast trade mentation on coral reefs include cent (since 1952) colonisation of winds. This season lasts six tissue lesions and diseases, de- mangroves along the coast be- months of the year. Wolanski and creased calcification, net productiv- tween the airport and the city Spagnol (submitted) collected ity and growth, and shifts in abun- (Figure 3). oceanographic data to assess the dances and species composition offshore extent of the dispersion of (Dodge et al. 1974, Cortés and Risk the mud along the coast north of 1985, Peters and Pilson 1985, Cairns. For six weeks in August Rogers 1990). Mud in suspension and September 1997, five oceano- as muddy marine snow also physi- graphic moorings were maintained cally smothers coral reef organisms in a cross-shelf transect just north (Fabricius and Wolanski, 2000). of Double Island from the coast to Along this coast, muddy marine Pixie Reef. The moorings logged snow is probably enhanced by data every 10 min on currents and runoff from farms and pastures, turbidity. and appears to be the norm rather than the exception. In coastal waters the suspended solid concentration fluctuated THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF widely, peaking at 1,000 mg l-1 (1 kg MANGROVES m-3) on windy days, at which time The mangrove forests in the Cairns the visibility was zero (the divers area are located mainly along the could not see their hand against the Barron River and Trinity Inlet, and face mask). Terrigenous mud was they have been measurably re- also found to be exported to off- duced since 1952 (Figure 3); de- shore in a near-bottom muddy layer spite some local increases there a few metres thick (a nepheloid has been a net loss of 15% for the layer). In these offshore waters Barron River mouth, and a net loss events of high suspended solid of 24% for Trinity Inlet. Mangrove concentration (>50 mg l-1 peaking in losses are due to the expansion of one event at 200 mg l-1) occurred the airport, urban areas, industry, occasionally. This suggests that the port facilities and land reclaiming mid-shelf reefs of the Great Barrier for sugar cane farms. In particular Reef in the Cairns area are also a bund wall has destroyed a large ultimately threatened by mud. area of mangroves along the east- ern shore of Trinity Inlet. These Mud in suspension decreases the losses have occurred mainly in visibility, an indicator of the ability of downstream areas, where man- light to be transmitted through the groves best trap mud they capture water. Without light there can be no from suspension in coastal waters photosynthesis and plants cannot (Furukawa & Wolanski 1986). survive, neither can they sustain Based on studies of sedimentation other species which depend on the in mangroves near Cairns airport plants for their food. Knowledge of (Furukawa et al. 1997), the 8.22 Fig 3 Changes to mangroves of Trinity Inlet and 2 the mouth of the Barron River (1952-1998). the past visibility is derived from the km of mangroves that have been 1928-1929 British Museum Expedi- lost would have trapped about 12- page 3 LOICZ NEWSLETTER

25,000 tonnes of sediment per grove plants compared to upstream Inlet, beginning with the removal of year, or 0.5-1 million tonnes over stands, but they are the sites of the bund wall in Trinity Inlet. In this the last 40 years since the man- dominant biomass and widest spa- latter case, however, tis would have groves were destroyed. This mud tial extent. The reason for this to be done in a controlled manner to is now polluting coastal waters of occurrence is related to the supply avoid large-scale contamination by the Great Barrier Reef. This esti- of nutrients with seasonally reduced acid sulfates formed since the bund mate is approximate. However salinities, but the main reason is the walls were constructed. Finally, the even if it was too high by a factor of supply of sediment. Mangroves, mud dredged from Cairns port 2 or 3, it still shows the vital role of particularly Rhizophora species, should be readily used to help man- mangroves in protecting Great Bar- readily colonise mud banks and by groves colonise muddy intertidal ar- rier Reef waters from excessive tur- doing so, they can trap and bind-up eas, instead of dumped at sea bidity (see also Duke 1997). sediments for thousands of years. where it pollutes coastal waters. In These areas may remain stable this way mangroves can be used to Historically these mangrove-fringed provided the processes of recruit- protect this and other areas along estuaries have undergone dramatic ment and tree replacement are not the Great Barrier Reef from excess changes also prior to European set- interrupted. In this way, established mud. tlement (Duke 1997). Trinity Inlet mangrove forests act to regulate was once the mouth of the Mul- and improve water quality. Without CONCLUSIONS grave River before volcanic activity, mangroves, these sediments would The Great Barrier Reef region is many thousands of years ago, redi- be readily flushed further offshore justly inscribed on the World Her- rected this large river to join the during both seasonal and episodic itage list because it is one of the Russell River which enters the sea incidents of increased land catch- mega-biodiverse prime natural as- much further south. More recently ment runoff and severe coastal sets of Australia. Our generation the Barron River mouth has shifted wave action. Mangrove detritus has the opportunity to enjoy this dramatically to its present location. also helps in generate mangrove immense and wonderful asset but In 1876 when the first Europeans flocs, thereby protecting seagrass there is an incumbent responsibility arrived in Cairns, the Barron River beds in coastal waters. Mangroves not to adversely affect its natural opened into the bay where the therefore act directly to buffer and qualities and its enormous range of Cairns airport is now located (see reduce water turbidity in the Great habitats and species. Mud from Figure 3). Since then the mouth has Barrier Reef lagoon. Throughout man-made erosion in the catch- shifted north in at least two steps past times, the mangroves have ment areas is a serious threat to the (QH&M 1981). The mouth at the responded naturally in unison with Great Barrier Reef. Inshore reefs easterly point of land (Ellie- geological and geomorphic of the Great Barrier Reef cannot be Casuarina Point) closed after 1939 changes to help stabilise mud sustainably managed without man- when the sand ridge north of the banks. A delicate balance has been aging the adjacent land. Careful, point was breached. The river's maintained allowing the creation of understanding and coordinated potential to change its course re- the Great Barrier Reef as we know land care in the catchments drain- mains today with the continued it. ing into the Great Barrier Reef is widening of the Thomatis-Richters imperative together with careful channel (a previously small deltaic With the recent removal of man- consideration of the impacts of tributary to the north), and the erod- groves, this balance has been dis- dredging, land clearing, stream ing banks opposite accreting banks rupted and the Great Barrier Reef modification, wetland destruction of river meanders. has lost some of the protective role and mangrove removal. of mangroves in trapping mud. The Sediments in the Barron River waters now leave these estuaries There is an additional way to com- mouth and Trinity Inlet today are a much dirtier than ever before. This bat pollution by mud, namely by mixture of silt, clay and organic process is exacerbated with the in- planting mangroves and encourag- residues (Bird 1972, 1973). Fine creased sediment loads in the land ing natural recruitment. Mangroves grain sediment settles in quieter drainage systems from vegetation planted over the new mud banks waters. The pulsing of depositional cleared further up in the catchment. and reclaimed mangrove land re- events has created a series of To protect the Great Barrier Reef, turned to mangroves, would go a roughly parallel sandy ridges built the area of mangroves should be long way toward protecting the up over and between earlier tidal increased to stabilise the excess Great Barrier Reef from mud pollu- mudflats. This topography typifies mud. In the Cairns area, this can tion. those found across the Cairns be done by encouraging the coloni- coastal plain and relic formations, sation by mangroves of the mud REFERENCES to around 6,000 years before pre- banks in Trinity Bay and by actively Bell, P.R. and I. Elmetri 1995. sent, are now dissected and trun- planting seedlings where the rate of Ecological indicators of large- cated by tidal creek meandering. colonisation is too slow. The cur- scale eutrophication in the Great rent practice of removing naturally- Barrier Reef lagoon. Ambio 24:208-215. In the Barron and Trinity estuaries, recruited mangrove seedlings Bird, E. C. F. 1972. Mangroves and mangroves have taken advantage fronting the Cairns muddy beach is coastal morphology in Cairns Bay of the extensive depositional plain, encouraging pollution by mud of , North Queensland. Journal particularly in downstream loca- coastal waters. Mangroves should Tropical Geo-graphy, 35:11-16. tions. These places usually have be restored along all undeveloped Bird, E. C. F. 1973. Depositional evi- relatively low biodiversity of man- sections of the Barron and Trinity dence of fluvial sediment yield: page 4 LOICZ NEWSLETTER

an example from North Queens- component in coastal budgets not land. Australian Geography SURVAS holds successful only of water but also of chemical XII:250-253. workshop constituents. The problem coastal Cortés, N.J. and Risk, M.J. 1985. A zone managers face is: (1) they reef under siltation stress: Robert Nicholls and Anne de la Cahuita, Costa Rica. Bulletin of Vega-Leinert of Flood Hazard Re- may not be fully aware of the the Marine Science 36:339-356. search Centre, Middlesex Univer- importance of SGD; (2) if they are Dodge, R., R. Aller and J. Tomson sity, UK, hosted the first of a series aware, they may not know how to 1974. Coral growth related to re- of workshops of the SURVAS Pro- decide whether or not SGD is rele- suspension of bottom sediments. ject (S ynthesis and U pscaling of vant to their situation; and (3) if they Nature 247:574-577. sea-level R ise V ulnerability A ssess- do decide this is important to them, Duke, N. C. 1997. Mangroves in the ment S tudies). This was held in they may not know how to quantify Great Barrier Reef World Her- it. itage Area: current status, long- Trent Park Campus, North London term trends, management impli- on 17/18th January 2000. cations and research. In D. The joint SCOR-LOICZ-IOC-IHP Wachenfeld, J. Oliver and K. Twenty-six invited experts attended working group meeting at the Inter- Davis (ed.), State of the Great this workshop from a range of aca- governmental Oceanographic Barrier Reef World Heritage Area demic and governmental organisa- Commission, Paris, in accordance Workshop, pp. 288-299. Great tions in Europe, the Americas, with an earlier IOC Assembly deci- Barrier Reef Marine Park Author- Africa and Asia. The major goal sion, aimed to formulate a program ity, Townsville. to address these three issues. An Fabricius, K and E. Wolanski 2000. was to provide the international del- egates the opportunity to comment important aspect of the method- Terrestrial muddy marine snow ological intercalibration project was smothers coral organisms. Estu- upon the proposed SURVAS arine, Coastal & Shelf Science methodology, and discuss relevant ability to disseminate the results 50:115-120. ways of improving it. Three cri- widely in the hopes that national Furukawa, K. and E. Wolanski 1996. tiques covering four major aspects authorities will encourage the scien- Sedimentation in mangrove of the methodology were the basis tific community to investigate this forests. Mangroves & Salt of dynamic group debates. phenomena properly, in all likely Marshes 1:3-10. locations. Such information could Furukawa, K., E. Wolanski and H. ultimately be compiled into a Mueller 1997. Currents and sedi- These were : · physical and ecological aspects database and/or an atlas. ment transport in mangrove The crucial design objectives were forests. Estuarine, Coastal & (Dr. M. Capobianco, Tecno- Shelf Science 44:301-310. mare, Italy), to gain ability to better define and Larcombe, P., Woolfe, K.J. and Pur- · socio-economic aspects (Dr. N. test the SGD measurement tools. don, R.G. (ed.). Terrigenous Adger, University of East Anglia, While it is relatively easy to produce sediment fluxes and human im- UK), and, numbers, it is very difficult to as- pacts. CRC Reef Research Cen- · end-users' needs (Dr. T. Down- sess the quality of these estimates. tre, Current Research, ing, University of Oxford, UK). Townsville, Australia, 174pp. To meet the growing consensus Peters, E. and M. Pilson 1985. A com- A number of key actions were de- within the scientific community prehensive study of the effects of working on SGD that some type of sedimentation on symbiotic and cided upon during the workshop, asymbiotic colonies of the coral including more focus on indicators intercalibration program is needed Astrangia danae. Journal of Ex- of Adaptive Capacity. The revised to resolve the measurement issues, perimental Marine Biology and methodology is presently being the workshop addressed: (1) the Ecology 92: 215-220. tested by five country case studies site selection; and (2) the selection QH&M. 1981. Barron River delta in- (Germany, India, Poland, Senegal of techniques and the experimental vestigation. The Report of the design of the actual intercompari- Barron River Delta Investigation and UK). The improved SURVAS methodology will be first applied at son. For example, while some sites Steering Committee. Department may have lower flows, the impact of of Harbours and Marine, Queens- the European workshop in Ham- SGD may be greater because of land, 440 pp. burg in June 2000. Rogers, C. 1990. Responses of coral high nutrient concentrations. About reefs and reef organisms to sedi- For more information on SURVAS four to five sites that span a broad mentation. Marine Biology goals, methodology & work pro- range of conditions were identified, Progress Series 62:185-202. gramme, please either log onto emphasising the need for the in- Wachenfeld, D., J. Oliver, J. and K. http://www.survas.mdx.ac.uk or volvement of local expertise (both Davis (ed.) 1997. State of the scientific and managerial) and Great Barrier Reef World Her- contact Dr. Anne de la Vega-Leinert at [email protected] some provision for training be made itage Area. Workshop, Great part of the dissemination effort. Barrier Reef Marine Park Author- ity, Townsville. Wolanski, E. 1994. Physical Oceano- Submarine Groundwater The proposal will be delivered to graphic Processes of the Great Discharge – intercalibration IOC in time for consideration by its Barrier Reef. CRC Press, Boca Executive Committee which meets Raton, 194 pp. of methods in May, 2000. The first intercalibra- Wolanski, E. and S. Spagnol. Pollu- (IOC-SCOR-LOICZ initiative; 2-4 tion study is proposed for Pert, tion by mud of Great Barrier Reef February 2000) Western Australia in December coastal waters. Submitted to D irect discharge of groundwater 2000. Journal of Coastal Research. into the ocean can be an important page 5 LOICZ NEWSLETTER

seem to encompass the most are to make a first assessment of Global Change and prominent drivers of environmental global changes in material fluxes Continental Aquatic Systems changes rather than climate. The and the coastal system responses cumulative changes observed in across the salinity interface. The Olasumbo Martins GKSS, the hydrological cycle at a global recent support from UNEP with Geesthacht, Germany scale are significantly driven by GEF funding has provided a major damming, water diversions and impetus to this LOICZ effort, provid- (IGBP Synthesis Workshop, Stock- withdrawals. These modify the ing for training and evaluation work- holm, Sweden, 7-9 February, 2000) physical components of aquatic en- shops across most regions. The workshop, which was orga- vironments, particularly in river sys- nized in conjunction with the Royal tems in terms of, for example, sedi- The recent workshop in India was Swedish Academy of Sciences and ment retention and reduction of wa- generously hosted by the National the Swedish Agricultural University, ter flow. Land-use changes Institute of Oceanography in Goa was also supported by the Mille- through engineering, constructions, and addressed ecosystems in the nium Committee of Sweden and the deforestation and agriculture, which South Asia region. Representa- Foundation for Strategic Environ- have been of increasing influence tives from India, Bangladesh and mental Research, Sweden. for over the last 2000 years, now Sri Lanka joined in the workshop of are proceeding at an accelerated tutorial and plenary activities to train Focusing on global change and rate and leading, for example, to and use a variety of recently devel- continental aquatic systems (CAS) severe deforestation in the humid oped modelling tools, and to de- i.e., fluvial pathways, groundwater tropics and desertification in the velop coastal site models using ex- transport through the catchments arid tropics. Increasing water de- isting data. Relatively unimpacted and the coastal zones, the work- mand for irrigation is expected and to highly polluted systems were shop sought to answer the leading has been seen to cause severe considered as working examples. question: “Are the changes ob- drops in water quality through salin- The strong achievement and out- served in continental aquatic sys- ization of surface and ground wa- puts will be reported in a LOICZ tems over the last 50 years and ters. R&S report and placed on the foreseen for the next 50 years LOICZ web site. It is expected that caused by global climate change or In conclusion, global climate participants will continue to make by anthropogenic drivers?” Empha- change therefore might not be the contribution to this wider LOICZ ef- sis was plavced on the multiple most immediate critical issue, partly fort by further assessments of nutri- impacts on land and water use gen- because it follows a moderate time- ent transfer and fluxes in additional erated through changes of physical, line compared to human-induced coastal systems from the region. hydrological, chemical and biologi- changes. However, it cannot be cal processes affecting the occur- neglected that in areas where spe- rence and fluxes of water re- cific geomorphologic settings are sources. Caribbean “Data Mining” more sensitive to changes in the In four working groups (Water (IOCARIBE-GODAR project) water balance, global climate Paul Geerders, Quality, Biogeochemical Cycles, change exerts a major pressure Regional Project Co-ordinator, Suspended Sediment Fluxes, and is the primary cause for system IOCARIBE-GODAR. Global Changes), the 20 partici- function and services changes. (email:[email protected]) pants from the wider IGBP commu- Such areas include the coastal nity and projects such as HELP, zones where salt water intrusion will Historical ocean and coastal data ORSTOM (IRD), and IHP ad- affect the coastal aquifers following form an essential basis for research dressed 5 subset questions: sea-level rises. on processes in the coastal zone such as carried out in the frame- · How have water resources A full report of the workshop shall work of LOICZ. Such datasets evolved since the develop- be published in Science journal in serve to build time series of vari- ment of agriculture? April/May, 2000. ables which can be used to detect · How have water resources changes and trends, they provide been modified by human an insight in the activities? Nutrient budgets and behaviour of variables which in turn · How have these changes can form a basis for the develop- affected the coastal zone? modelling in South Asia ment of models, and the behaviour · How will climate change (LOICZ UNEP biogeochemical of variables in the past contributes and anthropogenic workshop, 14-17 February 2000) to the tuning of the characteristics changes affect future water of measurement and monitoring resources? LOICZ has developed over 100 site systems for an improved efficiency · How have biogeochemical budgets describing the net of these. cycles been, and how will metabolism and models of nutrient they be affected by flux in estuarine and coastal lagoon GODAR stands for Global Oceano- changes of river and systems globally, using the LOICZ graphic Data Archeology and Res- groundwater fluxes? approach developed earlier in the cue Project, a project initiated by life of LOICZ. The target of an IOC at its Seventeenth Session, Major findings of the meeting array of settings, in excess of 200 March 1993. It was observed that pointed out that human activities site descriptions, is needed if we many of the historical data sets of page 6 LOICZ NEWSLETTER the region are still in manuscript No argument, Water, is important. will be a priority item on the agenda form or some analogue form, often Thus it did not really surprise that a of the new IGBP science communi- there are no backups available and relatively small piece of frozen wa- cator and for improved web based there are no established proce- ter seems to show the way into an by core projects. dures for their management. As a IGBP II future. The Vostok ice core consequence, historical data sets provided a major thrust for the dis- What are the issues and how may easily be lost due to deteriora- cussions on an evolution of the will LOICZ respond? tion of the carrier or media, calami- IGBP programme. The main theme Earth System Science will have to ties or accidental erasure. In sev- taken from the ice was – we have to deal with interfaces and the bound- eral cases it is even doubtful respond to the earth as a system ary conditions set by people. The whether the required hardware still and enter into integrative “Earth drivers of systems change and exists to read the digital or ana- System Science”. This means a change itself will have to be re- logue media of the past. future IGBP will follow a systemic viewed in a dynamic context: i.e. approach to earth system function- what are the uncertainties, the non- Institutions and organisations in the ing and effects of global change. linearity and the teleconnections we IOCARIBE region hold a wealth of see when applying a truly global historical ocean and coastal data However, while there was broad perspective. No longer can we ne- sets, while other datasets on this agreement on the importance of glect the extent of human interfer- region are kept in archives outside interfaces such as water-land- ence with the earth system – realiz- the region. A part of these was atmosphere, the strength of a con- ing that it is a crucial part, the term identified at the IOC Regional tinued IGBP is to come out of a “anthropocene” was developed dur- Workshop for Member States of the compartmented structure address- ing the meeting to best describe the Caribbean and South America, ing the three spheres. “Futures” current geological age. GODAR-V, held in October 1996 in meetings for each compartment in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. 2000 will provide a road map for the LOICZ neeeds to account for the scientific community, guiding ques- effects of changes and their inher- In view of the importance of histori- tions and necessary links between ent value in coastal systems func- cal ocean and coastal data for re- the compartments. tions, goods and services. The search and other activities in the various foci will continue to provide IOCARIBE region, such as for While this may be indicative of a the scientific information to de- LOICZ, the IOCARIBE-GODAR shift to a more holistic perspective scribe the fluxes and state changes project was initiated in April 1999. into the biogeochemical IGBP but additional efforts will concen- This project will have the following world, the point was frequently trate on the drivers of change and Terms of Reference: made that “people” are central to the potential responses. We see the global providing the major forc- the life support function of the - identify historical marine and ing function of the interfaces. The coastal resource system as a cru- coastal data sets in the IO- urgent need for closer operational cial outcome from Focus 4 activities CARIBE countries, agendas with IHDP and WCRP was and integrating the other Foci. - compile and publish an inven- emphasised. Evaluations of environmental goods tory of these data sets on CD- and services will thus become a ROM and on a Web Site, Scientifically, the most appropriate further target of LOICZ integrative - set priorities for recuperation response for “holistic thinking” for modeling efforts. of data sets taking into account the moment seems to be the “cross current and on-going activities cutting activities” addressing car- Increased collaboration with other in the IOCARIBE region, and bon, food and fibre (LOICZ made a projects (BAHC, LUCC, GLOBEC) - carry out recuperation of spe- clear point here that “fin” has to be will help address the water contin- cific data sets, taking into ac- included) and water. Thus, these uum as a whole, to describe the count the priorities defined and activities will be crucial issues for pathway of material transport and the availability of funding. presentation in the IGBP Open Sci- how changes and affect the sys- ence Conference in Amsterdam in tems. LOICZ Typology efforts have During a short workshop of experts July 2001 www.sciconf.igbp.kva.se. already started to enable this col- from the region 21-23 February There, insights into the achieve- laboration. Jointly with PAGES, 2000, again in Cartagena de Indias, ments of IGBP’s synthesis and the LOICZ is trying to differentiate the a Project Plan has been developed. integrative activities will provide an anthropogenic influence on sea This Plan defines in more detail the “historical” perspective on which to level rise phenomena on global Terms of Reference of the envision the future needs and scales. This will contribute to the IOCARIBE-GODAR project and its strategies. The recent Stockholm discussions of coastal vulnerability, Implementation Plan, and also meeting on “WATER” allows an im- management and protection. The identifies possible funding sources. portant glimpse of how far we have continuing work on typology ques- progressed. tions – identifying the similarity and The Way Ahead – dissimilarity features of coastal set- towards an IGBP II & A key to bringing the Programme tings and allow for use of secondary implications for LOICZ message across will be an IGBP data for upscaling – may provide a wide Communication providing for SC IGBP and IPO Meeting Cuer- vital tool in development dissemination of results, applicable navaca, Mexico, February 2000. of management response options. products and perspectives. This page 7 LOICZ NEWSLETTER

Announcing a Symposium on LOICZ, with other core projects, Nutrient Over-enrichment in Coastal Waters: has agreed to contribute to the overall IGBP efforts towards Global Patterns of Cause and Effect stronger internal and external October 11-13, 2000 communications. Here we are The National Academy of Sciences,Washington DC, USA trying to improve communication not only among the scientific com- munity and clients (IGBP) but to This symposium, which is co-convened by the U.S. National Committee pursue stronger engagement with to the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), the Ameri- the user community, particularly can Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and the Estuarine acting as a “broker” to relate sci- Research Federation (ERF), will be hosted by the Ocean Studies Board entific work with interest groups. of the National Academies.

Through two and one-half days of plenary discussion, highlighted by presentations from distinguished scientists from around the world, this symposium will explore a number of recent investigations into the role of HAVE YOU SEEN...... nutrient over-enrichment in the declining environmental quality of the world's coastal regions. Topics to be covered include recent expansion of our understanding of the sources of nutrients, fate and effects of ex- Impacts of Populations & Markets cess nutrients in coastal environments, patterns of temporal response on the Sustainability of Ocean & to enrichment and abatement, and political and social aspects of nutri- Coastal Resources – Perspec- ent control. Results of national and international efforts to assess, un- tives of developing and transition derstand, and mitigate this growing problem (e.g., International SCOPE economies of the North Pacific. Nitrogen Project, Coastal GOOS, GEOHAB, U.S. Clean Water Action 2000. Collection of Papers from Plan) will be presented in an effort to facilitate the exchange of under- the International Conference, 3-4 standing and experience between scientists and managers working in June 1999, Seattle, 277pp. Eds. coastal areas around the world. Vlad M. Kaczynski and Dave L/ Fluharty, School of Marine Af- For more information about this event, please contact Dr. Dan Walker, Symposium fairs, College of Ocean & Fishery Director, by email at [email protected], by telephone at (202) 334-2714, or by mail Sciences, University of Washing- at the National Research Council, HA 470, 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC, U.S.A., 20418. ton, Washington, USA. SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON OCEANIC RESEARCH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) is seeking an Executive Director. SCOR is an interdis- ciplinary committee of the International Council for Science and is the leading non-governmental organization for the promotion and coordination of international oceanographic activities. Scientists from thirty-nine member countries participate in SCOR activities that include working groups addressing tightly focused scientific prob- lems. SCOR has also proposed and planned large international collaborative efforts such as the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) and Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC). SCOR often works in associa- tion with intergovernmental organizations such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the In- ternational Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

The duties of the Executive Director include i) the daily operation of the SCOR Secretariat, raising funds, and ad- ministration of the budget; ii) liaison with national SCOR committees; iii) liaison and support of working groups and scientific committees of large programs; iv) organization of the annual meeting of SCOR; v) representation and promotion of SCOR and the ocean sciences at meetings of other international research organizations; vi) preparation of reports of SCOR meetings and other publications.

The successful candidate will i) preferably have a Ph.D. or the equivalent in a field of Marine, Earth and Environ- mental Sciences; ii) have a proven interest and involvement in oceanic or global environmental change re- search; iii) be well acquainted with international scientific collaboration in general; iv) excellent English oral and written communications skills are essential (knowledge of other languages is an advantage); v) have a proven record of writing successful grant proposals; and vi) possess some understanding of basic accounting and finan- cial management practices.

The position should preferably continue to be based in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The initial appointment period is three years. Letters of application, a curriculum vitae, and the names of three referees should be sent no later than 15 May 2000 to the SCOR Secretariat, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. Tel. 410-516-4070, Fax. 410-516-4019, E-mail: [email protected], Web page: http://www.jhu.edu/~scor/ page 8 LOICZ NEWSLETTER

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