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News Items - November 8, 2006
Incorporation of New Digital Photographs into U.S. Caribbean Coral Reef Monitoring Database Enhances Public Access to Information
The online Coral Reef Ecosystem Database, developed and managed by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and funded by the Coral Reef Conservation Program, now provides public access to new digital photographs from six years of coral reef field studies. Easy public access to images of coral reef species and habitats, which were taken during studies in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, facilitates a variety of coral reef research, management and educational opportunities. The images have been utilized by the research and management community, including the U.S. National Park Service, the University of Puerto Rico, and NOAA. More than a thousand new digital photos were added to the database, which is now searchable, and they may be downloaded in jpg format. There are images of fishes and invertebrates, hard and soft corals, mangroves, and seagrass beds and other benthic habitats. For more information, access the database at http://www8.nos.noaa.gov/biogeo_public/reef_photos.aspx, or contact Tom McGrath at (301) 713-3028 x117 or Tom.McGrath@noaa.gov. [03M00043, 04M00057] (CCMA)
Presentation on Human-Use Pharmaceuticals in the Estuarine Environment at Geological Society of America Conference Generates Discussions of Next Steps to Address Issue
A National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) scientist presented an invited paper at the recent Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting, resulting in good discussions, including next steps needed to assess the emerging issue of pharmaceuticals in coastal waters. The presentation, “Survey of Human Use Pharmaceuticals in the Estuarine Environment,” focused on the results of a pilot project to assess the presence of a number of commonly prescribed human-use pharmaceuticals in the Chesapeake Bay. There is increasing concern that these biologically active compounds could be impacting aquatic organisms. Next steps needed to address the issue would include work to better characterize the geographic extent of human and also animal use pharmaceuticals in estuarine and coastal areas, and experiments to assess any biological effects of the concentrations detected. The GSA Annual Meeting, which brings together researchers from across the spectrum of geosciences, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 22-25, 2006. For additional information, go to http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/news/feature/HumanUsePharma.html, or contact Tony Pait at (301) 713-3028 x158 or Tony.Pait@noaa.gov. (CCMA)