Environmental Monitoring and Photodocumentation Equipment for West Indies Laboratory

Fairleigh Dickinson大学西印度群岛实验室（WIL） (FDU)是一个科学的教学和研究设施，位于 加勒比海东北部的一个岛屿，位于圣克鲁瓦岛上。 为 18年生物学家，生态学家和地质学家（来自机构） 在美国和世界各地）在WIL工作， 大大增加了我们对 (1)结构和 浅水热带海洋系统的功能，特别是 珊瑚礁和海草床，以及（2）生物学，生态学和 热带海洋生物的古生态学。 一个时期 对近岸环境和生物的压力越来越大， 包括当地的人类影响和全球环境变化， 了解这些自然系统至关重要。 该项目提供资金购买（1）仪器， 记录长期的物理海洋学和大气数据， (2)摄影记录设备：解剖摄影显微镜 水下视频系统 WIL研究工作的优势仍然是 现场与实验室研究相结合， 对问题采取多学科办法。 然而，目前 由于缺乏长期的环境保护， 数据 一个可靠的监控和存储程序， 环境数据与记录 生物、生态和地质现象， 将是相当大的价值，目前的研究在 实验室以及未来的研究计划。 的结果 这项研究的大部分内容都可以作为预测 未来可能发生的变化，如 以及作为管理决策基础的信息。

West Indies Laboratory (WIL) of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) is a scientific teaching and research facility located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea on the island of St. Croix. For 18 years biologists, ecologists and geologists (from institutions throughout the U.S. and the world) working at WIL have significantly added to our knowledge of (1) the structure and function of shallow water tropical marine systems, particularly coral reefs and seagrass beds, and (2) the biology, ecology and paleo-ecology of tropical marine organisms. In a period of increasing pressure on nearshore environments and organisms from both local human impacts and also global environmental changes, an understanding of these natural systems is critical. This project provides funds to purchase (1) instruments to record long term physical oceanographic and atmospheric data and (2) photodocumentation equipment: a dissecting photo-microscope and underwater video system. The strengths of the research effort at WIL continue to be the combination of field with laboratory studies and multidisciplinary approaches to questions. However, present research efforts are hindered by lack of long term environmental data. A reliable program of monitoring and storage of environmental data combined with the ability to document biological, ecological and geological phenomena photographically will be of considerable value to present research at the laboratory as well as future research programs. The results of much of this research can be useful both as a predictor of possible future changes in nearshore tropical environments, as well as information upon which to base management decisions.