Mare Nostrum Caribbean: Stewardship through Strategic Research and Workforce Development

我们的加勒比海：通过战略研究和劳动力发展进行管理

• 批准号: 1355437
• 负责人: Kim Waddell
• 金额: $ 2000万
• 依托单位: University of The Virgin Islands
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-01 至 2021-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1355437&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Mare; Nostrum; Caribbean; Stewardship; through

Non-technical DescriptionThe project "Mare Nostrum Caribbean" ("Our Caribbean Sea") implements coral reef science in service to ecological stewardship, with the goal of understanding how best to improve coral reef sustainability in a region threatened by overfishing, marine pollution, sedimentation, invasive species, and climate change. High-resolution coastal oceanographic models are being developed to increase understanding of how ecological patterns and processes are influenced by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. These efforts are creating a comprehensive understanding of the effects of climate change on coral reefs and associated ecosystems, and assisting in the development of potential climate change mitigation strategies. The project is increasing the intellectual involvement of Virgin Islanders with coral reef ecosystems and the stewardship of natural resources. The Virgin Islands Institute for STEM Education Research and Practice uses five strategies to understand and develop best practices for formal and informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the Territory. Technical DescriptionThe research will investigate factors that enhance or reduce a coral reef?s tolerance to environmental stress and its resistance to transitions to alternate ecological states (i.e., ecological resilience). Understanding these complex relationships is of paramount importance, especially considering that within the last decade corals in the U.S. Virgin Islands have experienced nearly 50% mortality due to climate-induced stress from warm-water bleaching and disease. Reef degradation increases the risk of coastal flooding, reduces fishery resources for local communities, is linked to reduced human health, and represents a tremendous loss of yet-undiscovered biological diversity. Studies integrate ecological, oceanographic, environmental, and socio-economic factors to investigate the complex relationships found within coral reef ecosystems.The U.S. Virgin Islands' ability to enhance environmental stewardship and implement economic change relies on an informed public, trained workforce and improved educational system. Specific broader impacts include an increase in 1) the numbers of K-12 through graduate students in STEM research activities and educational advancement; 2) underrepresented minorities in STEM fields; 3) opportunities to improve STEM teaching at all levels; and 4) the knowledge of and participation in coral reef science by the general public and students of all levels.

非技术性说明“我们的加勒比海”项目实施珊瑚礁科学，为生态管理服务，目的是了解如何最好地改善受过度捕捞、海洋污染、沉积、入侵物种和气候变化威胁的地区的珊瑚礁可持续性。 目前正在开发高分辨率沿海海洋学模型，以增进对自然和人为干扰如何影响生态格局和进程的了解。 这些努力使人们全面了解气候变化对珊瑚礁和相关生态系统的影响，并协助制定可能的气候变化减缓战略。 该项目正在使维尔京群岛居民更多地参与珊瑚礁生态系统和自然资源管理的智力活动。 维尔京群岛STEM教育研究与实践研究所采用五项战略来了解和发展该领土正规和非正规科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教育的最佳做法。 这项研究将调查增强或减少珊瑚礁的因素？对环境胁迫的耐受性和对过渡到交替生态状态的抗性（即，生态恢复力）。 了解这些复杂的关系至关重要，特别是考虑到在过去十年中，美属维尔京群岛的珊瑚由于温水漂白和疾病引起的气候压力而经历了近50%的死亡率。 珊瑚礁退化增加了沿海洪水的风险，减少了当地社区的渔业资源，与人类健康下降有关，并意味着尚未发现的生物多样性的巨大损失。 研究整合了生态、海洋、环境和社会经济因素，以调查珊瑚礁生态系统中发现的复杂关系。美属维尔京群岛加强环境管理和实施经济变革的能力依赖于知情的公众、训练有素的劳动力和改善的教育体系。 具体的更广泛的影响包括：1）K-12通过STEM研究活动和教育进步的研究生人数增加; 2）STEM领域代表性不足的少数民族; 3）改善各级STEM教学的机会;以及4）公众和各级学生对珊瑚礁科学的了解和参与。