Mare Nostrum Caribbean: Stewardship through Strategic Research and Workforce Development

“我们的加勒比海”（Mare Nostrum Caribbean）项目实施珊瑚礁科学，为生态管理服务，目的是了解如何在受到过度捕捞、海洋污染、沉积、入侵物种和气候变化威胁的地区最好地提高珊瑚礁的可持续性。目前正在开发高分辨率沿海海洋学模式，以增进对生态格局和进程如何受到自然和人为干扰的影响的了解。这些努力正在使人们全面了解气候变化对珊瑚礁及相关生态系统的影响，并协助制定可能的减缓气候变化战略。该项目增加了维尔京群岛居民对珊瑚礁生态系统和自然资源管理的知识参与。维尔京群岛STEM教育研究与实践研究所使用五种策略来了解和制定该领土正式和非正式科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教育的最佳实践。技术描述这项研究将调查增强或削弱珊瑚礁的因素。S对环境胁迫的耐受性及其对过渡到交替生态状态的抵抗力（即生态恢复力）。了解这些复杂的关系是至关重要的，特别是考虑到在过去的十年里，美属维尔京群岛的珊瑚由于温暖的海水白化和疾病引起的气候压力，已经经历了近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，并造成了尚未发现的生物多样性的巨大损失。研究综合了生态、海洋学、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进的教育体系。具体的更广泛的影响包括：1)在STEM研究活动和教育进步方面，从K-12到研究生的人数增加；2) STEM领域代表性不足的少数族裔；3)改善各级STEM教学的机会；4)广大公众和各级学生对珊瑚礁科学的认识和参与。

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.