Presently we are concentrating on implementing sensor networks in four sites. View the science project

1. Moorea LTER site in French Polynesia. The University of California Santa Barbara (AIMS) has a long history of monitoring this isolated site and researching coral reef communities. Recent activities involve the development of a sensor network using underwater acoustic modems. Key contact for this site is Sally Holbrook.

2. Great Barrier Reef: The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has 20 years of monitoring the environmental conditions on the GBR. Increased sophistication of the monitoring network will greatly enhance the research efforts for a number of sites including Orpheous Island, Magnetic Island, Davies Reef and Heron Island. Key contact for this site is Stuart Kininmonth.

3 The Integrated Coral Observing Network: The Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON) is being developed through the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) of  the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in response to U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF, established through U.S. Executive Order 13089) and NOAA recommendations to,

    a) install a network of meteorological and oceanographic monitoring stations at all major U.S. coral reef areas (e.g., the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, etc.) by 2010 for purposes of building long-term data sets,
    b) install stations at non-U.S. reefs in cooperation with foreign (to US) nations where funding arrangements can be made, and,
    b) integrate near data from diverse data sources for purposes of providing ecological forecasts at coral reef areas, especially those within Marine Protected Areas (MPA).
The key contacts for this site are Chris Langdon and Jim Hendee.

4. Kenting Coral Reef LTER site, Taiwan. The Nat. Center High-Performance Computing has been experimenting with sensor network designs for a considerable period in areas that are exposed to industrial stress. Using a variety of tools such as Underwater video and environmental sensors this group have led the increased research into marine applications. The key contact for this site is Fang-Pang Lin.

Photo: Laying out the power cables in Florida Keys