MARINE SCIENCE NETWORK

1. SmithsonianInstitution Office of the Under Secretaryfor Science MARINE SCIENCE NETWORK

2. Smithsonian Marine Science Network The Smithsonian Marine Science Network is a unique array of laboratories and research vessels that spans the latitudinal gradient of the western Atlantic and crosses the isthmus of Panama. Smithsonian research stations www.si.edu/marinescience

4. MSN Mission The Smithsonian Marine Science Network is dedicated to understanding the rich biodiversity and complex ecosystem dynamics that sustain coastal processes and productivity. We study evolutionary, ecological, and environmental change in the ocean’s coastal zones.

5. MSN Vision “To increase scientific knowledge of marine coastal environments and to improve society’s appreciation of the ocean’s effect on our lives”

6. Importance Ocean productivity is concentrated in the coastal zone where nutrients run off the land and well up from the deep. The coastal environments include the Earth's most biologically productive ecosystems: estuaries, wetlands, mangroves, sea grasses, coral and oyster reefs. They are of immense economic and environmental importance and comprise 95% of the oceans' fisheries. Our coastal communities are the most densely populated and fastest growing areas in the U.S.

8. MSN Goals To ensure the Network’s integrated support of “Discovering and Understanding Life’s Diversity,” a core scientific mission of the Smithsonian Science Strategic Plan. To ensure that the whole of the integrated Network is larger than the sum of its parts leading to enhanced productivity through: • collaborative and comparative research facilitated by increased inter-unit coordination and access; • marine infrastructure development and support;

9. MSN Goals (cont.) • professional training and outreach; • effective allocation of funding; and, • transparent development, buy-in, participation, and support from scientists, program managers, Unit Directors, Under Secretary and Secretary.

10. NATURE 24 June 04 Ocean Planet (1995)

11. MSN Milestones 1998: Formalization of a pan-institutional Marine Science Network initiated at a workshop at SERC (50+ SI participants) 1999: 2 follow-up MSN organizational meetings (10 participants) 1999: Dedication of new Carrie Bow Cay Marine Field Station 1999: Dedication of new SMS at Fort Pierce facility 2000: MSN concept and infrastructure allocations approved by Under Secretary and Director of Scientific Programs 2001: Lang, M. and A. Hines. Smithsonian marine research. J. Marine Techn. Soc. 34 (4): 50-60 2001: Launch of the MSN website www.si.edu/marinescience 2001-2004: Annual MSN Calls for Proposals for Infrastructure and Research Awards and Fellowships 2003: Dedication of Bocas del Toro Marine Laboratory

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13. Marine Research Expertise Systematics Evolutionary Biology Ecology Geology Paleontology

14. Marine Scientist Employees (53) STRI: Bermingham, Capson, Christy, Collin, D’Croz, Fortunato, Guzman, Jackson, Knowlton, Lessios, Robertson, Torchin. SERC: Breitburg, Coats, Feller, Gallegos, Hines, Jordan, Osman, Neale, Ruiz, Whigham. NMNH Botany: Adey, Faust, Littler, Norris. Zoology: Baldwin, Cairns, Fauchald, Ferrari, Harasewych, Hope, Johnson, Kornicker, Lemaitre, Mead, Norenburg, Pawson, Ruetzler, Springer, Tyler. Mineral Sciences: Fiske. Paleobiology: Buzas, Huber, Macintyre, Stanley. Entomology: Mathis. SMS: Paul, Tunberg. NZP: Frazier, Hagedorn, Oftedal, Ralls.

15. MSN Use by SI Scientists(FY00-04) Note: NMNH - 9 of 27 employees did not use MSN facilities NZP - 1 of 4 employees used SMSFP once

16. Marine Science Resources • Long-term field research and site stability • SERC: 39-yr research on coastal zone • SMS: 30-yr research Florida ecosystems • CCRE: 32-yr marine research • STRI: 40-yr marine research • Location • spans the latitudinal gradient of the western Atlantic and across the isthmus of Panama.

17. Marine Collections and Publications • Peer-reviewed publications: 6,000+ • Field guides and identification keys • Marine invertebrate, algal, fish and geological collections • Smithsonian Contributions to Marine Science, Zoology, and Botany • Atoll Research Bulletin • Databases

19. MSN Assets Facility access to important ecosystems: Chesapeake Bay Indian River Lagoon and Gulf Stream Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Isthmus of Panama: Caribbean/Pacific Research vessels: Near-shore coastal oceanographic research vessels and workboats Scientific Diving Program www.si.edu/dive

21. MSN Funding • Federal appropriations, and • Johnson and Hunterdon Oceanographic Research Endowments provide core support for staff salaries, facilities, collections, long-term environmental monitoring and operating funds. This support is used to leverage significant extramural funding from NSF, NIH, NOAA, DOD, EPA, USCG, USF&W, State and regional governments, and private foundations.

23. MSN Competitive Award Programs MSN Postdoctoral Fellowships: ($40,000) 2-year appointment, main criteria are research excellence and use of two primary MSN research sites for comparative work. Marine Workshops and Colloquia: ($15,000) e.g., Bocas del Toro Taxonomy (2); Historical records analysis for coral reef management; Twin Cays Mangrove Symposium; Marine Genetics. Marine Research Awards: Pilot projects ($10,000) serve as seed funding to develop proposals for external funding; Large research projects ($50,000) using at least two MSN sites. Marine ROF: ($3,000) travel funds for marine research opportunity or for presentation of research results at symposia.

24. Marine Postdoctoral Fellowships SERC: Xuemei Bai CCRE: Amy Erickson SMS: Scott Santagata, Anja Schulze Angela Capper, Sandra Duran Mark Clementz MSN: Cristina Diaz, David Kline Luiz Rocha, Steven Vollmer

25. MSN Awards • Marine PostDoc Fellowships: 5 (03); 6 (04) • Marine Workshops/Colloquia: 2 (03); 3 (04) • MSN Major Research Awards: 2 (04) • MSN Pilot projects: 11 (03); 6 (04) • CCRE & SMSFP awards: 52 (03); 55 (04) • Marine ROF: 13 (03); 11 (04)

26. MSN Infrastructure Support • SMSFP relocation, lab and pier construction, and seawater system • Bocas del Toro marine laboratory completion • Carrie Bow Cay rebuild and program support • SERC 4 laboratory and marine tech support staff • NMNH Zoology Curator of Fishes • STRI Bocas del Toro Head Scientist and 3 support staff • SMSFP Head Scientist and 6 support staff • STRI and SERC research vessels retrofits

27. Outreach • STAR (Student Training in Aquatic Research) • Galapagos 3D IMAX film • Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook • Marine Algae of the Caribbean • Shorefishes of the Eastern Tropical Pacific

28. Education and Outreach • NZP Marine Invertebrate Exhibit • SERC Philip D. Reed Education Center • NMNH Ocean Hall Exhibit (FY08) • SMSFP Marine Ecosystems Exhibit • CCRE Belize Teachers’ Mangrove Workshops • STRI Culebra Marine Exhibition Center • STRI/OTS and Princeton Tropical Marine Ecology Courses

30. MSN Future 1. RESEARCH PRIORITIES a. Crucial marine ecosystems: • Sustain leadership in mangrove, estuarine and plankton research; • Enhance leadership in coral reef research; and, • Focus research expertise on deep reefs in Belize and Florida. b. Marine invasive species: • Enhance latitudinal comparisons of invasions; and, • Test effects of altered marine food web structure on invasions, using Marine Protected Areas, MSN inventories, and standardized experiments.

31. MSN Future (cont.) c. Ecological linkages among systems: • Determine mechanisms of land-sea interactions; and, • Determine controls on population structure and dynamics of key species. d. Biodiversity of the sea: • Complete species inventories for MSN sites (Encyclopedia of Life and marine barcoding); • Speciation and evolution; and, • Assess biogeographic patterns including species’ range expansions and declines as a function of habitat fragmentation and global change.

33. MSN Future (cont.) 2. FACILITATE RECRUITMENT of marine research scientists to ensure critical mass and fill gaps in MSN expertise • Coral paleo-ecologist; • Key marine groups systematists; • Zooplankton ecologist; and, • Marine microbiologist. 3. FUND-RAISING PRIORITIES • Facilitate Unit development efforts for SMS, CCRE, SERC, and STRI; and, • Encourage grant and contract awards.

34. MSN Future (cont.) 4. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PRIORITIES • Increase visibility and research results in popular media; • Promote distance learning; • Increase number of fellowships; and, • Enhance links and participation of MSN in professional not-for-profit organizations, scientific societies and government agencies.

35. MSN Future (cont.) 5. IT INFRASTRUCTURE GOALS • Distributed data systems that permit: • access to MSN long-term environmental and biological datasets; and, • enhanced acquisition of spatially explicit data; • Automated and standardized long-term environmental data collection; and, • Interactive video communication among MSN sites to promote scientific exchange and educational outreach.

36. MSN Steering Committee • Biff Bermingham (STRI Deputy Director) • Tuck Hines (SERC Assistant Director) • Michael Lang (Ofc. Under Secretary for Science) • Valerie Paul (NMNH-SMSFP Director) • Klaus Ruetzler (NMNH-CCRE Director) • Phil Taylor (NSF Biol. Oceanography Director)