SECOORA Meeting, Jacksonville September 2006

1. CaRA, The Caribbean Regional Association for an Integrated Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (CarICOOS) SECOORA Meeting, Jacksonville September 2006 Organizers, Sponsors & Collaborators:

2. CaRA’s official domain

3. Puerto Rico & the US Virgin Islands

4. CaRA’s communities • Commonwealth of Puerto Rico • Area: 9,104 sq km, including Vieques, Culebra, Mona Is, Isla Magueyes, and numerous islets and cays • Population: 3.9 million • Gross Domestic Product: ~$72.4 billion • Marine-dependent Industries: shipping, tourism, cruise ships, ferries, marine recreation including fishing and scuba • United States Virgin Islands • Area: 349 sq km, 4 main islands and numerous islets and cays • Population: 112 million • Gross Domestic Product: ~$ 2.4 billion • Marine-dependent Industries: shipping, tourism, cruise ships, ferries, marine recreation including fishing and scuba • Navassa • Area: 5.4 sq km • Unpopulated • Managed by US Fish & Wildlife Service

5. Stakeholders in CarICOOS • Environmental resource managers • Coastal Hazard and Emergency managers • Search and rescue • Port authorities, harbor masters and dock managers • Commercial Fishermen • Recreational interests: fishing, scuba divers, sailors, surfers etc. • Tourism recreation planners • Cruise ship operators • Marine transportation activities: ferries, shippers and tankers • Shoreline industries – refineries, power plants, etc. • Science, research and academia

6. Recent CaRA developments • CaRA has entered into an agreement with the Puerto Rico Sea Grant Program for the development of a comprehensive outreach program targeted to the tourism and recreation sectors in Puerto Rico. Following a structured canvassing program, Sea Grant will convene for CaRA a stakeholders meeting in early 2007. • The Governor’s office in PR has designated the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and The Environment as lead agency for CaRA activities. The Secretary is coordinating a meeting of CaRA state agency and representatives for October 2006. • Legal counsel (Torres & Garcia) has been retained to assist in drafting CaRA Charter and bylaws.

7. Recent CaRA outreach activities CaRA stakeholders meeting at the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club. The audience was largely composed by researchers, academics and coastal managers. Special CaRA briefing for Commissioner of Tourism and the CEO of the West Indian Company (the USVI Cruise ship ports) CaRA presentation to 2nd Annual Lt. Governor’s G.I.S. Conference Continued briefing of small stakeholder groups

8. Update on present ocean observations – monitoring, measuring and reporting in/for the US Caribbean EEZ

9. NOAA National Data Buoy Center’s (NDBC) buoys serving the region

10. Active NOAA data-transmitting stations in theCarICOOS region CHAV3, St. Thomas NOAA CREWS La Parguera, PR NOAA NDBC Sea Level Stations in the region: SJNP4, LTBV3, CHAV3

11. Tsunamis: By mid 2007, NOAA will have deployed 32 new buoys that would verify if a tsunami were on the way. Three will be located contiguous to the region.

12. Data products: CaRA is developing a formal agreement with officials of the JOBANERR to assists in the dissemination and interpretation of their monitoring products. A data analysis and publishing effort, sponsored by CaRA PI’s, is focused on developing a climatology using available archived data products. Such climatology will provide the basis for detection of environmental anomalies and or disturbances.

13. Data products (cont.): • CaRA is also collaborating with NOAA ICON/CREWS to enhance the coral reef observation program in the region. CaRA PI’s sponsored addition of acoustic Doppler current measurements to the current installation will provide water mass flow balances essential for assessing the effects of CO2 increases on coral calcification.

14. Stakeholders can also be data providers Example: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/rccl/obs/ex-rt-obs.pl

15. Other existing observing programs in/near the CaRA domain • Caribbean Time Series (UPRM) – south of La Parguera, P.R. -- full range of hydrographic variables (serial station) • Grammanik Bank Fish population monitoring site (UVI/BCCR) – south of St. Thomas – temperatures, currents, fish counts, other hydrographic variables. (autonomous for currents and temperature, serial for counts). • National Park Service (periodic surveys aboard the R/V Nancy Foster) • USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources • US Geological Service

16. High-priority needs identified for the Region • currents • wave height and direction • water quality (clarity, chemical and biological quality) • marine coastal weather observations • winds, real time and predictions • intensity/arrival time of African dust

17. Weatherflow™ offers the service of online data coordination such as Sailflow.com™ (below) to advise boaters in real time. The International Seakeepers Society can outfit buoys or private vessels for ocean observations. Possible pilot projects • Virgin Islands Mesonet: • 15-20 stations • Real-time reporting • Archived data http://www.seakeepers.org/ http://www.weatherflow.com

18. Proposed USVI pilot project for CarICOOS utilizes local capabilities to monitor waves and currents for cruise ships. X?

19. The end Thank you CaRA’s Web page: http://cara.uprm.edu