On June12, 2006, Roberto Iglesias-Prieto and Francisco Renteria, of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, together with Jules Craynock and Jim Hendee of NOAA, established a site for a new Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON) station near Puerto Morelos, Mexico, at a water depth of 19' (~5.8m) and within the Marine Protected Area (MPA) called Arrecifes de Puerto Morelos. The site is a little over one mile northeast of the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia at Puerto Morelos, near a channel called Bocana Chica, and located at:
20o 52.470' N
86o 51.131' W
It is anticipated that the new site will help support collaborative government and academic research efforts under the auspices of the Targeted Research & Capacity Building for Management program, funded through World Bank/GEF, IOC/UNESCO, University of Queensland, and NOAA. The ICON station will provide all the standard meteorological measurements, as well as sea temperature, ocean salinity, and light (above and below water). The weather measurements and ocean conditions of the coral reef environment around Bocana Chica will be measured by the instruments in near real-time and broadcast via the Web, along with ecological forecasts, such as coral bleaching, of use to researchers and managers of the marine institute and theMPA.
The Targeted Research effort has stipulated four "Centres of Excellence," one of which is in Puerto Morelos, with the others in Australia, the Philippines, and Tanzania. The project concentrates its research in coral bleaching and local ecological effects; coral reef connectivity and large-scale ecological processes; coral disease; remote sensing; remediation and restoration; and modeling and decision support. Plans include ICON stations at all four Centres.
The Puerto Morelos site survey was funded through a Department of State/NOAA Whitewater-to-Bluewater initiative.
Jim Hendee