A LONG-TERM INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF THE FLORIDA-KEYS SEASCAPE

The SEAKEYS (Sustained Ecological Research Related to Management of th e Florida Keys Seascape) program is a research framework which encompa sses the large geographic scale and long time scale of natural marine processes and ecosystem variation upon which human impact is superimpo sed. The need for interdisciplinary long-term research in coastal ecos ystems is critical as we anticipate extraordinary resource management obligations and scientific opportunities in the next decade. The core of the program is six instrumented, satellite-linked monitoring statio ns which span the 220 mile-long coral reef tract and Florida Bay and w hich, since 1991, have documented the potential impact of summer heati ng, winter cold fronts, storms, and distant floods. Meso-scale physica l oceanographic studies have documented the net flow of water from Flo rida Bay to Hawk Channel which provides a potential mechanism to link water quality in Florida Bay with the waters of Sanctuary. Water colum n and sediment nutrient studies have shown elevated nutrient levels in nearshore waters decreasing sharply to low levels near the offshore c oral reef tract. There is a potential link of nearshore and offshore v ia a seaward deflection in the near-bottom flow. Regional nutrient dyn amics are complicated by periodic upwelling driven by the Florida Curr ent. A series of long-term photomosaic stations have tracked coral com munity dynamics for more than 5 years and have indicated a loss of ove r 40% in coral cover at some sites. This loss may be linked to declini ng water quality in Florida Bay. As a large marine ecosystem, the new Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and adjoining parks and reserve s must be studied and managed holistically if human use of the region is to be sustained.