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The Florida Bay and Adjacent Marine Systems Science Conference is a forum for researchers to exchange technical information, to share that information with resource managers and other interested conference attendees, and to establish collaborative partnerships. The conference provides scientists an opportunity to highlight their research through oral and poster presentations and open discussions. The conference objective is to increase our understanding of the connectivity and ecological dynamics and relationships among south Florida estuarine and coastal ecosystems. These systems include Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay, Whitewater Bay, the waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and other adjacent coastal systems. The conference will consider the influence of watershed management with a focus on restoration. Recent model development, applications and improved definition of restoration targets will be highlighted as well. A particular interest of this year’s conference is the linking of science findings with management decision-making. |
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The Everglades supplies freshwater, nutrients and contaminants to Florida Bay directly through the Taylor Slough/C-111 watershed and indirectly from the Shark River Slough watershed. Hydrodynamics, salinity and water quality in Florida Bay are affected by exchanges with the Southwest Florida Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico across the bay’s western boundary and by exchanges with the Atlantic Ocean through Keys’ passes. In turn, these exchanges also affect hydrodynamics and water quality in Hawk Channel and potentially in waters along the Florida Reef Tract. |
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The Program Management Committee (PMC) is the sponsor of this conference. The PMC’s primary role is to establish direction and priorities for science activities in Florida Bay and ensure close coordination of science activities with adjacent marine systems. The PMC consists of scientific program managers from:
* Current PMC Co-Chairs |
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The PMC invites presentations that refine understanding of critical linkages among south Florida coastal systems, including functional linkages with the Greater Everglades watershed, and build predictive capability regarding ecosystem structure and dynamics.. Presentations will be organized across the following conference themes: Physical Processes, Water Quality (including algal blooms), Benthic Habitats, Higher Trophic Levels, the Mangrove-Estuarine Transition Zone, Restoration Targets, and Applications to Management Decision-Making. This year’s conference will include presentations on Florida Bay, but will have greater emphasis than usual on the adjacent coastal systems.
Benthic Habitats. Seagrass and hard-bottom habitats account for a large portion of estuarine and coastal primary production, provide food and/or shelter to many organisms, and are critical to the ecological function of south Florida coastal ecosystems. These habitats strongly influence water quality and have themselves been affected by freshwater inflow and water quality changes attributable to upstream water management practices. Critical research needs include metabolic and community responses to sediment characteristics, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and light levels, as well as the differential influence of different benthic communities on water quality and higher trophic levels.
Mangrove-Estuarine Transition Zone. The mangrove-estuarine transition zone has many important ecological attributes, many of which have been affected by altered freshwater inflow from upstream water management practices. These sensitive attributes include plant and animal community structure and productivity, nutrient processing and retention, and soil accretion or subsidence. Some of these will likely be affected by restoration activities and respond more quickly than the ecological attributes within the coastal bays and embayments.
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Scientists not wishing to make oral presentations are strongly encouraged to prepare posters and submit an abstract. As with oral presentations, poster presentations provide a valuable opportunity for scientific interaction. Posters will be on display throughout the entire conference and a formal poster session and reception will be held Monday evening. Posters will be limited to a space of 4 feet high x 6 feet wide.
If you wish to make an oral presentation or present a
poster, please submit an abstract no later than
date-to-be-determined. Abstracts MUST be submitted
electronically via the web site. Detailed submission instructions are
provided below. Abstract Submission Deadline: To be determined |
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Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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REGISTRATION FEE SCHEDULE All figures are in US dollars ($).
Fee payments must accompany all registrations by the deadline to qualify for the applicable discount. What Does the Registration Fee Include? Meeting & Student Attendees: The registration fee provides full participation in the conference including registration materials and an abstract book. The fee also includes a Welcome Social on Monday evening, a Poster & Networking Session on Tuesday, and a poolside reception on Wednesday. A group lunch will be provided on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and morning, mid-day and afternoon refreshment breaks will be provided each day. Guest Fee: The guest fee allows guests 12 years of age and older to attend all three evening events. Refund Policy: All refund requests must be received in writing by November 1, 2008. A processing fee of $125.00 will be deducted from all meeting participant refunds and $25.00 from all guest refunds. Special Needs: Participants with special needs can be reasonably accommodated by contacting the Office of Conferences & Institutes at least 21 working days prior to the conference. We can be reached by phone at 1-352-392-5930, by FAX at 1-352-392-9734, or by calling 1-800-955-8771 (TDD). The TDD number can only be accessed from within the State of Florida.
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The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club
Additional Upgrade
Charges: To qualify for the special rate, reservations must be made by November 1, 2008. Be sure to specify you are attending the 2008 Florida Bay and Adjacent Marine Systems Science Conference. After November 1, 2008, guestrooms and the group rate may no longer be available. As this is a discounted group rate, it is not commissionable to travel agents.
Special Instructions: A first night’s room deposit must be made with a credit card to ensure confirmation of your hotel reservation. For any reservations that “no show”, this deposit will be forfeited. Room deposits will be considered non-refundable if canceled within eight (8) days of the group’s arrival date. Check-In Time / Check-Out Time: Please visit the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club web site: www.naplesbeachhotel.com to learn more about some of the hotel's special features including golfing, tennis, complimentary valet parking and much more! Click here for directions to the hotel. (Printable PDF) |
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Travel Information
Area Information
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UF/IFAS Office of Conferences and Institutes This page is designed and maintained by Greg Wilson UF/IFAS/OCI Graphics Editor and Webmaster You are visitor number: |
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The
geographic scope of the conference centers on Florida Bay and the adjacent
mangrove-dominated estuarine transition zone but includes interactions with the
Everglades, the Southwest Florida Shelf and Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Reef
Tract and Biscayne Bay. 
Miami-Dade
Department of Environmental Resources Management
Physical
Processes. The character, dynamics, and connectivity of coastal
ecosystems and their watersheds are strongly dependent upon the movement
of water and other physical processes. To date, research and
monitoring of physical processes has encompassed major physical driving
forces (winds and storms, precipitation, evaporation, surface water
inflow, groundwater, sea level and tides, and boundary currents) and the
hydrodynamic character of Florida Bay (varying salinity and circulation
patterns, and exchanges with adjacent waters). Past conferences had
presentations on physical processes of Florida Bay, but few from
adjacent coastal systems. Although considerable data exist on each of
these processes, more work remains to adequately characterize their
relative importance and variability, particularly in the case of
groundwater inputs and evaporation. The degree to which these processes
need to be better defined will be guided by the needs of the suite of
hydrological and hydrodynamic models used to predict salinity and
circulation patterns in these systems. The sufficiency of the physical
models for watershed and coastal management will have to be assessed in
light of physical performance measures and the data input requirements
of water quality and ecological models. Furthermore, to the degree that
predictions of rapid local sea level rise can be verified, the
relationship between sea level and bay flushing processes will need to
be better understood given the multi-decadal time span of the CERP
implementation.
Water
Quality. Water quality strongly influences ecological
characteristics and dynamics and is related to upstream water management
and human development. The foremost need regarding water quality in
Florida Bay is to accurately predict the sensitivity of the bay’s
nutrient regime and phytoplankton to changes in freshwater flow into the
bay. For much of the bay, any factor that increases phosphorus
availability either by increasing sources or decreasing removal would
likely have substantial effects. The effects of increased nitrogen,
potentially introduced as dissolved organic nitrogen from the
Everglades, are uncertain. For Biscayne Bay, the effect of
redistributing nitrogen- rich canal water into wetlands and nearshore
bay waters as part of restoration efforts is uncertain. Of particular
concern is the effect of these waters on wetland vegetation communities
and nearshore seagrass beds along Biscayne Bay’s western shore.
Alteration of contaminant exposures is also possible with changes in the
sources of water introduced into south Florida coastal systems. The
occurrence of algal blooms in Florida Bay since 2005 has emphasized the
need for a more thorough understanding of the nutrient cycles and other
factors controlling phytoplankton blooms (e.g. benthic grazing). This
knowledge is critical for ecosystem forecasting, evaluating restoration
alternatives, and managing human activities that affect Florida Bay and
the adjacent systems. 
Higher
Trophic Levels. Advances in understanding higher trophic
level responses to restoration require an interdisciplinary approach
with input from all the other science themes. For instance, the basic
question of "how do changes in stressors affecting south Florida
estuarine and coastal systems affect pathways of higher trophic species’
movement within and between adjacent systems" requires information from
physical processes, water quality, benthic habitats and the
mangrove-estuarine transition zone. As many higher trophic level species
initially settle in seagrass, hardbottom and mangrove communities, we
cannot predict the impact of various stressors on their recruitment
without understanding the impact of stressors on juvenile habitat. A
major unknown is how differences in habitat distribution, density, and
especially quality influence these species. Nursery area habitats need
to be delineated and understood so that the potential effect of water
management changes on salinity patterns, nutrient inputs, seagrass
community structure and other conditions in these areas can be
predicted. Linking the higher trophic level theme to the other themes
will require integration (via GIS and statistical and dynamic modeling)
of many system components, including salinity, fresh-water flows,
benthic communities, and habitat structure and appropriate species
distribution and abundance patterns. 
Applications
and Restoration Targets. At this point in time,
researchers are being called upon not only to continue to improve and
enhance understanding of Florida Bay and the coastal systems with which
it is connected, but also to contribute to the adaptive assessment
process adopted by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP).
CERP is committed to a long-term, multi-decadal Monitoring and
Assessment Plan (MAP). The regional component of the MAP that is relevant
to the Florida Bay and Adjacent Marine Systems Science (FBAMS) program
is termed the Southern Estuaries. (
All
scientists working in Florida Bay and adjacent systems are strongly
encouraged to submit abstracts describing their research projects and
results. Presenters are encouraged to include, when possible, links
between research results and environmental management. Special
consideration will be given to work that synthesizes across disciplines.
Abstract submissions will be used to select oral presentations, and ALL
abstracts, both oral and poster, will be published in the conference
book of abstracts to be distributed at the conference and posted on the
conference web site. Because the number of oral presentations will be
limited, some oral presentation requests will be asked to present a
poster.
Reservation Instructions:
The Resort will accept reservations from individual
attendees calling the Resort directly. The reservation
department phone number is 1-800-237-7600.
