NCORE National Center for
Caribbean Coral Reef Research University of Miami - Rosenstiel School of Marine
and Atmospheric Science
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149
CARRUS
The CARRUS Program
involves highly interdisciplinary, long-term studies on specific reef
systems in support of the development and testing of scenario-testing models, and
improved basis of reef management. Focal areas include the
coral reefs of the Florida Keys, Belize and the Bahamas. Remote sensing,
modeling and field studies are used to determine the relationships among
geomorphology, hydrography, and ecology.
The broad base of
knowledge from prior research in these areas is being extended backwards
across centuries through the analysis of ancient corals. Studies of the
human dimension include analyses of the economics and quality of life of
reef-dependent people, of anthropogenic impacts on the reefs, and of the
consequences to low-income people of the loss of reef resources due to
degradation or restrictive management. The research in CARRUS centers on
the development of a three-dimensional
Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Dynamic Decision Support System
(DDSS) designed to help policy makers and managers determine the range of
potential consequences of disturbances and management interventions on both coral
reefs and the people whose lives are sustained by them.
NCORE
