[SEMCO] Freshwater Diversions from Coastal Ecosystems forum

[Tracey Crago]

Mark your calendars!

The Coastal Institute, The Coastal Resources Center, RI Sea Grant, and the
US Agency for International Development are proud to announce a day-long
forum on the "Ecological Consequences of Freshwater Diversions from
Coastal Ecosystems." We have assembled an all-star panel to provide
lectures and discussion of this critical topic.

Date and Place:
Monday, 28 October 2002
Coastal Institute Auditorium
URI Bay Campus

Attendance:
Open to the public.  Please RSVP by 23 October to Wally Fullweiler
(wally@gso.uri.edu). Please feel free to forward this announcement on to
your colleagues.

Objective:
This symposium brings together scientists from throughout the US to
reflect on the impacts of freshwater diversions on coastal ecosystems.

Speakers:

Charlie Vorosmarty, University of New Hampshire
Active in the fields of hydrology, water resources and biogeochemistry for
more than twenty years Dr. Vorosmarty's research focuses on local,
regional and global scales. Interests range from nutrient cycling in
coastal waters to the union of hydrology and atmospheric models in order
to better understand climate change.

Gary Powell, Texas Water Development Board (TWDB)
Director - Hydrological and Environmental Monitoring Division
Dr. Powell's research focuses on the impacts of freshwater diversions on
biota.

Paul Montanga, University of Texas
Professor, Department of Marine Science
Research Scientist, Marine Science Institute
Dr. Montanga's research interests lie in the field of benthic ecology
including population biology, trophic dynamics and ecosystem modeling. His
current research examines the importance of freshwater flow to benthic
organisms.

Karl W. Flessa, University of Arizona
Dr. Flessa' s work focuses on the Colorado River and the Gulf of
California. His talk will include a historical perspective on the Colorado
River and how its diversion has effected the delta and Gulf.

Wim Kimmerer, Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University
Recent work focuses on zooplankton ecology and estuarine ecology with
special emphasis on San Francisco Bay. Presentation may focus on Dr.
Kimmerer's San Francisco Bay experience and the difficulties of
attributing ecological changes with specific forces, i.e. water starvation
vs. climate change.

Peter Doering, South Florida Water Management District
Dr. Doering will describe the issues raised by large discharges from Lake
Okeechobee and the potential impacts of re-engineering this water system
to help restore flows into the Everglades.

Andrew Warner, The Nature Conservancy
Andrew will address the issues raised by the prospect of major reductions
in the freshwater flowing to the Apalachicola Estuary.

For more Information, see www.ci.uri.edu/projects/freshwater