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The ERF 2001 Conference
Steering Committee Has Many Partners
U.S. Geological Survey Coastal Center in St. Pete

Kimberley Yates

The U.S. Geological Survey established a coastal research center in 1988 next to the University of South Florida (USF) Marine Science Campus in St. Petersburg, FL. The Center was initially established to extend the presence of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) to the Southeastern US and Gulf Coastal States. Starting with a staff of 3 in 1988, the Center has grown to over 90 research and support personnel in the ensuing decade and a half and now routinely works on issues both national and international in scope.

The Center is leading the way in the Tampa Bay Pilot Project, an effort to integrate science from all the disciplines to focus on the complex, interdependent research issues for estuaries along the Gulf Coast. The Center has been active in the South Florida research initiative since its inception and has a well-established, continuing research effort in corals throughout the Caribbean and in the Pacific U.S. protectorates. Of recent note, scientists at the Center have hypothesized an effect of atmospheric dust and aerosols on coral reef health and have developed a means to measure coral reef respiration in-situ.

The USGS is actively pursuing a research agenda that will strengthen the role of estuarine research within the Federal science agency. Foremost is the incorporation of the Biological Research Division (BRD) into the Survey's traditional mapping, hydrologic, and geologic disciplines. Biologists are actively being recruited to the Center staff and the Center has close working relationships with the USGS Florida Caribbean Science Center in Gainesville, FL and the USGS National Wetland Research Center in Lafayette, LA.

The Center first moved into the Studebaker Building, a historic 20,000 sq. ft structure built in the 1920's, and more than doubled its space in 1996 with the second Gettings Building, preserving the architectural style. The building is located at 600 Fourth Street South next to the USF St. Petersburg campus. ERF 2001 conference attendees are invited to visit the facility.

For more information about the USGS Coastal Center see: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/
For more information about South Florida research see: http://sofia.usgs.gov/