Thursday, March 06, 2003

WILMINGTON, NC – The University of North Carolina at Wilmington will receive $1.2 million in federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to continue its Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program. The appropriation, greatly assisted by the efforts of U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), is part of the recently enacted Omnibus appropriations for fiscal year 2003.

“This assistance will allow UNCW’s program to expand to parts of our coast not now being studied and to provide real-time monitoring critical to our state,” said Sen. Edwards. “Only by the diligent long-term monitoring of our coasts can we assure public safety and a healthy coastal environment.”

UNCW’s Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program, which began in 1999, is responsible for the measurement and study of the physical, biological, chemical, geological and meteorological properties of the North and South Carolina coasts. There are some 14 UNCW marine scientists along with three from NC State University and two from The University of South Carolina who actively work with this program housed at UNCW’s Center for Marine Science.

“This program was one of the first, and we anticipate it being part of a national coastal observing system recently proposed by the federal government,” said Dr. Marvin Moss, chief scientist of the UNCW program.

Coastal ocean ecosystems within the southeast are under unprecedented stresses, said Moss.

“By 2020, an estimated 75 percent of the world’s population will live within 125 miles of a coastal ocean. This crush of human population and the associated development will increase demands on the environment particularly along the southeastern coast. This area has already suffered an extensive loss of fisheries, wetlands and reefs.”

Moss said the program’s continued efforts would benefit the public by monitoring coastal waters for pollution and other factors that may affect the general health of the coastal regions including fisheries. In addition, he said the program also studies water quality and beach conditions.

“Because the North Carolina coastal region is one of the most highly perturbed areas in the world, it is subject to severe weather such as hurricanes and extra-tropical cyclones,” said Moss. “Continuous monitoring of local marine weather conditions will give better warnings to coastal residents, thereby increasing safety and reducing damage to homes and businesses.”

The Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program is a partnership among UNC Wilmington, USC and NC State University. It is housed at UNCW’s Center for Marine Science, a $17.5 million, state-of-the-art research facility located near the Intracoastal Waterway at Myrtle Grove Sound. UNCW is committed to becoming the best undergraduate teaching university in the South. Through an internationally recognized undergraduate marine biology program and its Center for Marine Science, UNCW is at the forefront of research to learn how the world's oceans affect human health and quality of life.



###



For more information on UNCW’s Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program, contact Dr. Moss at 910/962-2465.