322. COASTAL UPWELLING ECOSYSTEMS ANALYSIS: CUEA 



A program to develop simulation models of coastal upwelling 

 ecosystems, CUEA aims to monitor a few key biological, oceanographic, 

 and meteorological variables and predict how the system responds to 

 change. 



Six field experiments have been completed: CUE I and II (Coastal 

 Upwelling Experiments) conducted off the coast of Oregon in 1972 and 



1973, consisted of time series measurements of environmental variables 

 and associated biological processes; MESCAL I and II, conducted in 

 1972 and 1973 off the coast of Baja California, consisted primarily 



of biological studies; and JOINT I and II. JOINT I, conducted in 



1974, was an integrated biological and physical field study off the 

 northwest coast of Africa. JOINT II, conducted off the coast of 

 Peru in 1976-77, especially from March to May (MAM) 1977, was an 

 intensive collaborative ecosystem study of the Peruvian upwellng 

 region. 



Other programs associated with CUEA projects off the coast of 

 Oregon include OARS — Ocean Atmosphere Response Studies and SDP — Shelf 

 Dynamics Program, a continuing program of current meter and sea-level 

 measurements; and SYNAPSE, Synthesis and Publication Segment, which 

 began after the completion of JOINT-II and will be the full CUEA 

 project effort for about 2 years during which data processing and 

 analysis, meetings and workshops, and publication efforts will be 

 conducted for presentation of the data. 



The Inter-Active Real-time Information System (IRIS), a shipboard 

 computing system that acquires data in real time from an instrument 

 array, -constructs an image of the real-time environmental conditions, 

 and represents the data graphically, was developed during CUEA. 



323. SEAGRASS ECOSYSTEM STUDY: SES 



Once referred to as the Seagrass Ecosystem Component Study 

 (SECS), SES was begun in 1974 to provide information about the ben- 

 thic marine ecosystem, particularly the dynamic processes by which 

 sea grass ecosystems are maintained, their distribution, and their 

 contribution to the seas. An International Seagrass Committee is 

 responsible for collaboration of the program. 



324. MARINE ECOSYSTEM STUDY IN TROPICAL AREAS: MESTA 

 Sponsored by Japan for inclusion in IDOE, MESTA began to be 



planned in 1975. 



325. MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE: MAB 



An ecological and interdisciplinary program, MAB was conceived 

 during the 1968 UNESCO Conference on the Rational Use and Conserva- 

 tion of the Resources of the Biosphere and adopted in 1970. MAB 

 includes several panels, one of which is concerned with the ecolog- 

 ical effects of human activities on the value and resources of coastal 

 zones, deltas, estuaries, lakes, marshes, and rivers, MAB is a con- 

 tinuing program, intended to be a follow-up to the International 

 Biological Programme (IBP). It is sponsored by UNESCO, and many other 

 international organizations are active participants; among these are 

 FAO, ICSU/SCOPE, lUCN, WHO, and WMO. 



326. MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN: MAP 



A UNEP-sponsored cooperative program for protecting the marine 

 environment of the Mediterranean Sea, MAP was conceived at the 1972 

 Stockholm Conference and adopted in 1975. Participants include FAO/ 

 GFCM, ICSEM, IOC, and 17 of the 18 states bordering the Mediterranean. 



62 



