This newsletter details the use of symbols as a visual language. Symbols are useful for depicting unequivocal messages that transcend cultures, languages and times. The use of symbols to contruct conceptual diagrams ('thought drawings') can be an effective tool for science communication and problem solving. Conceptual diagrams help to clarify thinking and provide a communication interface between scientists and non-scientists.

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This poster summarizes the key features of the seagrass communites in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, Panama. Seagrass meadows within this region are strongly influenced by their proximity to coral reefs, mangrove forests and coastal rivers. Reef, mangrove and river inputs influence sediment type and water clarity, two very important factors affecting the occurrence and abundance of seagrass meadows.

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This IAN newsletter explores the assessment of nutrient sources using stable isotope signatures of various marine organisms. This technique was developed in Moreton Bay, Australia for mapping sewage plumes, and was also used to determine the extent of aquaculture effluent (shrimp ponds) and to distinguish agricultural runoff (sugar cane) from other sources. The stable isotope ratio of nitrogen in organisms can be used to determine the influence of different nitrogen sources.

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This newsletter is a summary of the history, mission and accomplishments of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). This summary has been prepared to provide a sense of where we have come from, what we are doing and where we are going. It also serves to identify the collaborative role UMCES plays within the University System and the State of Maryland.

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A module of dynamic parameterization is added into the HSPF watershed software for simulation of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export from forest associated with gypsy moth defoliation. It simulates a changing ecosystem following the breakout of defoliation, such as increasing mineralization and nitrification rates and soil temperature, and decreasing interception of precipitation, plant nitrogen uptake rate and evapotranspiration.

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Coral bleaching events have become more frequent and widespread, largely due to elevated sea surface temperatures. Global climate change could lead to increased variability of sea surface temperatures, through influences on climate systems, e.g. El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Field observations in 1999, following a strong ENSO, revealed that corals bleached in winter after unusually cold weather.

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Multiple Antibiotic Resistance ( MAR) analysis and regression modeling techniques were used to identify surface water areas impacted by fecal pollution from human sources, and to determine the effects of land use on fecal pollution in Murrells Inlet, a small, urbanized, high-salinity estuary located between Myrtle Beach and Georgetown, South Carolina. MAR analysis was performed to identify areas in the estuary that are impacted by human-source fecal pollution.

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This poster presents data from the lagoons along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, a region undergoing appreciable growth. The region is characterized by karst limestone without appreciable surface drainage or rivers. However, there are various submarine springs and fissures that deliver runoff to coastal waters. The tropical seagrass Thalassia testudinum was sampled near the developed regions of Cancun as well as in the Puerto Morelos lagoon to the south.

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This is the eighth in a series of Pew Center reports examining the potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. environment. It details the likely impacts of climate change over the next century on U.S. coastal and marine ecosystems, including estuaries, coral reefs, and the open ocean. Coordinator: Dr Victor Kennedy … • Temperature changes in coastal and marine ecosystems will influence organism metabolism and alter ecological processes such as productivity and species interactions.

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This science newsletter focuses on the role of the Integration and Application Network (IAN) in achieving healthy Chesapeake waterways. This is the first in a series of IAN newsletters on topical issues and is directed towards the scientific and technical audience. This newsletter identifies IAN's vision for Healthy Chesapeake Waterways and includes an overview of environmental problem solving, through transfer of data into information into knowledge and ultimately into problem solving.

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