9530193 Atkinson For Phase I, the PIs of this proposal will facilitate the development of an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional program focused on ecological and socio-economic human health issues in temperate waters of the Austral Chilean Coast and Inland Sea (ACCIS). The PIs propose to form a research center of physical and biological oceanographers, fisheries scientists, economists, sociologists, and public health researchers from Chilean and North American institutions. These individuals will have the expertise necessary to compare and contrast Chilean and analogous North American coastal systems. The research center will develop predictive capabilities through hydrodynamics and ecosystem models, and the ACCIS Research Center will explore human dimensions of global change by focusing on objectives with socio-economic and human health implications. The development of this program in the ACCIS is essential to gain knowledge of an area of great ecological and economic importance that is under increasing pressure from human activities. The program will facilitate understanding of the ecology of the area, will protect human health and the quality of life, and will ensure sustainable development by appropriate management, use and protection of coastal resources. The following are the areas of study of the proposed research program for a phase II proposal: describe the regional climatology, including atmospheric forcing, oceanic variability, process controlling climate, temporal and spatial scales of variability, and links between semi-enclosed coastal bodies of water and the coastal ocean; describe ecosystem variability, both in space and time; describe the ecosystem problems related to harmful algae blooms and marine biotoxins; describe and understand the influence of human impacts on coastal and inland sea ecosystems; describe and understand the influence of ecosystems and changes in ecosystems on human adaptations and activities; study the epidemiology of human diseases caused by h armful marine phytoplankton; describe and study the interaction between environmental variations and human health; train professionals; and educate the general public. %%% For Phase I the PIs of this proposal will facilitate the development of an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional program focused on ecological and socio-economic human health issues in temperate waters of the Austral Chilean Coast and Inland Sea (ACCIS). The PIs propose to form a research center of physical and biological oceanographers, fisheries scientists, economists, sociologists, and public health researchers from Chilean and North American institutions. These individuals will have the expertise necessary to compare and contrast Chilean and analogous North American coastal systems. The research center will develop predictive capabilities through hydrodynamics and ecosystem models, and the ACCIS Research Center will explore human dimensions of global change by focusing on objectives with socio-economic and human health implications. The results of variation and degradation of natural resources on the economy, social structure, and human health of the Austral Chilean Coast and Inland Sea are evident but have not been well studied. These topics can be investigated by applying the knowledge of comparative systems in North America to the ACCIS. The ACCIS is important for its high biological productivity that supports diverse fisheries. The inclusion of studies on socio-economic and epidemiological topics is relatively new, but essential. The ACCIS is a remote area organized in small communities, many of which correspond to the poorest social segments in Chile. To meet the challenges of understanding the interactions between ecosystem variability and socio-economic-human health impacts in ACCIS, and to met the organizational and scientific goal of the IAI, a diverse group of professionals from Chile and the United States are collaborating in this proposal to prepare a Phase II proposal. These countries are Member S tates of the IAI, an initiative to stimulate cooperative research on global change issues among the scientific institutions of the Americas. The National Science Foundation is the designated U.S. Government agency to carry our the Unites States responsibilities within the IAI. ***
