9815513 Leaman Funds are provided to facilitate an international research planning workshop for the "Intra-Americas Sea Science Initiative (IASI), the purpose of which is to advance scientific understanding of complex environmental problems in the Intra-Americas Sea (IAS) of the Caribbean Sea (and by extension the Gulf of Mexico). Four principal themes have been developed within IASI: 1) Air-Sea-Land Interactions in the IAS; 2) Larval Recruitment Pathways, Adult Productivity, Biological-Physical Linkages and Their Influences on IAS Fisheries; 3) Interconnections and Sustainability of Coastal Environments and Resources; 4) A Regional Global Observing System for the IAS. The research planning workshop will produce a set of research plans to address scientific problems in these theme areas, and it will bring together representatives from U.S. and foreign research institutions and support agencies to coordinate future efforts in the region.
