NYSG Director Joined other Sea Grant-ers for Korea-U.S. International Workshop
Discussions on marine ecotourism, environmental conservation, and sea level rise
Stony Brook, NY, October 04, 2010 – In late August, New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Director Jim Ammerman took part in a two-day "2010 Korea - U.S. Sea Grant Collaboration International Workshop." The event was held by the Jeju Sea Grant College Program at South Korea's Jeju National University.
Presenting twice during the meeting, Ammerman first discussed the impacts of nitrogen loading on estuaries in the New York Bight based on a regional Sea Grant planning workshop held earlier in the summer. He then switched gears for a talk the next day on the impacts and mitigation of storm surge and sea level rise on the South Shore of Long Island, focusing on the outreach work of NYSG Coastal Processes and Facilities Specialist Jay Tanski.
In other presentations at the workshop, Delaware Sea Grant Associate Director James M. Falk and Maine Sea Grant's Natalie Springuel addressed Sea Grant’s role in promoting and developing ecotourism. South Korea's Gyeonggi Sea Grant Advisory Scientist Jong-Geel Je discussed ecotourism and its connections to coastal wetlands conservation. ”Ecotourism would seem to be an important new area for the Korean Sea Grant programs to develop,” said Ammerman.
Louisiana Sea Grant Director of Marine Extension Rowland G. Thomas explored Sea Grant's function in the development of oil spill planning, mitigation and response. For more on NOAA Sea Grant's response to the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, click here.
Ammerman’s invitation to the take part in the workshop came from Moon-Jin Park, a former Stony Brook University (SBU) graduate student and current Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oceanography at the College of Natural Sciences, Chungnam National University, one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities. Park, who graduated from SBU's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in May 1990 under Professor Dong-Ping Wang, was a speaker at the conference for ChungCheong Sea Grant. His presentation examined the impacts of manmade tidal barriers in western Korea on tides and coastal currents, and the changes these caused in navigation and other features.
Background on Korea Sea Grant
The Korea Sea Grant Program (KSGP) was established in 2000 by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF) as a part of "Ocean Korea 21," Korea's comprehensive plan to improve the management of coastal resources. Like the U.S. Sea Grant College Program, the KSGP promotes the involvement of universities in marine research through granting programs, outreach, and education.
MOMAF has been implementing the KSGP in stages. The initial phase began in 2000 and focused on the institutional organization of KSGP, as well as testing research and development granting programs. Granting programs have two tracks: government-defined themes which address national research and development concerns, and independently-defined themes, which may address more locally driven interests. The second phase (2004-2005) established a Sea Grant consortium— Yeongnam Sea Grant—based at the Korea Maritime University in Busan. The final phase continues through 2010 and includes plans to expand the Sea Grant program to additional schools in other regions of Korea. As part of the third phase, in January 2006, KSGP designated a second college consortium, Honam Sea Grant, in Mokpo, Korea, and in 2007, KSGP designated the third college consortium, Gyeonggi Sea Grant, in Incheon. Other Korea Sea Grant Programs include ChungCheong in Daejeon, Gyeongbuk on the eastern coast, and Jeju on Jeju Island.
NOAA and the National Sea Grant Office have assisted the KSGP with program development, provided on-the-ground training for newly hired Korean Sea Grant extension specialists, and invited KSGP managers and extension specialists to National Sea Grant Week in the United States. There have been several exchanges between the two countries, and there is a representative from Korea's MOMAF at NOAA looking at the U.S. Sea Grant College Program to better identify and address KSGP's needs.
For more on each of the Korea Sea Grant programs, see their respective fact sheets:
- Yeongnam Sea Grant (est. 2005) | PDF
- Honam Sea Grant (est. 2006) | PDF
- Gyeonggi Sea Grant (est. 2007) | PDF
- ChungCheong Sea Grant (est. 2009) | PDF
- Gyeongbuk Sea Grant (est. 2009) | PDF
- Jeju Sea Grant (est. 2009) | PDF
About New York Sea Grant
New York Sea Grant is part of this nationwide network of programs that work with coastal communities. The National Sea Grant College Program engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training, and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources.
