Puget Sound Marine Environmental Modeling Open House
June 4, 2009 in Seattle
Program Abstracts Compilation
Who We Are
Past and Present
The Puget Sound Marine Environmental Modeling Consortium or PSMEM-C has become a consortium of 11 academic, governmental and private non-profit organizations. We develop predictive modeling capabilities for the circulation and ecosystem of Puget Sound, Washington. PSMEM-C meets monthly to share modeling progress, discuss issues, evaluate modeling approaches, and educate ourselves about the many tools available in our region. Our goals are to:
- Operate and maintain a system of flexibly linked simulation models and a data management system for archiving and exchanging oceanographic data and model results
- Share resources among PSMEM-C members and the regional and oceanographic community for research, education, and policy formulation
- Engage in research activities to develop a fundamental understanding of the workings of Puget Sound
- Address practical questions concerning the management of the Sound and its diverse resources.
PSMEM-C, formerly PSMEM, began as a partnership of five organizations in an estuarine research node within the Ocean Information Commons proposed by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. We now have models under development to diagnose various Puget Sound health problems in different areas that can be used to recommend courses of action. Rather than waiting years to see if a change in pollution control will improve water quality, models can help us understand the effectiveness of various management actions and then prioritize which actions are necessary. Today PSMEM-C has become a vital science arm of the Puget Sound Partnership whose goal as declared by Governor Christine Gregoire is to restore health to Puget Sound.
