grants from two US-based charity foundations.

BBSR received a $150,000 grant from Philadelphia based Pew Charitable Trusts for a two-year study of marine protected areas and their impact on fisheries.

BBSR Director Anthony Knap said: "Bermuda is fortunate to have a relatively pristine marine environment, particularly when compared to other islands facing pressure on their fisheries.

"And it is one of the most intensively-studied marine environments in the world, with data going back to the visit by the HMS Challenger in the 1870s, which is considered the birth of modern marine science.'' Dr. Knap said the project will add to the world's understanding of Bermuda's environment, while at the same time strengthening Bermuda's role as a scientific resource for other nations.

A second grant, from the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation of New York, will support BBSR in deep ocean research off Bermuda.

Dr. Knap said the $50,000 supplement will help facilitate cutting-edge research that involves the ocean sucking carbon dioxide from the air.

Research has shown where there is not enough iron in the ocean, plants will not grow.

"So what we're looking at is iron fertilisation of the ocean -- not from a commercial point but to see if it works,'' said Dr. Knap.

If iron fertilisation works, plants in the ocean can assist land-based vegetation in ridding the environment of carbon dioxide gases that slowly heat the climate.

A BBSR spokesperson said: "That environment holds some of the clues for understanding global climate change and, again, reflects Bermuda's importance as an important location for marine science.'' The spokesperson added that the grants, "highlighted Bermuda's importance as a critical location for research on coral reefs and the deep ocean.'' BBSR scientist Dr. Nick Bates, who leads BBSR's climate change programme, said: "The ocean is the driver of climate, through phenomena such as El Nino and the North Atlantic Oscillation.

"The Vetlesen grant will enable BBSR to build on the five decades of analysis it has conducted using data collected off Bermuda and it will give us a better handle on natural and human-induced changes in the climate.'' BBSR's Hydrostation S is the world's longest continuous series of oceanographic measurements and serves as a data source for scientists from all over the world, said the BBSR spokesperson.

Dr. Knap added: "I am delighted that these leading funders of US marine science recognise the importance of investing in programmes in Bermuda, both for Bermuda's environment and globally as well.'' AWARDS AWD