An international team of marine scientists visited Bermuda last week to hammer out a plan for a worldwide strategy for long-term research into coral reefs.

Hosted by the Bermuda Biological Station, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Conference discussed key research areas, reef monitoring and management strategies.

The plan will serve as a blueprint for a global ocean observing system examining on a long-term basis the health of the world's oceans, said Mr. John Pernetta from the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research.

Ultimately, scientists will be able to use the data to predict environmental problems and climatic changes at an early stage.

Fifteen marine experts from the United States, Australia, Barbados, the Philippines and the Netherlands were at the conference to compare techniques and work out a plan of action.

"We have all been concerned with coral reefs for some time,'' Mr. Pernetta said. "The coral reef is a reliable indicator of global climatic changes.'' Results of the Global Ocean Observing System could explain why bleaching has killed corals across the world.

"Coral reefs are widely distributed and sensitive indicators of global change in climate, said Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer, curator of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.

"By monitoring them, we can get a handle on what is happening.'' Mr. Pernetta said the IOC chose Bermuda over Belize for the site of the conference because of its convenient location and good facilities.

"Bermuda was an obvious choice because of the Bermuda Biological Station,'' Mr. Pernetta said. "It has a lengthy record for coral reef research.'' The Biological Station also attracted scientists from the Institute of Marine Research at Kiel University in Germany last week.

Mr. Detlef Schulz-Bull and Mr. Gert Petricis are currently researching ocean pollutants found in the waters around the Island.

Data collected from ocean sites around Bermuda, Europe and the Arctic Ocean will provide insight into the amount of organic pollutants entering the deep ocean from the air, Mr. Schulz-Bull said.

"Fifty percent of contaminants which include DDT pesticides, industrial compounds and toxic chemicals, will enter the North Atlantic at some time,'' he said. "The chemicals then enter the food chain as fish eat contaminated plankton and are then eaten by humans. We want to know how pollutants are transported to the deep ocean,'' he said.

To test the water, vast amounts of sea water are pumped into containers and filtered before they are analysed. Mr. Schulz-Bull explained that the area around Bermuda is particularly important for research purposes because it is near the United States coast. And pollutants from the Gulf of Mexico reach Bermuda by the Gulf Stream.

CARBON CATCHING -- Mr. Detlef Schulz-Bull tests Bermuda's waters for carbons.

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