Dr. Anthony Knap from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) was in Washington D.C. yesterday participating in the 19th Disasters Roundtable.

The roundtable is designed to bring scientists and policymakers together to deal with natural and technological disasters.

The title of the workshop involving Dr. Knap was "Protecting Lives and Property at our Coastlines: It's More Than Katrina".

The workshop dealt with the increasing disaster vulnerability of coastal residents and visitors.

The roundtable meets three times a year and, at its next meeting, the panel will discuss the environmental impacts of sea-level rise, land subsidence and what sea-level rise means to hurricane intensity, tsunami intensity and inundation.

At that event, Dr. Knap will give a 15 to 20-minute presentation on global ocean cycles and their effect on vulnerable coastal populations.

BIOS is a marine science organisation in St. George's, founded in 1903. Dr. Knap is the Institute's president and director.