development of ecosystem-based fisheries management models depends, to a large extent, on the availability of trophic interaction data. These models could address ecological questions, examine ecosystem trophic structure, and be used in placement analysis for marine protected areas, among other uses. many studies on fish trophic interactions have been conducted in the gulf of mexico over the past 120 yrs, and we are currently compiling data from these studies into a database. here, we report on a collection of 747 references, investigate spatial and taxonomic distributions of the fish species examined, and identify data gaps. metadata lite, a condensed version of customary metadata that answers the who, what, where, when, and why, has been collected on all studies, all references have been geocoded, and habitat characterizations have been standardized using the coastal and marine ecological classification standard for about 60% of the references. Visualization tools and products to assist in the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of the data, including maps, network depictions, and dynamic interactions, are discussed. a survey of trophic data available for fisheries management models for managed species in us gulf waters appear to be adequate for at least 23 of 50 of managed species, while data for at least 14 species remain insufficient for model development assessment.

Pinellas County is a peninsula on the west coast of Florida that receives sea breeze driven convective rainfall during the summer months. To improve forecasting of local mesoscale phenomena, the spatial variability of summer rainfall in Pinellas was examined in relation to dominant wind directions and speeds, atmospheric stability, and atmospheric moisture content for the months of June, July, and August from 2003 to 2007. Radiosonde data from the Ruskin, Florida National Weather Service (NWS) Station, Pinellas County rain gauge data, and radar-estimated rainfall totals from the NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service were used to examine different meteorological parameters and their relationships with the spatial variability of summer precipitation across the peninsula. Dominant daily wind direction categories were divided into six 60 degree increments: 1-60°, 61-120°, 121-160°, 161-240°, 241-300°, and 301-360°. Precipitable water had a significant positive correlation with precipitation in four of the six wind direction categories (61-120°, 121-180°, 181-240°, and 241-300°). Higher wind speeds associated with a southerly wind direction revealed significant positive relationships with precipitation. Composites of radar-derived rainfall estimates indicate that rain fell primarily in the center of the peninsula under a variety of wind directions, often with two daily maxima. Composites also show that the greatest potential for high precipitation amounts comes with westerly winds (241-300°).