[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center has created NEMESIS (National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System), an online public database to provide key information about the non-native marine species throughout the nation.

NEMESIS aims to provide comprehensive and synthetic information on hundreds of individual marine species in the continental United States. Created by SERC’s marine invasions lab, the database includes information on how and when invasions occurred, distribution maps and what is known about their impacts. The database also includes an interactive map of the U.S., where visitors can search for invaders impacting their own coastlines.

NEMESIS was designed in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey. NEMESIS focuses on invasions in marine and estuarine waters, while the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database focuses on invasions in freshwater habitats of the U.S. The complementary databases were designed to be compatible, allowing for joint syntheses across marine and freshwater habitats in the U.S.

The NEMESIS database is a long-term and dynamic program that will continue to grow over time, says the Smithsonian. Records are updated regularly as new species are discovered and new research becomes available.

You can find more information on NEMESIS at the NEMESIS home page and the NEMESIS Interactive Invasions Map.

[Image Courtesy: Melissa Frey, Royal BC Museum, Canada/Smithsonian]