CORE Letter to Ocean Commission 11-09-01

November 9, 2001

Admiral James D. Watkins, USN (Ret.)
Chairman
Commission on Ocean Policy
c/o Ocean.US Office
2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 1350
Arlington, VA 22201-3667

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The 67 institutions that comprise the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) believe that the work of the President's Commission on Ocean Policy will be crucial to the future quality of life for all Americans. We are pleased that our nation is once again reexamining our ocean and coastal policies with an eye towards what has been done since the Stratton Commission, and more importantly, what needs to be done in the future. CORE believes that the following key issues need to be addressed by the Commission as we chart our nation's ocean future. A more detailed explanation of these issues is provided in Appendix A.

I. Increase funding for basic research in ocean sciences
In recent years, ocean and coastal issues have grown in number and complexity, but our national investment in understanding the oceans has failed to keep pace. CORE recommends that seven percent of the federal basic research budget, or $1.4 billion per year, be invested in ocean sciences.

III. Enhance ocean science education support and human resource development
The nation will only be able to adequately address marine issues if it has a cadre of well-educated ocean scientists. Current demographic trends suggest that with the graying of ocean experts, we may soon lose a large portion of the intellectual horsepower that has generated recent advances in the marine sciences. This force must be replenished. New ocean science education programs and support are needed from Kindergarten through grade 12, and at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

IV. Recapitalize scientific infrastructure and support systems
CORE supports maintaining and increasing our national investment in ocean science facilities and support systems. Highest priority must be given to recapitalization of the University- National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet, especially mid-size research vessels, and to provision of a dedicated supercomputing capacity for ocean sciences.

VI. Improve interagency coordination and integration mechanisms
At present, 14 agencies participate in the National Ocean Research Leadership Council (NORLC). Under existing law, the NORLC responsibility is limited to ocean research and does not include operational oceanography and other ocean activities that are important to the ocean community. CORE supports legislative amendments that would rename and expand the authorities of the NORLC to include such activities.

In closing, CORE would like to offer the Commission on Ocean Policy any assistance we can provide. We would be more than happy to support the Commission's regional meetings and ask that you call upon our member institutions to contribute on both regional and national issues. We look forward to working with members of the Commission and offer you best wishes for success in guiding this nation's ocean future.

Respectfully,

Dr. Carolyn Thoroughgood
Chair
Board of Governors

Appendix A
Detailed explanation of CORE issues keyed to the cover letter paragraph numbers.

I. Increase funding for basic research in ocean sciences
In recent years, ocean and coastal issues have grown in number and complexity, but our national investment in understanding the oceans has failed to keep pace. The academic institutions represented by CORE have made the United States a world leader in oceanography and developed global scientific expertise. However, ocean sciences currently represent less than 4 percent, or about $755 million annually, of federal spending for basic research. This percentage has stagnated for more than a decade and simply is not adequate to expand our knowledge and provide a sound basis for good public policies for our oceans and coasts. Highest priority must be given to increasing funds for federal ocean science activities, including the cross-cutting National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP). CORE recommends that seven percent of the federal basic research budget, or $1.4 billion per year, be invested in ocean sciences.

II. Implement an integrated and sustained coastal and ocean observing system
CORE supports immediate action to implement an integrated and sustained coastal and ocean observing system. Such a system is essential to improve understanding of and address several critical ocean issues including national security and homeland defense. An ocean and coastal observing system would supply information for diverse users ranging from fishermen, boaters, shipping companies and offshore platform operators to weathermen, emergency preparedness officials, the Navy and Coast Guard. Building on the current weather observation program, the new system would correct the existing focus only on well-traveled ocean routes. The observational problem is quite simple; there are large areas of our world's oceans that are never sampled. We cannot understand what we do not know.

In 1999, the National Ocean Research Leadership Council (NORLC) issued, "An Integrated Ocean Observing System: A Strategy for Implementing the First Steps of a U.S. Plan." The report was lauded upon its distribution, but little funding has materialized and the result has been a splintered and fractured approach to ocean observations that is neither integrated nor national in scope. CORE believes that a national system funded through the NORLC member agencies is a priority. We recognize that the new system must incorporate a wide variety of user demands with a limited supply of funding. Thus, CORE supports use of the NOPP process and the newly formed Ocean.US office to provide users with the information they need in the most fiscally efficient manner.

System development will pose numerous challenges. For example, new remote sensing and seafloor observatory technologies such as the Deep Earth Observatories on the Seafloor (DEOS) must be integrated into the system. Ocean exploration initiatives also hold merit and will drive new technology development with application to both research and operational requirements. Looking at the world's oceans from the vantages of space, seafloor and ocean surface is crucial for understanding the physical and biological characteristics of the marine environment. In addition, the federal agencies must work with their academic partners to create a solid plan for managing data and translating it into useful products and services. The plan must establish clear data standards and allow data to be maintained in facilities across the nation, be flexible enough to adapt to technological changes, and provide users with ready access to the information they need.

Finally, the new system must address the relationship between oceans, ecosystems and human heath. To encourage our emerging understanding, CORE recommends that the National Institute of Health (NIH) participate in and support the NOPP program. In 1999, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, "From Monsoons to Microbes" examined the implications of ocean phenomena for human health and, for the first time, considered the role of marine processes that threaten human health. We must continue to seek a better understanding of the root causes of diseases that are borne on or in the ocean, as well as the capacity to find solutions to address and resolve these problems across a range of ecosystems. In particular, ocean biodiversity may well be a treasure trove of new drugs that are waiting to be discovered. The first recommendation in the NAS report was to collect "baseline observations of physical ocean properties." Thus, the implementation of a sustained and integrated ocean and coastal observing system could have direct implications for human health.

III. Enhance ocean science education support and human resource development
The nation will only be able to adequately address marine issues if it has a cadre of well-educated ocean scientists. While other basic science disciplines such as chemistry and physics have application to the ocean sciences, oceanography is an interdisciplinary science and requires an integrated working knowledge of the interplay between physics, biology, and chemistry in a fluid physical environment. Current demographic trends suggest that with the graying of ocean experts in both the federal workforce and academia, we may soon lose a large portion of the intellectual horsepower that has generated recent advances in the marine sciences. CORE also recognizes that the demand for trained ocean scientists and marine technicians is likely to grow. Implementation of a sustained and integrated ocean observing system will require an expanded talent pool in the ocean sciences. This new pool of scientists will have to acquire skills in physical and biological sensor development, acoustics, as well as the traditional ocean science disciplines. It is essential that we have the human resource base to make the system work to its maximum efficiency.

CORE believes that the nation must do a better job of encouraging and training today's students to pursue careers in the marine sciences, including technicians and programmers, or we will face a severe shortage of capable personnel to address critical marine issues at the time we need them most. For this reason, we urge sustained federal support of such programs as the National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB), as well as the Centers of Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) that is to be administered by NSF. In addition, the National Sea Grant Program has worked diligently to promote educational activities in the ocean sciences for well over 30 years and should be recognized and commended for its efforts. However, funding for Sea Grant education efforts simply are not adequate to remedy the demographic problem alone. The nation needs a new focus at the Kindergarten through grade 12 level that provides today's students with clear ideas of the rewards of a marine research career.

Finally, enhanced education efforts are necessary to educate the general public about the importance of the oceans in their everyday lives. Americans are ignorant about the role of the oceans in such areas as weather, climate, transportation, and national security. Further, if exposed to the wonders of the deep, they are better able to grasp the incredible potential the oceans hold for enriching their lives. From new medicines and energy technologies to improved fisheries yields and aqua-tourism, Americans need to realize that a better understanding of our oceans through sound science will lead to better decisions about how to use this communal and precious resource.

IV. Recapitalize scientific infrastructure and support systems
Another CORE priority is to maintain and increase our national investment in ocean science facilities and support systems. Many university and federal laboratories that support ocean and coastal research are aging and in a state of disrepair. CORE suggests that the Commission work with the federal government to conduct an assessment of all ocean science facilities in both the civilian and military sectors, determine where infrastructure needs are greatest and recommend steps to address them. Highest priority must be given to recapitalization of the University- National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet, especially mid-size research vessels. The UNOLS fleet plays a key role in supporting ocean science endeavors and several ships are reaching the end of their useful lives. With new technologies emerging, new ship designs are needed to take full advantage of our evolving scientific capabilities. Maintaining the capabilities of the U.S. ocean research fleet will rely on the commitment of the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In addition, many scientific disciplines have demonstrated that the use of the fastest and most sophisticated computers lead to major advances, and ocean research requires new technologies and techniques to push our knowledge boundaries in the sea. CORE believes that due to advances in information technology, the United States needs a dedicated supercomputing capacity for ocean sciences. Today oceanographers have to request time on supercomputers that are often dedicated to other purposes, slowing climate studies in particular. There is wide agreement within CORE institutions that lack of computational power inhibits our understanding of the oceans. We recommend federal action to encourage the use of dedicated clusters for ocean supercomputing coupled with the new bandwidth provided by implementation of the Internet 2, vBNS (very high performance Backbone Network Service) and DTF (Distributed Terascale Facility). The distributed nature of ocean observations and of oceanographic talent requires distributed parallel supercomputers or clusters, data management of volumes approaching a petabyte, and networks at least 16 times faster than today's fastest research networks. Such an "OceanGrid" would be more powerful and flexible than any single supercomputing system and empower ocean scientists to take observations from the field and incorporate them into research findings in short time periods. It would allow us to provide policy makers with the answers they need to make wiser decisions in an optimally efficient manner.

V. Improve the scientific basis for decisions about the use of marine resources and the protection of marine ecosystems and public health
CORE believes that the best way to enhance effective stewardship of marine resources and ocean and coastal environments is by ensuring that sound scientific information and analysis are readily available to resource managers and affected industries. This is needed to guide the sustainable use of the Nation's rich living, mineral and energy resources; growing demands for agricultural and aquaculture products; and the recreational and commercial use of the coastal zone. It is also essential for conserving the biodiversity and integrity of coastal ecosystems and safeguarding the health of our citizens. The rapid development and application of observing technologies, biotechnology, and computer simulation are providing remarkable new opportunities to substantially improve the accuracy and relevance of environmental information and the utility of forecasts. For example, new methods developed under the Census of Marine Life allow quantitative assessments of marine populations and their past and future conditions. CORE believes that investments are, in particular, needed to integrate complex information across disciplines, make predictions of outcomes of management decisions, and communicate these scientific results in an effective manner. U.S. universities and research institutions have an important role to play in this regard as well as in training the next generation of technical analysts with the diverse skills needed to fill key roles in government agencies and the private sector.

VI. Improve interagency coordination and integration mechanisms
At present, 14 agencies participate in the NORLC. Under existing law, the NORLC responsibility is limited to ocean research and does not include operational oceanography and other ocean activities that are important to the ocean community. CORE supports legislative amendments that would rename and expand the authorities of the NORLC to include such activities. The amended interagency group could be called the National Ocean Leadership Council and provide coordination for broader ocean issues such as ocean observation systems, maritime and navigational support, and homeland security. All of these issues are multi-dimensional and have overlapping federal jurisdiction. Providing the current NORLC with a more comprehensive mandate would raise its visibility and importance among federal partners and increase integration and coordination.

Ocean Commission Resources

CORE Homepage