Setting a New Course for U.S. Coastal Ocean Science
Phase 1: Inventory of Federal Programs
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Inventory of Federal Programs
The U.S. Coastal Science Research Investment
The total direct Federal research investment in the U.S. coastal ocean
was $228 million in FY 1991, $218 million in FY 1992, and $227 million in
FY 1993.
In this chapter, the Federal budgets directed towards U.S. coastal ocean
science are summarized. First, the overall effort is described in terms of
the total budget directed at the five national concerns, then by environmental
regime, and finally by science category. The research budget is then analyzed
in more detail within each environmental regime. Brief descriptions of selected
Federal programs associated with each environmental regime are also provided.
Data supporting this analysis appear in the Appendix.
The budget inventory is compiled for FY 1991 (actual budget), FY 1992 (enacted
budget), and FY 1993 (enacted budget). Federal budgets which comprise this
inventory have been divided among direct and contributing research funds.
Direct research refers to agency activities where the principal
focus is research in one or more elements of the science framework within
the U.S. coastal ocean. Contributing activities refers to U.S. research
sponsored primarily for use in non-U.S. coastal waters or activities which
provide supporting measurements, observations, or services crucial to the
coastal ocean science framework.
Overall Federal Effort
The total direct Federal research investment in the coastal ocean was $228
million in FY 1991, $218 million in FY 1992, and $227 million in FY 1993 (Figure
4). Contributing research was $116 million, $98 million, and $119 million
for the respective three years. Federal agencies indicated that 45 percent
of the funding was directed at questions related to Environmental Quality,
26 percent to Living Resources questions, 13 percent to Nonliving
Resources issues, 10 percent for concerns in Habitat Conservation,
and 6 percent for Protection of Life and Property issues (Figure
5). National Defense was identified as an independent national
concern late in the inventory process, so its contributions are incorporated
within the other five national concerns. Over the three years, 47 percent
of the Federal investment was directed at the Ocean Margins, 33 percent
at Estuaries, 15 percent at the Great Lakes, and 5 percent at
Shorelines (Figure 5).
During the three-year period, 53 percent of the coastal ocean research funding
was directed at Biological Interactions, 31 percent for Physical
Processes, and 16 percent for Biogeochemical Cycles (Figure
5).
Four agencies expend most of the Federal research dollars directed for the
coastal ocean (Figure 5). The largest contribution
is by the Department of Interior, with an annual budget ranging from $92-102
million during FY 1992-1993, followed by the Department of Commerce with $66-69
million, the National Science Foundation with $26-29 million, and the Environmental
Protection Agency with $20-26 million. The remaining agencies taken together
expend a total of $10-13 million per year.
The distribution categorized by national concern and regime is given in
Figure 6. The distribution of funding
categorized by national concern and science is given in Figure
7.
Analysis of the distribution of funding among environmental regimes requires
careful consideration. Factors that influence the dollar level of effort include:
size of the regime, cost of performing research, cost and types of facilities
and instruments required, and economic importance. As an example, the funding
for ocean margins is ten times that of shorelines. Part of this is due to
the enormous size of the ocean margins compared to shorelines and part is
due to the high expense of conducting research which requires ocean- going
vessels. However, although the shoreline regime covers less area and is more
readily accessible (and hence less expensive to access), it is the region
with the highest concentration of population and hence has a large number
of problems to be investigated.
Ocean Margins
The direct Federal research investment was $110 million in FY 1991, $102
million in FY 1992, and $107 million in FY 1993. For the three years, most
of the science was directed at three of the national concerns: Environmental
Quality ($37-48 million), Nonliving Resources ($24-34 million),
and Living Resources ($21-28 million). Studies of Physical Processes
received from $39 to 52 million during FY 1991-1993, Biological Interactions
from $41 to 46 million, and Biogeochemical Cycles from $16 to 21 million.
The agencies with the largest budgets for work in the ocean margins were Department
of Interior ($40-51 million), Department of Commerce ($32-33 million), and
the National Science Foundation ($14-17 million). The distributions of funding
by agency for national concerns and science topics are shown in Figure 8 and Figure
9 for FY 1992 which was typical of the distribution in each year.
Selected examples of the types of research presently conducted in the ocean
margins include:
Department of Commerce (DOC) examines the effects of human-induced
nutrient overenrichment on coastal productivity and studies fisheries oceanography
issues surrounding the management of selected coastal stocks. The research
aims to reduce uncertainty in fishery management decisions through an improved
understanding of the ecological processes affecting population distribution
and size. DOC also supports undersea investigators to conduct manipulative
experiments on biological productivity and living resources, coastal processes,
pathways and fate of materials in the ocean, and diving safety and physiology.
Additionally, DOC conducts research on the biology of marine mammals.
Department of Energy (DOE) studies the dispersal and fate of energy-related
materials from the ocean environment. DOE conducts regional studies to measure
water mass movements, spatial and temporal concentrations of chemical species
and particles, biological productivity, and biogeochemical fluxes of organic
particles, nutrients, and mineral phases in the water-column and sediments.
Department of Interior (DOI) carries out coastal ocean science research
to: characterize marine and coastal habitats and their use by resident and
migratory species of birds, waterfowl, marine mammals, and threatened and
endangered species; monitor long-term changes in selected habitats; improve
understanding of the geology and dynamic processes controlling the movement
of sediments in coastal waters, and other biogeochemical and biological processes;
improve understanding of the dynamic processes of the ocean and the features
that control the motion of the coastal and oceanic waters on the continental
shelf; and, develop capabilities to measure and assess potential impacts from
development of oil and gas and non-energy minerals on the outer continental
shelf. DOI provides scientific information on natural resource, public safety,
and environmental issues that affect a continuum from the coast to the deep
water seaward limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Information on water
quality of basins that drain directly into the coastal ocean is integrated
to provide extensive data on the water quality of the coastal ocean.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts research on marine
sediments and associated water quality particularly near urban environments
with the focus on impacts of toxins and nutrients which may affect micro flora
and fauna or which may readily enter the food chain.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) supports basic
research in the development of remote-sensing algorithms applicable to the
study of coastal biogeochemical processes, coastal currents, and river plume
dispersal. A major effort is the study of the effect of ultraviolet radiation
and nutrient load on plankton production. NASA also supports development of
synoptic numerical models which include ocean margins.
National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic research involving
the coastal ocean in the biological, chemical, physical, geological, engineering,
and social sciences. Its focus is the fundamental interaction of forces and
processes that constitute and control this highly dynamic environment. NSF
also supports research in polar coastal environments. One significant aspect
of this research relates shelf-ice dynamics to coastal productivity, biogeochemistry,
and circulation patterns.
Estuaries
The Federal investment in estuarine science was approximately $72 million
in FY 1991, $71 million in FY 1992, and $74 million in FY 1993. The science
was primarily directed at the national concerns of Environmental Quality
($36-38 million), Living Resources ($22 million), and Habitat Conservation
($12-13 million). Most research dollars were directed at Biological Interactions
over the three years ($48-51 million), with Biogeochemical Cycles at
$13-14 million, and Physical Processes from $9-11 million. The distributions
of funding by agency for national concerns and science topics are shown in
Figure 10 and Figure 11 for FY 1992, which was
typical of the distribution in each year. The agencies with the largest budgets
for estuarine research were the Department of Interior ($31 million), the
Department of Commerce ($24 million), and the National Science Foundation
($9 million).
Selected examples of present Federal support for estuarine research include:
DOC funds coastal wetland change analyses for the east coast and
the Gulf of Mexico. DOC also supports efforts to define how tidal wetlands
and seagrasses function and support marine life and how best to improve coastal
habitat restoration. DOC efforts in estuarine areas also include monitoring
for contaminants in benthic fish, sediments, and bivalve mollusks; studying
the impacts of contaminants in living marine resources; and development of
improved indicators of toxic stress in living organisms.
DOC has a network of continuously operating water level stations in estuaries.
Several stations have continuous data series which date from the mid- and
late-1800s. This effort provides for the determination and maintenance of
vertical reference datums in estuarine areas. The data is used for surveying
and mapping, dredging and coastal construction, water level regulation, marine
boundary determination, tide prediction, and analysis of long-term water level
variations and trends.
DOI conducts studies of the physical, chemical, and biological processes
that control the movement of water, sediment, and chemical constituents as
they move through estuaries to the ocean; monitors contaminants in fish and
wildlife; and assesses the biology, status, and habitat requirements of anadromous,
migratory, or transboundary fishes.
EPA presently conducts its marine environmental monitoring and assessment
program primarily in estuarine environments to characterize their ecological
well-being and to monitor water quality trends and subsequent ecosystem changes.
NASA funds sensor and algorithm development efforts aimed at understanding
the bio-optical signature of estuarine waters from space.
NSF funds basic research in biological, chemical, and physical oceanography
and marine geology and geophysics in major estuaries where full-salinity or
significantly saline waters occur and vegetation is entirely submerged.
Great Lakes
The Federal direct research funding was $34 million in FY 1991, $34 million
in FY 1992, and $34 million in FY 1993. The science funding was primarily
directed at solving Environmental Quality issues ($19-20 million per
year), Living Resources concerns ($9-10 million), and Protection
of Life and Property issues ($2-4 million). The largest expenditures were
for Biological Interactions with $25-26 million per year, Physical
Processes with $5-6 million, and for Biogeochemical Cycles with
$3 million. Primary agencies doing ocean science research in the Great Lakes
were Department of Interior ($15-16 million per year), Environmental Protection
Agency ($9-10 million), and Department of Commerce ($8 million). The distributions
of funding by agency for national concerns and science topics are shown in
Figure 12 and Figure
13 for FY 1992, which was typical of the distribution in each year.
Selected examples of the type of research currently being conducted in the
Great Lakes are:
DOC is developing a prototype coastal forecasting system for the
Great Lakes. DOC also operates approximately 49 water-level stations on the
Great Lakes and connecting waterways. Data from many of the stations are provided
in near real-time to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and power companies
for use in managing the Great Lakes system for purposes of navigation, hydroelectric
power generation, and flood monitoring. Water level data are used to monitor
and evaluate changes in the vertical reference system on the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes program is operated in close coordination with the Canadian
government through an International Joint Commission.
EPA provides the scientific foundation needed by EPA's regional offices
and other headquarter offices to develop comprehensive management strategies.
The work takes four major directions: 1) development of mass balance and food
web models; 2) development of watershed models; 3) determination of ecosystem
effects of exposure to chemicals and changes in habitat conditions; and 4)
evaluation of the impacts of new invading species on existing ecological relationships.
DOI has long-term goals to describe the status and trends of a large,
representative part of the Nation's surface and ground water resources and
to provide a sound, scientific understanding of the primary factors affecting
these waters and their influence on the water quality of the Great Lakes.
Studies underway also include understanding lakeshore erosional processes,
long-term lake level changes, and the origin and evolution of wetlands. Research
in geographic and spatial data analysis with emphasis on geographic information
system (GIS) applications support the understanding of the Great Lakes system.
DOI conducts research on the status and trends of Great Lakes fish stocks;
monitors contaminants in Great Lakes fishes; and evaluates impacts to the
Great Lakes ecosystem from introductions of nonindigenous species.
Shorelines
Federal direct research was $11 million in FY 1991, $11 million in FY 1992,
and $13 million in FY 1993. Protection of Life and Property concerns
received $6-8 million per year, Living Resources $2-3 million, and
Environmental Quality $2 million. Almost all of the Federal coastal
ocean science investment in shorelines is either in Physical Processes
($8-11 million per year) or Biological Interactions ($2-3 million per
year). The Department of Interior has a budget of $4-6 million per year for
work on shorelines, and the Departments of Defense and Commerce and the National
Science Foundation typically receive funding of $2 million per year each for
this area. The distributions of funding by agency for national concerns and
science topics are shown in Figure
14 and Figure 15 for
FY 1992, which was typical of the distribution in each year.
Selected examples of the type of research presently conducted on shorelines
include:
DOC produces high-resolution, bathymetric maps and digital data products
that are the essential baseline references for exploration and management
of shoreline and offshore ocean ecosystems. Bathymetric data are also needed
for modeling and predicting environmental processes along the shoreline such
as sediment transport, storm surge, and pollutant interactions. Goals of coastal
mapping are to establish control for adjacent seafloor topography; depict
baselines needed in adjudication of boundary disputes; monitor physical changes
in the shoreline caused by human modifications and natural causes such as
severe storms, earthquakes, and coastal subsidence and uplift; and position
landmarks and aids to coastal navigation.
DOD conducts extensive research related to coastal shorelines. These
programs sponsor research on basic coastal processes such as wave generation,
tidal effects, harbor motions, storm surge, sediment transport, beach and
dune erosion, overwash, runup, tidal inlet processes, and barrier island mechanics.
DOD investigates how constructed coastal engineering projects are performing
relative to their design specifications. This program conducts site-specific
measuring programs of such variables as waves, water levels, currents, and
sediment transport. The data often can provide general information useful
to wider areas of the nearby coast or for specific science studies.
DOI conducts research on coastal geology with the overall research
objective of increasing predictive capabilities required to properly manage
and utilize the Nation's coasts. Fundamental studies focus on critical processes
affecting shorelines which can be applied nationally. DOI supports regional
studies addressing erosion and pollution along coastal shorelines. Research
results are used by coastal managers, engineers, and other research scientists
to manage and preserve coastal environments and shorelines.
NASA funds research on coastal ecology with the goal of understanding
the interaction between nearshore circulation and recruitment of animals living
the intertidal zone. NASA also funds research on the automated detection and
classification of shoreline types.
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