Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

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Ocean research is a complex and multidisciplinary enterprise. Coordination of such research, to achieve maximum benefit for science and society while minimizing duplication of effort, benefits from broad-based, integrated planning. The committee congratulates the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) for undertaking, for the first time, a comprehensive planning activity that involved the very diverse ocean community and the many federal agencies that support ocean-related research in the United States. The committee believes that this work has opened the door to an exciting, ambitious, and critically important research effort that is vital for the nation’s future. The plan recognizes that synergies between and within agencies can enhance the outcomes and impacts of ocean science for the benefit of science and society. The task was challenging and difficult, but the final plan articulates a vision for ocean research that will be of great benefit to the ocean sciences community and the nation.

David Halpern (U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy), Margaret Leinen (National Science Foundation), and Richard Spinrad (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the initial co-chairs of the JSOST, approached the National Research Council’s Division on Earth and Life Studies in August 2005 to assist with this research planning effort by reviewing the Ocean Research Priorities Plan in both the draft and the final forms.

This document consists of two parts: the committee’s review of the draft plan (Part I) and the committee’s review of the final plan (Part II). In Part I, the committee evaluated the draft Ocean Research Priorities Plan for its responsiveness to the nation’s needs for ocean research and presented its own recommendations for improving the plan. Part I of this report was released to the public on November 30, 2006.

The JSOST issued the revised, final Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy on January 26, 2007. For the review of the

final plan, the JSOST co-chairs, Julie Morris (National Science Foundation), Richard Spinrad (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and Daniel Walker (U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy), asked the committee to comment on how the plan evolved in response to input from the ocean community, to suggest mechanisms for ensuring community-wide planning and implementation, and to recommend processes to assess progress on, and re-evaluation of, research priorities. Part II presents the committee’s findings and recommendations on these topics.

The committee held three meetings and four conference calls during the preparation of Part I. The committee’s first meeting was held in April 2006 in conjunction with the Denver workshop organized by the JSOST to provide community input into the development of the draft research plan. At this workshop, committee members observed the various breakout sessions that discussed the themes and cross-cut areas outlined in the planning document. At subsequent committee meetings, the committee discussed the draft research plan, wrote Part I of the report, discussed the partial draft plan made available on July 28, 2006, and reviewed the complete draft plan that included the near-term priorities released on August 30, 2006.

For Part II, the review of the final Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy, Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade, the committee held one meeting and convened one conference call.

The committee and its co-chairs are especially appreciative of the significant support that was forthcoming from the staff of the Ocean Studies Board. Their assistance facilitated the work of the committee and contributed to the formation of an enjoyable and productive working environment. In particular we thank study director Dr. Susan Roberts for her leadership and insight. We also recognize and thank program officer Dr. Susan Park for her assistance throughout the study and program officer Dr. Frank Hall who was involved with the early work of the committee. Ms. Toni Mizerek and Mr. Jeff Watters were a great help during their tenure with the National Research Council as graduate fellows for the Ocean Studies Board. We are also grateful to Ms. Sarah Capote and Ms. Nancy Caputo for their superb skills in organizing the committee meetings and conference calls. The committee feels that the positive, accomplishment-oriented attitudes of each of these individuals enhanced the final outcome of the study.

Robert Duce and Nancy Targett, Committee Co-Chairs

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of Part I of this report:

LEE G. ANDERSON, University of Delaware, Newark

KATHERINE ANDREWS, Coastal States Organization, Washington, D.C.

ROBERT G. BEA, University of California, Berkeley

PAULA COBLE, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

RUSS E. DAVIS, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

EARL H. DOYLE, Shell Oil (retired), Sugar Land, Texas

PAUL G. GAFFNEY, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey

EDWARD D. HOUDE, University of Maryland, Solomons

EDWARD LAWS, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

MOLLY MCCAMMON, Alaska Ocean Observing System, Anchorage

PETER J. MCCARTHY, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Florida

MARCIA K. MCNUTT, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California

ANTHONY F. MICHAELS, University of Southern California, Los Angeles

R. KEITH MICHEL, Herbert Engineering Corporation, Alameda, California

We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of Part II of this report:

KATHERINE ANDREWS, Coastal States Organization, Washington, D.C.

EARL H. DOYLE, Shell Oil (retired), Sugar Land, Texas

EDWARD D. HOUDE, University of Maryland, Solomons

DEWITT JOHN, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine

SALLY MCGEE, Environmental Defense, Mystic, Connecticut

ANDREW A. ROSENBERG, University of New Hampshire, Durham

RAYMOND W. SCHMITT, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release.

The review of Part I of this report was overseen by Kenneth H. Brink, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, and Alexander H. Flax, consultant, Columbia, Maryland. The review of Part II of this report was overseen by Garry D. Brewer, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, and Alexander H. Flax, consultant, Columbia, Maryland. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.