The Oil Spill Recovery Institute Past, Present, and Future Directions (2003) / Chapter Skim
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9. Findings and Recommendations
9. Findings and Recommendations
Pages 96-110
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From page 96... ...
STRATEGIC PLANNING Based on its review, the committee believes that OSRI has the potential to become a solid (albeit small) contributor to the quest for understanding of cold-water ecosystems and oil spills.
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From page 97... ...
A strategic planning effort led by the Advisory Board could provide concrete milestones to guide the programs. Within the predictive ecology component, but not including the modeling activities, OSRI has funded a diverse set of projects, including studies and monitoring related to the effects of oil on waterfowl, herring and pollock, intertidal invertebrates on the Copper River Delta, rockfish, river otters, zooplankton/nekton, and other coastal resources.
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From page 98... ...
creation of models to assist with the deployment of equipment and personnel during an oil spill response for maximum effect and mitigation. Activities funded under the OSRI applied technology component include workshops, portions of the Nowcast/Forecast model, Mechanical Oil Recovery in Infested Ice Waters (MORICE)
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From page 99... ...
While the committee is fully aware that there are many needs and unanswered questions related to oil in truly Arctic marine settings, we understand OSRI's decision to focus on Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, and the northern Gulf of Alaska. OSRI is a small program and must make choices about allocation of resources to achieve some critical mass of work that has an impact.
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From page 100... ...
They diminish the program's appeal to qualified outside scientists and cast a shadow over its credibility. Part of dealing with the negative perceptions about OSRI will necessitate dealing with the close relationship between OSRI and the Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC)
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From page 101... ...
The focus is on the overall OSRI portfolio and procedures, and not specific projects, with the exception of a more detailed exploration of the modeling efforts because these are such a large component of the OSRI program. The items vary in their specificity; however, all are intended to help the Advisory Board and OSRI staff strengthen the program as it evolves, especially if it is decided that the program should continue past its currently scheduled sunset in 2006.
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From page 102... ...
Solicitations should be advertised nationally, which will help garner wider responses and increase awareness of OSRI goals and objectives.
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From page 103... ...
Consideration should be given to include distribution to other countries where expertise resides. 103 Finding 4: As of August 2002, the list of OSRI publications includes about 44 items, either published or in press, of various types including journal articles, conference proceedings, abstracts, videos, and assorted maps and guides.
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From page 104... ...
There needs to be more synergism and connectedness between the field studies and the predictive ecology modeling. Recommendation: The predictive ecology portfolio should be continued with improvements in design and in scope as detailed elsewhere in this report.
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From page 105... ...
Many research programs consider monitoring to be within their missions, so coordination with monitoring efforts by other organizations is particularly important. Recommendation: When OSRI supports biological monitoring programs in Prince William Sound, it should cover a broader spectrum of the ecosystem.
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From page 106... ...
Recommendation: The impact of the Applied Technology program could be enhanced by creating additional education and outreach activities, such as short courses, and by desigrung new activities with a technology focus. PROGRAM BALANCE Finding 13: Although creation of the 40/40/20 split among predictive ecology, applied technology, and education/outreach was an appropriate initial attempt to build balance into the overall OSRI program, it is not accomplishing its intended effect.
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From page 107... ...
Recommendation: If OSRI intends to continue with this role for the model system, it will need to be validated and the potential user community will need to be persuaded that it is a worthwhile tool. Finding 16: Considerable OSRI funding has been committed to unplementation of existing modeling technology and knowledge, such as model algorithms that have been incorporated in other modeling systems applied elsewhere as well as in Prince William Sound.
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From page 108... ...
Finding 19: There has been little effort devoted to incorporating biological effects into the modeling or in quantifying recovery aspects of Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Early OSRI studies did evaluate physical-biological coupling, but this work has not been continued.
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From page 109... ...
program, GLOBEC, SALMON and other research programs, especially regarding boundary conditions and coordination with larger scale atmospheric models, and better coordination with NOAA and Alyeska. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH Finding 23: Activities included under the Public Education and Outreach program of OSRI cover a broad range and they are a valuable contribution to the overall OSRI program.
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From page 110... ...
. Recommendation OSRI management, under the direction of the Advisory Board, should frankly discuss the limitations imposed by the 20 percent overhead cap and give explicit approval that certain overhead-type activities can or cannot be conducted under the auspices of Me Education and Outreach program.
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