|
The FY 2002 Budget Request for
the Geosciences Activity is $558.54 million, a decrease of $3.65
million, or 0.6 percent, below the FY 2001 Current Plan of $562.19
million.
|
FY 2000
Actual |
FY 2001
Current Plan |
FY 2002
Request |
Change |
Amount |
Percent |
Atmospheric
Sciences |
164.25 |
188.45 |
186.50 |
-1.95 |
-1.0% |
Earth Sciences |
102.15 |
115.81 |
116.79 |
0.98 |
0.8% |
Ocean Sciences |
221.24 |
257.93 |
255.25 |
-2.68 |
-1.0% |
Total, GEO |
$487.64 |
$562.19 |
$558.54 |
-$3.65 |
-0.6% |
The Geosciences Activity (GEO) supports research,
infrastructure, and education in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean
sciences. GEO is the principal source of federal funding for university-based
basic research in the geosciences, providing over half of the total
support in this area. GEO plays a critical role in addressing the
nation's need to understand, predict and respond to environmental
events and changes and to use Earth's resources wisely. Fundamental
research in the geosciences advances scientific knowledge of Earth's
environment, including resources such as water, energy, minerals,
and biological diversity. GEO-supported activities also advance
our ability to predict natural phenomena of economic and human significance,
such as weather, climate change, earthquakes, fish-stock fluctuations,
and disruptive events in the solar-terrestrial environment.
Three goals guide GEO's activities:
-
Advancement of knowledge about the Earth system,
including both maintaining adequate base support across all
geoscience fields and identifying opportunities where more focused
support can play a catalytic role in advancing scientific progress.
-
Enhancement of the infrastructure for the conduct
of geoscience research. GEO will identify and make investments
in instrumentation and facilities, including ships, aircraft,
computers, radars, seismographs, and data management systems,
needed to do world-class research.
-
Improvement of the quality of geoscience education
and training. GEO will advance education and training for current
geoscientists, increase the diversity of the geoscience community,
facilitate education and training for future generations of
geoscientists, and enhance the general public's knowledge about
the integrated components of the Earth system.
Three recent examples of GEO-supported research underscore
the connection between research and service to society:
-
Volcanoes link the deep earth, the air we breathe
and the water we drink, yet are difficult to monitor because
eruptions occur irregularly. Large numbers of people live within
range of dangerous volcanic phenomena, and these hazards threaten
significant areas of the western United States. Volcanologists
are improving their understanding of these complex phenomena
and their ability to respond to future crises. In some cases,
such as the recently active volcano in Montserrat, this information
has enabled accurate forecasting of explosive events and times
of increased hazard.
-
NSF-supported researchers have demonstrated
a significant connection between the extent of Arctic sea ice
and: (i) sea surface temperature anomalies in the subpolar North
Atlantic one to two years later, and (ii) the position of the
North Atlantic storm track. Among other things, this suggests
that sea-ice extent in the Arctic and the Labrador Sea might
be a determinant of European weather, making it a candidate
for a predictor that can enhance the skill of seasonal to interannual
forecasts of northern and western European climate.
-
During large magnetic storms, the electric fields
and particle populations which typically occur at high latitudes
in the auroral region move equatorward and their effects have
the potential to disrupt transionospheric communication and
navigation signals over the continental United States. The Millstone
Hill incoherent scatter radar near Boston observed such a disturbance
during the magnetic storm of October 15, 1999. The radar detected
the formation of a deep ionospheric trough which moved equatorward
over the radar site near 55 degrees magnetic latitude. Detailed
radar and optical observations of sub-auroral disturbance phenomena
allowed scientists to quantitatively test their understanding
about the relationships between atmospheric phenomena. By connecting
ionospheric phenomena to magnetospheric processes, scientists
will better understand the coupled space weather environment
and will be able to improve forecasts of magnetic storms and
the resulting effects on technological systems.
GEO actively participates in and contributes to the
Foundation's four priority areas: Biocomplexity in the Environment,
Information Technology Research, Nanoscale Science and Engineering,
and Learning for the 21st Century.
Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE): In
FY 2002, GEO will provide $23.0 million to support the NSF-wide
BE competition and a set of coordinated activities in environmental
science, engineering and education that advance scientific knowledge
about the connection between the living and non-living Earth system.
These funds will enable the initiation and enhancement of four interdisciplinary
activities:
-
Planetary Ecology focuses on understanding
the Earth's marine and terrestrial ecosystems and their evolution,
and the interaction of the biosphere with earth system processes.
GEO will support research focused on microbial habitats in the
terrestrial and submarine deep subsurface to study processes
including: biologically controlled mineralization, the production
of gas hydrates, microbiological controls on seawater chemistry
and productivity, and soil and rhizosphere processes.
-
Planetary Metabolism aims to understand
the links and feedbacks among the Earth's physical, chemical,
geological, and biological, as well as social, systems, how
they have evolved, and how they affect the planet's biosphere
and geosphere.
-
Planetary Energetics and Dynamics attempts
to understand the links between physical and biochemical processes
by focusing on energy exchange. This includes an effort to understand,
mitigate and predict natural hazards - for example, hurricane
genesis and storm track, earthquake nucleation, and energetic
processes in the upper atmosphere.
-
Earth Observatories will make sustained
time-series observations to understand the temporal evolution
of environmental systems that are central to the study of biocomplexity
in the environment.
Information Technology Research (ITR): In
FY 2002, GEO will provide $10.90 million to support information-based
activities that focus on:
-
Development of comprehensive coupled models
that include ensemble forecasting, nesting and/or data assimilation
techniques to understand the complex interactions taking place
in the Earth system.
-
Development of tools for knowledge discovery,
visualization and interpretation of large-scale heterogeneous
data sets.
-
Development of the infrastructure to find, access,
retrieve, and integrate geospatial data from distributed, heterogeneous
sources in a way that makes them useful for scientific research.
-
Extension of local networking and computing
capabilities in support of large-scale modeling and database
activities in the geosciences.
Nanoscale Science and Engineering: In FY 2002,
GEO will support Nanoscale Science and Engineering at a level of
$6.80 million for activities that focus on:
-
The development and application of chemical
and biological sensor technology for making rapid, high-precision
observations at submicroscopic spatial and volumetric scales.
-
Support for crosscutting studies aimed at understanding
the distributions and behavior of nanoscale structures throughout
the earth, atmosphere, and oceans.
-
The development of heavily instrumented interdisciplinary
Earth System Observatories that facilitate our understanding
of nanoscale geoscience processes, including platforms to detect
and characterize nanoscale particles and their interactions
throughout the atmosphere and oceans.
Learning for the 21st Century: In FY 2002,
GEO will support a range of programs that encourage innovative approaches
to meeting the challenge of educating students for the 21st century.
A total of $2.45 million will support the Interagency Education
Research Initiative, the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
program, and an effort to expand the Digital Library for Earth System
Education.
STRATEGIC GOALS
GEO's support for ongoing and new activities contributes
to NSF efforts to achieve its strategic goals, as well as to the
administration and management activities necessary to achieve those
goals.
|
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Percent
Change |
People |
17.26 |
19.40 |
12.4% |
Ideas |
327.23 |
318.89 |
-2.5% |
Tools |
214.73 |
217.28 |
1.2% |
Administration & Management1
|
2.97 |
2.97 |
0.0% |
Total, GEO |
$562.19 |
$558.54 |
-0.6% |
People
People are NSF's most important product. At NSF,
placing research and learning hand in hand is our highest priority,
and the people involved in our projects represent both the focus
of our investments and the most important products of them. Across
its programs, GEO provides support for approximately 10,000 people,
including teachers, students, researchers, post-doctorates, and
trainees. Support for programs specifically addressing NSF's Strategic
Goal of "People - developing a diverse, internationally competitive
and globally-engaged workforce of scientists, engineers and well-prepared
citizens" totals more than $19 million in FY 2002, an increase
of 12.4 percent over FY 2001. Moreover, about 37 percent of the
funding for research grants - an amount approaching $118 million
in FY 2002- provides support for researchers and students, including
about 3,650 post-doctorates, graduate and undergraduate students.
This emphasis on developing a diverse, internationally competitive
workforce helps to prepare the next generation of scientists for
a future in which the borders between scientific disciplines are
increasingly blurred, and dependent on technology and on the sharing
and analyzing of information. In addition, an emphasis on education
and training aids in the development of a scientifically and technologically
literate populace.
|
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Percent
Change |
K-12 |
0.80 |
0.80 |
0.0% |
Undergraduate |
5.31 |
5.31 |
0.0% |
Graduate & Professional |
8.15 |
10.29 |
26.3% |
Other |
3.00 |
3.00 |
0.0% |
Total, GEO |
$17.26 |
$19.40 |
12.4% |
FY 2002 highlights include:
-
$2.07 million directed to support the Integrative
Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program, which
reflects an emphasis on multidisciplinary training in all areas
of NSF-supported research.
-
$2.81 million to support the Foundation-wide
ADVANCE program to increase the representation and advancement
of women in academic science and engineering careers.
-
$3.0 million to support the Opportunities to
Enhance Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) program, to increase
the participation in geoscience education and research by students
from groups historically underrepresented in the geosciences.
A secondary goal of the program is to strengthen the understanding
of the geosciences and their contribution to modern society
by a broad and diverse segment of the population.
Examples of GEO efforts to integrate research and
education throughout its activities include:
-
In coordination with the University Corporation
for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR), GEO is sponsoring an educational
program that brings ethnically diverse students into careers
in the atmospheric and related sciences. Scientific Opportunities
in Atmospheric and Related Sciences (SOARS) students are recruited
at the end of their sophomore year from universities and colleges
with large enrollments of ethnic minorities. SOARS provides
ten-week summer programs at UCAR and NCAR, or other institutions,
where students work with scientific mentors on real-world scientific
projects. During their participation in SOARS, students maintain
a close connection with UCAR and NCAR mentors and research programs
as they complete undergraduate degrees, earn a master's degree
while on full scholarship, and then enter either a doctoral
program or the professional work force.
Ideas
Support for ideas spans the geosciences and encompasses
a wide range of topics. Projects in Atmospheric Sciences improve
the understanding and prediction of climate, weather, space weather,
and the global environmental system. Earth Science research advances
knowledge of the structure, composition, and history of the solid
Earth and of the geological and hydrological processes that modify
Earth. Projects in Ocean Sciences improve knowledge of the global
climate system, coastal environments, the character of the ocean
floor, processes that control the chemical composition and motion
of ocean waters, and biological production.
GEO will emphasize research on the key physical,
chemical and geologic cycles within the Earth system, the characteristics
and dynamics of which are of paramount importance to science and
society. These activities will be complementary to, and well coordinated
with, the biologically oriented studies of Earth cycles that will
be carried out within the context of the Foundation-wide Biocomplexity
in the Environment priority area. Increased emphasis on fundamental
research on the Earth's cycles is required to achieve the broader
goal of obtaining an integrated understanding of the Earth system.
Planetary Metabolism ($75.0 million) - research
aimed at understanding the links and feedbacks among the Earth's
physical, chemical, geological, biological, and social systems,
how they have evolved, and how they affect the biocomplexity of
the planet.
Primary challenges facing researchers in the study
of planetary metabolism include:
-
determining how the biogeochemical cycles of
carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur are coupled;
-
quantifying what energy transformations control
the biosphere and climate systems;
-
understanding how biological and social processes
and the evolution of life regulate the Earth system and its
climate states;
-
determining what the short-term and long-term
history of planetary metabolic changes has been; and
-
developing sufficiently sophisticated models
to explain historic and predict future changes in planetary
metabolism.
Planetary Energetics and Dynamics ($120.0 million)
- research that attempts to understand the links between physical
and chemical processes by focusing on the exchange of energy within
and among the components of the Sun-Earth system. This includes
research to understand, mitigate, and predict natural hazards and
studies of tectonic and mass-energy flux at the continent-ocean
interface. This fundamental research provides the foundation for
understanding natural hazards that have direct socio-economic impacts.
Primary challenges for expanding knowledge of planetary
energetics and dynamics include:
-
understanding the dynamic evolution of the deep
Earth and the interactions between the planetary interior and
exterior by using high-resolution seismic observations;
-
understanding the dynamics of climate and paleoclimate,
combining knowledge of radiatively active atmospheric gases
with an understanding of the climatic impact of ocean processes,
the role of clouds and aerosols, and the importance of natural
and human-influenced biogeochemical cycles;
-
understanding how hydrologic processes interact
with weather and climate to alter landscapes and shape aquifers;
-
understanding and charting the flows of mass,
energy and momentum from the Sun into the magnetosphere and
upper atmosphere and determining and predicting the response
of the near-Earth space environment as a system to such flows;
-
determining the energetic and dynamic consequences
of the interplay among the various scales of motion in the Earth
system, from turbulence through mesoscale systems to global
circulation of, for example, air, water, magma, and trace constituents;
-
obtaining extensive observations of the composition,
dynamics, and energetics at the interfaces of the various Earth
systems; and
-
developing comprehensive models that can provide
quantitative understanding and prediction of Earth system processes.
Planetary Structure ($82.0 million) - research
on the spatial and temporal variations of the structure and composition
of all Earth system components, from the inner core to the upper
atmosphere, through improvements in observational, theoretical and
modeling capability.
Primary challenges to expanding knowledge of planetary
structure include:
-
understanding the details of the complex interactions
between atmospheric and ocean dynamics and thermodynamics over
the full range of spatial and temporal scales;
-
determining the role of clouds, aerosols, and
biogeochemical feedbacks in the radiative balance of the atmosphere
and climate;
-
understanding and predicting the response of
the near-Earth space environment to solar storms and geomagnetic
disturbances;
-
understanding and quantifying the ocean's role
in transporting, storing, and exchanging heat, freshwater, mass,
and chemical constituents;
-
understanding the processes that control the
state and variability of the coastal oceans;
-
determining the nature and variability of the
global hydrological cycle; and
-
understanding the structural relationships between
the mantle, the overlying crust and lithosphere, and the underlying
core.
Planetary Ecology ($40.0 million) - studies
to understand the Earth's marine and terrestrial ecosystems and
their evolution, interactions of the biosphere with Earth system
processes, and understanding the role of microorganisms in the Earth's
crust.
Primary challenges to expanding knowledge of planetary
ecology include:
-
understanding how land surface biophysical processes
interact with regional climate and modify patterns of climate
and associated hydrologic variability;
-
incorporating the land surface state into predictions
of weather, seasonal to interannual climate, and hydrologic
processes;
-
analyzing how the large-scale atmosphere-ecosystem
exchange of water and energy might change in a world with higher
levels of carbon dioxide;
-
understanding how the role of marine ecosystems
will change with future changes to ocean circulation, temperature,
and nutrient/toxic inputs;
-
determining the interactions of changing land
use, climate, nutrient and toxic inputs, and hydrology on ecosystems
and their ability to support human activities and sustain biodiversity;
-
understanding what effect the functional diversity
of species has on ecosystem function within biomes and at the
global level; and
-
establishing whether potential changes to global
biodiversity and climate could affect global net primary production,
trace gas exchange, and other critical aspects of ecosystem
function.
GEO-supported centers include Science and Technology
Centers (STCs-) and Long Term Ecological Research sites (LTERs).
|
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Percent
Change |
Science and Technology Centers1
|
7.29 |
3.21 |
-56.0% |
Long Term Ecological Research
Sites |
1.70 |
1.70 |
0.0% |
Total, GEO |
$8.99 |
$4.91 |
-45.4% |
In FY 2002, GEO will support the Science and Technology
Center on the Sustainability of Semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian
Areas. The Center's scientific foci are 1) spatial and temporal
properties of hydrologic variables; 2) processes controlling water
and chemical balances in catchments; 3) functioning of riparian
systems; and 4) integrated modeling of catchment-scale processes.
Promoting researcher-user partnerships across the breadth of water
resources management through technology transfer will be an integral
part of the day-to-day operation of the Center. Educational initiatives
contribute to sustainability by bringing water resources issues
to the forefront of K-16 science education and by promoting hydrologic
literacy among the public. The Center is educating a new generation
of water resources professionals in the interdisciplinary perspective
and technological skills required for practicing sustainable water
resources management.
Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites support
projects requiring long periods of study; the sustained nature of
studies allows scientifically sound evaluations of major environmental
phenomena. The LTERs represent many disciplines that enhance our
understanding of general ecological phenomena that occur over long
temporal and broad spatial scales, provide information for the identification
and solution of environmental problems, and enable interdisciplinary
collaborative activities.
Tools
The GEO Activity supports user facilities necessary
for the conduct of research in the geosciences. These include large
national user facilities such as the National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR) and the U.S. academic fleet, and smaller facilities
in atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences. NSF support provides
for ongoing operations and maintenance, including upgrades to existing
facilities as well as regularly scheduled repairs.
|
FY 2001 Estimate |
FY 2002 Estimate |
Percent Change |
National Center for Atmospheric
Research |
71.38 |
70.63 |
-1.1% |
Ocean Drilling Program Operations |
30.50 |
31.00 |
1.6% |
Academic Research Fleet/Ship Operations |
57.20 |
59.90 |
4.7% |
Incorporated Research Institutions
for Seismology |
12.60 |
12.80 |
1.6% |
Digital Libraries |
1.20 |
1.20 |
0.0% |
Research Resources |
20.75 |
20.75 |
0.0% |
Other GEO Facilities1
|
21.10 |
21.00 |
-0.5% |
Total, GEO |
$214.73 |
$217.28 |
1.2% |
FY 2002 plans include:
-
$70.63 million for the operation and maintenance
of observational and computer facilities at NCAR. NCAR is a
world renowned center for atmospheric research that makes facilities
available - including supercomputers, instrumented research
aircraft and ground-based portable observing systems - to scientists
at universities, NCAR, and elsewhere. In FY 2002 NCAR will focus
on: research on Earth's natural cycles, including climate system
modeling and the operation of the computation facilities for
the Climate Simulation Laboratory; projects within the U.S.
Weather Research Program (USWRP) and the National Space Weather
Program (NSWP), which aim to achieve a better understanding
and improved predictive capability of costly and disruptive
storms on Earth and in space; and continued development of observational
and computational capabilities.
-
$31.0 million to support infrastructure associated
with the Ocean Drilling Program including operation of the JOIDES
Resolution. Studies to be undertaken in FY 2002 include
continuing the development of sites for expansion of the global
seismic network for deep earth structure studies, examining
the hydrological cycle and associated geochemical cycling in
continental margin sediments, initiating a dedicated effort
in understanding diversity and ecology of the deep biosphere
in marine sediments, and contributing to carbon cycle studies
through examining the formation of gas hydrates off western
North America.
-
$59.90 million for the continued operation of
the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. Approximately 325 projects
with about 2,500 scientists and students will use the fleet's
28 ships. The projects range from individual investigator studies
of coastal waters to integrated multi-investigator studies of
global ocean processes. NSF-funded researchers are the primary
users of the ships, accounting for about 75 percent of their
total use. NSF ship operation funds support the costs associated
with the use of the fleet by these researchers.
-
$12.80 million to continue support for the Incorporated
Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). IRIS facilities
provide rapid analysis of earthquakes, aid in monitoring nuclear
proliferation, and permit imaging of the internal physical structure
of Earth.
-
Other Geosciences Facilities support will total
$21.0 million, and includes facilities to support the use of
the Global Positioning System for scientific research, multi-user
analytical facilities such as accelerator-based mass spectrometers
and synchrotron beamlines, and operation, upgrade and development
of radar facilities to study precipitation and upper atmospheric
phenomena.
Administration and Management
Administration and Management provides for administrative
activities necessary to enable NSF to achieve its strategic goals.
This includes the cost of Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointments
and contractors performing administrative functions.
Number of People Involved in GEO Activities
|
FY 2000
Actual |
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Senior Researchers |
3,459 |
4,000 |
3,800 |
Other Professionals |
2,039 |
2,300 |
2,200 |
Postdoctorates |
479 |
600 |
600 |
Graduate Students |
1,585 |
1,800 |
1,700 |
Undergraduate Students |
1,255 |
1,350 |
1,350 |
Total Number of People |
8,817 |
10,050 |
9,650 |
GEO Funding Profile
|
FY 2000
Actual |
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Number of Requests for Funding |
5,230 |
5,600 |
5,700 |
Dollars Requested (in thousands) |
$1,628,931 |
$1,870,000 |
$1,910,000 |
Total Number of Awards |
2,766 |
3,000 |
3,000 |
Statistics for Competitive Awards: |
|
|
|
Number |
1,358 |
1,400 |
1,400 |
Funding Rate
|
39% |
35% |
34% |
Median Annualized
Award Size1 |
$74,312 |
$80,000 |
$80,000 |
Average Annualized
Award Size1 |
$96,597 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
Average Award
Duration, in years1 |
2.7 |
3.0 |
3.0 |
|