FYI

The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News

Number 25: February 22, 2000

NSF FY 2001 Request: Geosciences

The following information and excerpts are from the National
Science Foundation’s FY 2001 submission to Congress for the
Geosciences Activity:

The FY 2001 Geosciences budget would increase $95.20 million, or
19.5%, from $487.80 million to $583.00 million. The Geosciences
Activity has three components:

The Atmospheric Sciences budget would increase $29.20 million, or
17.7%, from $164.81 million to $194.01 million. There are two
programs within this budget. The budget for Atmospheric Sciences
Research Support would increase $22.30 million, or 23.2%, from
$95.96 million to $118.26 million. Highlights in the next fiscal
year include “examination of important biogeochemical cycles
including emphasis on understanding the sources, sinks and
processes which control the atmospheric abundance and
distribution of carbon, water and nutrient elements,”
understanding the atmospheric environment through information
technology research, new environmental modeling “to improve
predictions of fundamental atmospheric and Earth system
processes,” and continued support of ongoing research programs.
The budget for the National Center for Atmospheric Research would
increase $6.90 million, or 10.0%, from $68.85 million to $75.75
million. Support would continue for ongoing programs and for the
refurbishment of the NCAR building.

The Earth Sciences budget would increase $16.86 million, or
16.6%, from $101.66 million to $118.51 million. There are three
programs within this budget. The budget for Earth Sciences
Project Support would increase $12.10 million, or 18.4%, from
$65.91 million to $78.00 million. Priorities in FY 2001 include
multidisciplinary studies of cycles governing the character of
the Earth’s surface, improving the understanding of natural
hazards, “expanding the geophysical observational capabilities of
the Earth Sciences,” and “enhancement of capabilities for
computationally challenging planetary research.” The budget for
Instrumentation and Facilities would increase $4.05 million, or
15.0%, from $26.95 million to $31.00 million. Priorities for FY
2001 include “a systematic enhancement of seismic, geodetic and
other geophysical observational platforms on the North American
continent,” “support for the development of ultra-high pressure
technology enabling laboratory investigations of Earth and other
planetary bodies under extreme conditions” in planetary
interiors, and “support for the IRIS facility in order to enhance
operation and deployment of the Global Seismic Network.” The
budget for Continental Dynamics would increase $0.71 million, or
8.1%, from $8.80 million to $9.51 million. Priorities for FY
2001 include “national and international continental scientific
drilling” for earthquake and volcanic research, “science
activities related to the San Andreas Fault Observatory at
Depth,” and “support for the use of field laboratories focusing
on geological and geophysical processes that shape and alter the
planet’s continental crust.”

The Ocean Sciences budget would increase $49.15 million, or
22.2%, from $221.33 million to $270.48 million. There are three
programs within this budget. The budget for Ocean Sciences
Research Support would increase $28.70 million, or 23.0%, from
$125.00 million to $153.70 million. Nine different priorities
were identified for FY 2001 that include research in areas such
as marine biocomplexity, the earth’s carbon cycle, and life in
extreme environments. The budget for Oceanographic Centers and
Facilities would increase $13.45 million, or 27.3%, from $49.33
million to $62.78 million. Priorities include “continued support
for the academic research fleet,” “enhancement of technical and
shared-use instrumentation support for research projects,”
“continued maintenance and ship-improvement programs,” and
“increased support for quality improvement activities in
operations and technical and services programs.” The budget for
the Ocean Drilling Program would increase $7.00 million, or
14.9%, from $47.00 million to $54.00 million. Priorities
include continued support for research with international
partners, “enhanced support for research projects awarded to sea-
going scientists,” and “continued support for new scientific and
operational developments to extend capabilities for deep
biosphere investigations for ocean biocomplexity studies.” 

###############
Richard M. Jones
Public Information Division
American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org
(301) 209-3095
##END##########