FYI #54 - FY 1997 NSF Request: Geosciences (fwd)

From
Date
Here's and interesting item for those of you (like myself) who wonder from
time to time where all that NSF money is going.

Norm MacLeod

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>The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
>Number 54: March 29, 1996
>
>FY 1997 NSF Request: Geosciences
>
>Below is a summary of the FY 1997 NSF budget request for the
>Geosciences activity, which falls under NSF's Research and Related
>Activities appropriation.  According to the request:  "The FY 1997
>Budget Request for the Geosciences Activity (GEO) is $454.0
>million, an increase of $36.0 million, or 8.6 percent, over the FY
>1996 Estimate of $418.0 million."
>
>The Geosciences Activity contains three components: Atmospheric
>Sciences, Earth Sciences, and Ocean Sciences.  Details of the
>request for each subactivity follow, with quotes taken from the
>budget request document:
>
>ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES:  "The FY 1997 Budget Request for the
>Atmospheric Sciences Subactivity (ATM) is $153.23 million, an
>increase of $11.20 million, or 7.9 percent, over the FY 1996
>Estimate of $142.03 million."  Research in this subactivity
>"furthers the understanding of weather, climate, and the
>solar-terrestrial system by expanding the fundamental knowledge of
>the composition and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere and geospace
>environment."
>
>The FY 1997 Budget Request includes "$92.06 million for Atmospheric
>Sciences Research Support which provides funding for individual and
>group research projects in physical meteorology, large-scale
>dynamic meteorology, experimental meteorology, climate dynamics,
>atmospheric chemistry, aeronomy, magnetospheric physics and
>solar-terrestrial relations."  An $8.20 million increase will
>enable "enhanced support of the interagency U.S. Weather Research
>Program (USWRP) and the National Space Weather Program (NSWP),
>continued support of disciplinary research and international field
>programs in the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), and
>participation in an NSF-wide instrumentation program."  The
>National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) would receive
>$61.17 million, which includes "an increase of $3.0 million [to]
>allow NCAR scientists and facilities to participate in the USWRP,
>NSWP and USGCRP activities, as well as to conduct other
>disciplinary research."
>
>EARTH SCIENCES:  "The FY 1997 Budget Request for the Earth Sciences
>Subactivity (EAR) is $95.90 million, an increase of $10.50 million,
>or 12.3 percent, over the FY 1996 Estimate of $85.40 million."
>This subactivity "supports research on the structure, composition,
>and history of Earth and its processes."
>
>The request includes "$58.80 million for Earth Sciences Project
>Support, which funds individual and small group research proposals
>in all disciplines of the Earth Sciences and in interdisciplinary
>areas such as environmental geochemistry and biogeochemistry,
>active tectonics, and cooperative studies of Earth's deep
>interior....  An increase of $2.26 million in FY 1997 will provide
>enhanced support for interdisciplinary projects on environmental
>geochemistry and biogeochemistry and for hydrologic sciences.
>Other disciplinary research programs will receive small increases
>to maintain current levels of effort.  Additional support will be
>provided for undergraduate research and postdoctoral fellowships."
>Instrumentation and Facilities would receive $27.70 million, to
>support "shared research facilities and university
>instrumentation....  An increase of $6.50 million includes $4.50
>million for enhanced support for the Incorporated Research
>Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) for a global seismic network and
>its associated data management system."  $9.40 million would go to
>the "Continental Dynamics Program, which supports large coordinated
>multidisciplinary and multi-institutional field projects on the
>continents."  The Earth Science request includes "$10.90 million
>for research on fundamental earthquake studies, to sustain this
>element of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program."
>
>OCEAN SCIENCES:  "The FY 1997 Budget Request for the Ocean Sciences
>Subactivity (OCE) is $204.87 million, an increase of $14.30
>million, or 7.5 percent, over the FY 1996 Estimate of $190.57
>million."  This subactivity "supports research to improve
>understanding of both coastal seas and deep ocean basins, including
>the sea floor, and the facilities required to gain access to these
>environments."
>
>The request includes "$110.18 million for Ocean Sciences Research
>Support, which includes programs in physical oceanography, chemical
>oceanography, marine geology and geophysics, biological
>oceanography, oceanographic technology, and interdisciplinary
>studies....  An increase of $7.16 million in FY 1997 will provide
>support for the interdisciplinary Coastal Ocean Processes
>Program...; the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics program...; the
>Earth System History program...; and for increased core support to
>investigator-initiated basic research."  Oceanographic Centers and
>Facilities would receive $53.65 million, an increase of $5.95
>million, of which "over $4 million...will be allocated for an
>NSF-wide instrumentation program.  The remainder will support
>continued ship and submersible operations, maintenance, and
>technical support, as well as instrumentation improvements and
>coordination functions."  The multinational Ocean Drilling Program
>would receive $41.04 million, an increase of $1.19 million, which
>"will maintain the current level of effort for the program as
>operating costs increase."
>
>###############
>Audrey T. Leath
>Public Information Division
>American Institute of Physics
>fyi@aip.org
>(301) 209-3094
>##END##########
>




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Norman MacLeod
Micropalaeontological Research
N.MacLeod@nhm.ac.uk (Internet)
N.MacLeod@uk.ac.nhm (Janet)

Address: Dept. of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum,
         Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD

Office Phone: 0171-938-9006
Dept. FAX:  0171-938-9277
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