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CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was established in 1879 with national responsi-
bilities in the areas of land classification, geology, and mineral resources. Since its inception,
the USGS has responded to national needs in these and other areas that span the Earth sci-
ences, including hydrology, geophysics, geochemistry, biology, climate, and environmental
health.1 Information acquired from Earth science research, mapping, and monitoring plays
an essential role in issues of public importance, such as water quality and public health, the
provision of energy, mineral, and water resources, risk reduction from natural hazards, and
conservation of natural habitats.
Though grounded in its domestic mission as part of the Department of the Interior
(DOI) (see Chapter 2 and Appendix A), the USGS has throughout its 133-year history
received a range of requests from Congress and federal agencies as well as state, local, and
tribal governments, other federal agencies, the academic community, nongovernmental
organizations, and the private sector (Devine, 2011). Many federal requests have been
directives to respond to government priorities in Earth science–related projects interna-
tionally (NRC, 2001). The role of the Secretary of the Interior to have the USGS address
these international tasks, when in the national interest, was formalized in legislation in 1962
(Chapter 2; Appendix A). In addition to supporting the work of the partnering organiza-
tions, results from these international activities have supported activities within USGS
domestic areas of responsibility.
Today, USGS employees are engaged in over a thousand international trips per year to
conduct work according to the requirements of 256 international agreements2 entered into
by the USGS in accordance with Department of State (DOS) guidelines (Withee, 2011). In
According to USGS, “environmental health” refers to the relationships among the quality of the physical environment,
1
the health of the living environment, and human health. See health.usgs.gov/.
Number of agreements as of June 14, 2011; information provided by Jody L. Eimers, USGS, personal
2
communication.
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I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C I E N C E I N T H E N AT I O N A L I N T E R E S T AT T H E U S G S
BOX 1.1
Statement of Task of the NRC Committee on Opportunities
and Challenges for International Science at the U.S. Geological Survey
This study will describe how international collaborations and interactions support and enhance USGS
strategic science directions and/or U.S. government national and international objectives. The study will
also assess the benefits, opportunities, and obligations associated with USGS involvement in international
science. In particular, the committee will
• in collaboration with the USGS, provide a summary of past and present USGS international sci-
entific interactions and collaborations. The committee will identify where these activities are most
effective in supporting the USGS mission or U.S. government needs.
• identify areas where USGS involvement in international activities would, over the next 5-10 years,
have high potential to benefit USGS strategic science directions or U.S. government international
priorities.
• identify impediments to more effective USGS participation in international science activities.
The committee will not make any recommendations related to government organization, legal authori-
ties, funding, or other policy choices to address such impediments.
conjunction with the recent reorganization of the USGS,3 as well as the continuing demand for
Survey expertise on a variety of urgent international earth science issues, the USGS requested
that the National Research Council (NRC) establish a study committee (Appendix B) on Op-
portunities and Challenges for International Science at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
(see Box 1.1 for the committee’s statement of task). The committee was tasked specifically
to examine past and present international activities that support the USGS national mission,
to identify priority international research areas for the coming 5 to 10 years, and to identify
challenges to the USGS participation in international science activities. To address the study
charge, the NRC assembled an eight-person committee with diverse backgrounds that allowed
for a comprehensive examination of present and potential future USGS international activities
(Appendix C). A more detailed description of the rationale for the current study follows.
RATIONALE FOR CURRENT STUDY
Scientific Issues as Global Issues
The geography of the United States and its territories covers a significant portion of
the globe, and many of the issues that are critical to U.S. national interests are inextricably
See www.usgs.gov/start_with_science/science_strategy.asp (accessed January 26, 2012).
3
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Introduction
linked to global issues. Geological, environmental, climatic, territorial, and socioeconomic
challenges are not bounded by geopolitical boundaries, and the scientific questions in these
areas are of both global and national concern. Consequently, the U.S. government frequently
draws upon the scientific expertise of the USGS—and other federal science agencies such
as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, and the Foreign Agricultural Service—to address Earth science is-
sues in other parts of the globe in support of U.S. national interests.
Global science concerns such as invasive species, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
emerging diseases, ecosystem changes, threats to biodiversity, and management of natural
resources are areas in which the USGS provides scientific expertise to assist and inform
other branches of the government. In the emerging era of science diplomacy, which uses
science and scientific cooperation to promote international understanding and prosperity,
the Survey has made specific contributions through its international activities (see Box 1.2;
NRC, 2001).
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the White House
National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and the DOS have cited specific in-
ternational priorities for science that explicitly call for USGS expertise and information.
OSTP indicates the importance of addressing the science and technology issues of a chang-
ing climate, constraints on energy resources, and environmental degradation from a global
perspective.4 OSTP also suggests that national economic and defense security are improved
through the strength of the nation’s research and adequate support for high-quality science,
some of which can be realized by increasing research collaboration with other countries.5
The NSTC’s objectives include establishing national goals for U.S. science and technology
investments and ensuring that these investments contribute to economic prosperity, public
health, environmental quality, and national security.6 Several NSTC reports and documents
(e.g., NSTC, 2010; 2008; 2007) have significant international components relating to these
national goals, with crucial roles for USGS expertise.
The DOS, in its congressional budget request for FY 2012, includes $1.59 billion for
43 international organizations of which the United States is currently a member (DOS,
2011). The funds will enable the DOS and other federal agencies to “send delegations to
represent the U.S. in governing bodies and otherwise take advantage of opportunities to
promote U.S. goals and objectives at these organizations” (DOS, 2011: 543). The USGS
is listed as a partner agency and provider of scientific expertise for 10 of those international
organizations. In addition, the USGS is an important partner in the International Joint
Commission, which was established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to provide
advice and conduct studies of transboundary river systems (DOS, 2011).
See www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/divisions/energyenvironment.
4
See www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/sciencediplomacy.
5
See www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/about.
6
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BOX 1.2
Example of International Activity Supported by USGS
In 1991, scientists from the USGS and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
were able to forecast the climactic eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, which became the largest volcanic
eruption in the 20th century to affect a heavily populated area. The most powerful phase of this eruption
occurred on the morning of June 15 and lasted more than 10 hours, creating a gigantic cloud of volcanic
ash that rose as high as 22 miles, extended more than 300 miles, and filled surrounding valleys with deposits
of ash as much as 600 feet thick.
A series of small steam-blast explosions in early April 1991 was the first indication that Mt. Pinatubo
was becoming a threat. Scientists from PHIVOLCS began onsite monitoring and declared a 6-mile-radius
danger zone around the volcano. They were soon joined by USGS scientists from the Volcano Disaster As-
sistance Program, a collaborative effort with the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID). The USGS scientists brought specially designed, portable instruments,
which the joint Philippine-American team used to detect earthquakes and swelling on the mountain. The
team also mapped volcanic deposits in order to understand the volcano’s eruptive history. When the data
from these efforts indicated that a huge eruption of the volcano was imminent, the joint team issued urgent
warnings and provided advice to the Philippine government and local U.S. military commanders. These
timely forecasts enabled civil and military authorities to arrange the evacuation of people, aircraft, and other
equipment to safe areas before Mt. Pinatubo exploded on June 15.
The benefits of USGS cooperation with PHIVOLCS to monitor Mt. Pinatubo were immense. Forecasts
and evacuations saved an estimated 5,000 lives, and perhaps as many as 20,000. Evacuees included more
than 15,000 American military personnel and their dependents stationed at the nearby Clark Air Base (see
Figure). The property savings—estimated at more than $250 million—were many times the total costs of the
forecasting and evacuations. In addition, the U.S. Volcano Hazards Program has been able to utilize the
knowledge and experience gained by USGS scientists during the crisis to better protect people’s lives and
property around the globe from future volcanic eruptions.
Realignment of USGS Mission Areas
Pragmatic reasons for the current assessment of the scientific directions for future
USGS international activities relate, in part, to major organizational changes at USGS,
implemented in 2010-2011 and based upon the science strategy developed in 2007 (see
Box 1.3). The reorganization resulted in a new strategy that moved the USGS from a
discipline-focused agency to one focused on the application of integrated Earth science in
support of critical mission areas.
An additional motivation for the current assessment is the DOI Strategic Plan for
2011–2016 (see Box 1.4), which cites science as a key component of the DOI mission and
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Introduction
FIGURE Before the eruption more than 1 million people lived within 30 miles of the volcano, including
more than 15,000 American military personnel and their dependents. SOURCE: Newhall et al. (1997).
an essential, cross-cutting element that assists bureaus in land and resource management
and regulation. The Strategic Plan also identifies the USGS as DOI’s primary science orga-
nization, with sister bureaus conducting mission-specific research to support their programs,
and outlines the following goals for the USGS:
• ensure the quality and relevance of science products to partners and customers;
• provide science for sustainable resource use, protection, and adaptive management;
• provide scientific data to protect and inform communities; and
• develop a comprehensive science framework for understanding the Earth.
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BOX 1.3
USGS Science Strategy 2007-2017
As part of an ongoing effort to respond to evolving national and global priorities, the USGS (2007)
report—Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges: U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017—examined
the Survey’s major science goals and proposed a new science strategy with six science directions:
• Understanding Ecosystems and Predicting Ecosystem Change: Ensuring the nation’s Economic
and Environmental Future
• Climate Variability and Change: Clarifying the Record and Assessing Consequences
• Energy and Minerals for America’s Future: Providing a Scientific Foundation for Resource Security,
Environmental Health, Economic Vitality, and Land Management
• A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program: Ensuring the Long-Term Health
and Wealth of the Nation
• The Role of Environment and Wildlife in Human Health: A System that Identifies Environmental
Risk to Public Health in America
• A Water Census of the United States: Quantifying, Forecasting, and Securing Freshwater for
America’s Future
In addition, the 2007-2017 Science Strategy recognized the essential role in all USGS science goals of
expanded information technology and other crucial emerging technologies to allow for the seamless sharing
of data and information—a field now known as core science systems.
SOURCE: USGS (2007)
To fulfill these goals, and in keeping with the science directions proposed in 2007 (see
Box 1.3), the USGS during 2010 and 2011 has restructured its budgeting and reporting
under seven mission areas (see Figure 1.1):
• Climate and Land-Use Change
• Core Science Systems
• Ecosystems
• Energy and Minerals
• Environmental Health
• Natural Hazards
• Water
The mission areas correspond to the science directions described in the 2007 document,
with two exceptions: first, the mission area on Core Science Systems was not an original
science direction but was elevated to a main science direction during the organizational
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Introduction
BOX 1.4
Department of the Interior Strategic Plan, 2011-2016
The U.S. Department of the Interior Strategic Plan for 2011–2016 provides a blueprint for guiding
and prioritizing its investments and resource allocations. The strategic goals are categorized in five missions
areas: (1) provide natural and cultural resource protection and experiences; (2) sustainably manage energy,
water, and natural resources; (3) advance government-to-government relationships with Indian Nations and
honor commitments to insular areas; (4) provide a scientific foundation for decision making; and (5) build a
21st century DOI. The role of the USGS corresponds to the fourth mission for carrying out the Department’s
strategic vision.
The Strategic Plan also indicates that “International Engagement and Leadership” is one of the DOI’s
key principles and tenets and states that the Department
participates in the United States’ efforts to address climate change; protect biodiversity; sustainably
manage energy, water, and natural resources; empower indigenous communities; protect cultural
heritage; and ensure sound science as the basis for decision making. The resources for which
Interior is responsible cross jurisdictional boundaries and Interior is a key player in the international
community confronting the exploitation of natural resources, trade in wildlife, spread of invasive
species, and in a multiplicity of scientific issues. The Department is committed to maintaining its
relevance and will engage in international efforts as a core mission responsibility, consistent with
its unique expertise and mandate.
SOURCE: DOI (2011).
changes in 2010; second, the Role of Environment and Wildlife in Human Health scientific
direction (see Box 1.3) is now simply called “Environmental Health.” The strategic science
directions remain the focal areas for the seven national mission areas, and the international
activities that impact these missions are the subject of this study. Hereafter the committee
uses the term “mission area” when referring to one or more of the Survey’s seven areas of
science priority.
STRUCTURE OF THE USGS OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
The USGS Office of International Programs (OIP) is responsible for representing all
USGS scientific disciplines in the international arena. Formerly the Office of International
Geology, the OIP became a bureau-level office in 1995 under the Associate Director for
Geology; with the implementation of the new USGS strategy in 2010, it was administra-
tively placed under the Director of the USGS.
The Office has specialists who represent USGS interests and activities in five regions
around the world: Europe and the former Soviet Union; Africa and the Middle East;
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*The mission areas Environmental Health and Energy and Minerals are cross-serviced by (i.e., receive shared support
from) the same USGS Leadership and Management Team, although they are distinct mission areas with their own sci-
ence strategies.
FIGURE 1.1 Reorganization of USGS from a discipline-focused agency to one involved in the applica-
tion of integrated science in support of critical mission areas. SOURCE: USGS; see also www.usgs.gov/
start_with_science/.
Asia and the Pacific; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Canada, the Arctic, and the
Antarctic. These five specialists represent the USGS in discussions about potential inter-
national projects with organizations such as USAID, DOS, Department of Defense, and
the World Bank.
In addition to the OIP, the Survey’s Bureau Support Unit provides logistical support for
USGS international travelers (e.g., by obtaining passports and visas). Detailed information
about the functions of the OIP and the development of international projects is provided
in Chapter 2.
SCOPE AND STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT
To address the three specific points identified in the committee’s statement of task as
well as the more general points related to international collaborations and interactions that
support and enhance USGS strategic science directions and U.S. government national and
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Introduction
international objectives (Box 1.1), the remainder of this report is organized into five chap-
ters. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the context and history of the USGS as a basis for
understanding past and present drivers, priorities, and arrangements for its international
activities. Chapter 3 addresses a key component of the committee’s statement of task, which
states that the study will—in collaboration with the USGS—provide a summary of past
and present USGS international scientific interactions and collaborations. The chapter ad-
ditionally identifies where these activities have supported the overall USGS mission and/
or U.S. government needs.
Considerable input for Chapters 2 and 3 was derived from a document drafted by the
USGS in response to a request from the committee to help inform this report (Appendix
C). Although these two chapters present background and historical information without
the views and analysis of the authoring committee, the committee recognizes the impor-
tance of evaluating which projects may return the greatest benefits to the Survey in the
international arena. Indeed, the statement of task asked the committee to “identify where
these activities are most effective in supporting the USGS mission or U.S. government
needs.” However, a complete listing of all international activities historically and currently
undertaken by the Survey was not available to the committee. Nor were other international
project data available that would have enabled the committee to examine study effective-
ness in a systematic and objective manner. Thus, rather than providing a priority ranking
of those international activities that are most effective in supporting the USGS mission or
U.S. government needs, Chapter 3 presents selected examples of international activities that
demonstrate the breadth and depth of the USGS international engagement.7
Chapter 4, “Strategic International Science Opportunities for the USGS,” describes
potential new international endeavors that the committee deems particularly compelling
for the USGS to consider undertaking. This chapter addresses another component of the
statement of task, which is to identify areas in which USGS involvement in international
activities would, over the next 5 to 10 years, have high potential to benefit USGS strategic
science directions or U.S. government international priorities. Chapter 5 addresses the final
component of the statement of task: to identify impediments to more effective USGS par-
ticipation in international science activities. Chapter 6 summarizes the committee’s major
findings and recommendations.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Early in the 21st century, we are seeing rapid and accelerating global changes in the
environment that directly affect humans. As populations increase globally and worldwide
Note that the committee interpreted “international” activities to include those where participating USGS scientists
7
may or may not conduct physical fieldwork in a foreign country; for example, the committee includes in its descriptions some
projects that involve collection and analysis of remotely sensed data.
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exchange of information becomes more instantaneous, U.S. political, economic, and en-
vironmental interests are increasingly linked with those of the rest of the world. Multiple
approaches are required to solve scientific problems domestically and abroad, and the USGS
is in a position to address pertinent government priorities by working in coordination with
other federal agencies and organizations and by applying scientific expertise to address
pressing issues with an international dimension. Examination of the compelling interna-
tional scientific opportunities that the USGS might pursue in the Earth sciences is thus
timely and appropriate.
REFERENCES
Devine, J.F. 2011. “The USGS: An Introduction.” Presentation to the Committee on Opportunities and Challenges for
International Science at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), February 14, Washington, DC.
DOI (U.S. Department of the Interior). 2011. Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2011–2016. Available at www.doi.gov/bpp/
data/PPP/DOI_StrategicPlan.pdf (accessed January 26, 2012).
DOS (U.S. Department of State). 2011. FY 2012 Department of State Operations Congressional Budget Justification.
Washington, DC. Available at www.state.gov/s/d/rm/rls/statecbj/2012/ (accessed January 26, 2012).
NRC (National Research Council). 2001. Future Roles and Opportunities for the U.S. Geological Survey. Washington, DC:
National Academy Press.
Newhall, C., J.W. Hendley II, and P.H. Stauffer. 1997. Benefits of Volcano Monitoring Far Outweigh Costs—The Case
of Mount Pinatubo. U.S. Geological Fact Sheet 064-97. Available at pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1997/fs115-97/fs115-97.pdf
(accessed January 26, 2012).
NSTC (National Science and Technology Council). 2007. A Plan for a U.S. National Land Imaging Program. A Report of
the Future of Land Imaging Interagency Working Group. Washington, DC: NSTC.
NSTC. 2008. Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States. A Report of the Committee on
Environment and Natural Resources. Washington, DC: NSTC.
NSTC. 2010. National Aeronautics Research and Development Plan. A Report of the Aeronautics Science and Technology
Subcommittee. Washington, DC: NSTC.
USGS (U.S. Geological Survey). 2007. USGS Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges: U.S. Geological Survey Science in the De-
cade 2007-2017: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1309. Available online at pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2007/1309/ (accessed
September 29, 2011).
Withee, G.W. 2011. “USGS International Program Perspectives.” Presentation to the Committee on Opportunities and
Challenges for International Science at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), February 14, Washington, DC.
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