NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report and the committee were supported by a grant from the United States Geological Survey. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor.
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE USGS COASTAL AND MARINE GEOLOGY PROGRAM
JOAN OLTMAN-SHAY, Chair,
Northwest Research Associates, Inc., Bellevue, Washington
JAMES COLEMAN,
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
ARTHUR GREEN,
Exxon Exploration Company, Houston, Texas
SUSAN HUMPHRIS,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
CURT MASON,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
NEIL OPDYKE,
University of Florida, Gainesville
NANCY RABALAIS,
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin
NOEL TYLER,
Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin
Staff
DAN WALKER, Study Director
SHARI MAGUIRE, Senior Project Assistant
JODI BACHIM, Project Assistant
OCEAN STUDIES BOARD
KENNETH BRINK, Chair,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
ALICE ALLDREDGE,
University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID BRADLEY,
Pennsylvania State University, State College
DAN BROMLEY,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
OTIS BROWN,
University of Miami, Florida
JAMES COLEMAN,
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
CORT COOPER,
Chevron Petroleum Technology, San Ramon, California
CARL FRIEHE,
University of California, Irvine
RAY HILBORN,
University of Washington, Seattle
EDWARD HOUDE,
University of Maryland, Solomons
JOHN KNAUSS,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
ROBERT KNOX,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
RAY KRONE,
University of California, Davis
CINDY LEE,
State University of New York, Stony Brook
ROGER LUKAS,
University of Hawaii, Manoa
NANCY MARCUS,
Florida State University, Tallahassee
NEIL OPDYKE,
University of Florida, Gainesville
MICHAEL ORBACH,
Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina
WALTER SCHMIDT,
Florida Geological Survey, Tallahassee
GEORGE SOMERO,
Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
KARL TUREKIAN,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Staff
MORGAN GOPNIK, Director
EDWARD R. URBAN, JR., Senior Program Officer
DAN WALKER, Senior Program Officer
ALEXANDRA ISERN, Program Officer
SUSAN ROBERTS, Program Officer
ROBIN MORRIS, Financial Associate
LORA TAYLOR, Office Manager
SHARI MAGUIRE, Senior Project Assistant
JODI BACHIM, Project Assistant
ANN CARLISLE, Project Assistant
MEGAN KELLY, Project Assistant
COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
RICHARD A. CONWAY,
Union Carbide Corporation (Retired), S. Charleston, West Virginia
THOMAS E. GRAEDEL,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
THOMAS J. GRAFF,
Environmental Defense Fund, Oakland, California
EUGENIA KALNAY,
University of Oklahoma, Norman
DEBRA KNOPMAN,
Progressive Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.
KAI N. LEE,
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
RICHARD A. MESERVE,
Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.
JOHN B. MOONEY, JR.,
J. Brad Mooney Associates, Ltd., Arlington, Virginia
HUGH C. MORRIS,
El Dorado Gold Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia
H. RONALD PULLIAM,
University of Georgia, Athens
MILTON RUSSELL,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
THOMAS C. SCHELLING,
University of Maryland, College Park
ANDREW R. SOLOW,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,
Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida
E-AN ZEN,
University of Maryland, College Park
MARY LOU ZOBACK,
U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
Staff
ROBERT M. HAMILTON, Executive Director
GREGORY H. SYMMES, Associate Executive Director
CRAIG SCHIFFRIES, Associate Executive Director for Special Projects
JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative and Financial Officer
SANDI FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate
MARQUITA SMITH, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst
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Preface
The nation's coastal and marine areas are some of our greatest environmental assets. However, these areas are under pressure from increasing coastal population and resource demands. In order to manage these areas wisely, decision-makers are demanding more and more information about natural marine systems and the impacts of human activities on them. Thus, when the U.S. Geological Survey approached the Ocean Studies Board (OSB) with the request to review the Coastal and Marine Geology Program, the value of such a review needed no explanation.
The OSB established the Committee to Review the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program and charged us with recommending areas of focus for the survey's future activities in the coastal and marine regions, strategies for hiring and retaining high-quality staff, and measures for most effectively directing fiscal and human resources toward the unique challenges that exist in these important regions. This report reflects the conclusions and recommendations of the committee, drawing on extensive discussions with USGS staff; input from potential users, clients, and collaborators of the Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP); and the committee's own expertise and experience.
Throughout this report the reader will find short descriptions of relevant studies conducted by the CMGP. These examples are a small subset of the large number of studies conducted by CMGP in recent years. Many other examples can be found at the CMGP homepage http://marine.usgs.gov/.
The Committee to Review the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program is very grateful to the many individuals who played a significant role in the completion of this study. The committee met four times and extends its gratitude to the following individuals who appeared before the full committee or otherwise provided background information and discussed pertinent issues: Peter Barnes,
Brad Barr, Peter Betzer, Steven Bohlen, Mike Bothner, Kenneth Brink, Brad Butman, Michael Carr, William Dillon, Carlton Dufrechou, Terry Edgar, Michael Fields, Laura Fredricks, Robert Gagosian, James Gardner, Leon Gove, Gary Griggs, Chip Groat, Bob Halley, Monty Hampton, Janet Hashimoto, Deborah Hutchinson, George Kaminsky, Robert Kayen, Jack Kindinger, Randall Koski, Patrick Leahy, Homa Lee, Ralph Lewis, Jeff List, Patrick Muffler, Bruce Richmond, Dave Russ, Abby Sallenger, Rex Sanders, William Schwab, Gene Shinn, Marilyn ten-Brink, Uri ten-Brink, Rob Wertz, Jeff Williams, and Richard Williams.
This report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report: Jeff Benoit (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Steven Boss (University of Arkansas), James Funk (Shell Oil), Eldon Hout (Oregon State Coastal and Ocean Management Program), Ray Krone (University of California at Davis), Rutherford Platt (University of Massachusetts at Amherst), Andrew Solow (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), Debra Stakes (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), and Walter Schmidt (Florida Geological Survey). While the individuals listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, it must be emphasized that responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Finally, the committee wishes to gratefully acknowledge the efforts of the Ocean Studies Board staff who helped produce this report, particularly, the study director, Dan Walker, and the project assistants, Shari Maguire and Jodi Bachim. Without their guidance and help, this project could never have been completed.
JOAN OLTMAN-SHAY
Chair, Committee to Review the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program