There are quit a few topics that the staff of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership have been concentrating on, which we feel are of interest to the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). Two weeks ago, Ocean Leadership held its Annual Public Policy Forum on Capital Hill, which was attended by over 200 people, including three United States Senators, Whitehouse (D-RI), Begich (D-AK) and Boxer (D-CA). Panel topics included Sea Level Rise, the Arctic System and Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning. All of the presentations are available on the Ocean Leadership web site at http://www.oceanleadership.org/ocean-policy-legislation/public-policyforum/2010-public-policy-forum/presentations/.

For the last several months we have continued to be very active with National Ocean Policy issues. In addition to working with the Council for Environmental Quality, Bob Gagosian has given a number of presentations on the science needs for a National Ocean Policy and Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) at several organizations, including the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), the National Association of Marine Laboratories (NAML), the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing
Regional Association (MACOORA) and The Oceanography Society (TOS) breakfast in Portland, Oregon. At the TOS breakfast, he presented a review of Ocean Leadership’s recommendations to the National Ocean Policy Task Force and discussed how these recommendations were incorporated in both the Interim Interagency Task Force report on National Ocean Policy and for Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Specifically, Ocean Leadership supports sustainable management of ocean ecosystems and the mitigation of and adaptation to impacts from climate change, which require increased
capacity to predict, assess and respond to future ocean risk scenarios. To accomplish this, we need models based on sound science, which requires physical, biological, geological and chemical data obtained from remote and in situ observations based upon basic research process studies. Also, the implementation and prioritization of MSP science requirements will need to be a regional effort and goal-specific. The entire presentation is available on the Ocean Leadership web site at http://www.oceanleadership.org/2010/the-role-of-science-in-a-national-ocean-policy/.
Ocean Leadership wants the community to know that once the President announces how he intends to deal with these recommendations, it will go into action to be sure that the science is well represented. In addition, Ocean Leadership will work to acquire new funds to support the science and infrastructure necessary to implement these efforts. Recently, a significant amount of activity has occurred with two of our programs, the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). Regarding OOI, as a result of the first OOI community workshop that occurred last fall in Baltimore, Maryland, two science discussion groups have been formed, which are anticipated to be the source of community-based science workshop proposals going to the National Science Foundation-Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF-OCE) for consideration. One concerning mid-Atlantic shelf processes and another on sensor development and
integration are underway, and a third on modeling is anticipated. You will be able to find more information concerning these workshops shortly on the OOI web site at http://ooi.oceanleadership.org.
This workshop process has been highly encouraged by NSF. The next OOI-funded science community workshop is scheduled for April 29-30, 2010 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The workshop will introduce ocean scientists, engineers, educators and the broader science community to the full scope of the OOI network design and capabilities. Presentations and discussion will focus on descriptions of the OOI construction design, the multi-disciplinary sensors to be deployed and the timeline for construction, data availability and data access. There will also be information on and
discussions of science scenarios as examples of how the OOI network can be used by researchers and educators to advance a broad range of ocean science and education. Thiswill continue the process of further engaging the community to use the OOI infrastructure for their research interests.
The U.S. IODP has just completed its first full year of operation since the JOIDES Resolution (JR) was released from the shipyard and it has received very positive comments from expedition members. It will now enter a brief docking period until July 2010 for routine maintenance. The JR has set numerous coring records. For example, it drilled the deepest hole on a single expedition. The U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) has set records as well, managing and facilitating 10 expeditions in the last year. Susan Humphris from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution gave an in depth
update at the recent Ocean Leadership Board of Trustees meeting on the planning efforts for the new scientific ocean drilling program since the current one ends in 2013. Ocean Leadership feels that with Susan and her team’s efforts, the community is in a good position for future success.
Along these lines, Ocean Leadership has created and fully populated the Working Group to Develop Future Funding Models for New Ships chaired by Mark Abbott of Oregon State. The duties of this new working group are to review existing models, to fund and support the academic research fleet and develop alternative approaches that can be prioritized. It will conduct its review in the context of recent studies of the research fleet by the National Research Council (NRC), UNOLS and the Federal Oceanographic Facilities Committee (FOFC).
If you have any questions regarding these Ocean Leadership activities, please contact Kristin Mellon at kmellon@oceanleadership.org or 202.787.1644.