ter quality, including biological con- 

 trols of heavy metals in sediment 



• Improved water quality sensor tech- 

 nology 



• Development of a system for aerial 

 profiling of terrain to establish 

 ground position with an accuracy of 

 3 meters horizontally and 0.15 me- 

 ters vertically 



• Development of a digital cartograph- 

 ic data bank for computer-controlled 

 storage, processing, and retrieval in 

 various forms of information shown 

 on general purpose topographic and 

 land-use and land-cover maps 



• Determining Earth natural resources 

 and physical conditions using remote 

 sensing techniques. 



List of Gap Areas 



• Cyclic changes in climate 



• Paleoclimate of ancient land areas 



• Stochastic hydrology 



• Basic physical properties of water. 



National Pari< Service 



The National Park Service's basic research 

 aims at attaining an understanding of the basic 

 ecology of the national park system. 



List of Priorities 



• Basic ecology of the national park 

 system (especially assembly and 

 continuous updating of retrievably 

 stored basic resource inventories for 

 all natural areas in the system) 



• Development of a valid urban ecolo- 

 gy 



• Inquiry into naturally occurring ra- 

 dionuclides in caves 



• Grizzly bear ecology 



• Barrier island dynamics. 



List of Gap Areas 



• Ethological studies of the major 

 animal species in the national parks 

 (e.g., bears, goats, elk, moose, 

 wolves, and birds). 



Fish and Wildlife Service 



Research of the Fish and Wildlife Service em- 

 phasizes understanding the life systems of species 

 of flora and fauna — endangered or not — and the 

 effects on those species of man's activities to in- 

 sure better management of wildlife resources. 



List of Priorities 



• Effects of contaminants and their 

 interaction on wildlife to protect the 



resource, whether as species, popu- 

 lations, or entire ecological commu- 

 nities 



• The full impact on fish and wildlife 

 resources and their habitat of water 

 and related land resource projects 

 conducted under Federal auspices or 

 permits 



• Determining the environmental is- 

 sues of critical importance to 

 strengthen the capability of the Serv- 

 ice to provide ecological information 

 needed in connection with accelerat- 

 ed development of energy resources 



• Understanding the life histories of 

 endangered species and factors that 

 threaten the Nation's endangered 

 flora and fauna and their ecosystems 



• Migratory birds, especially marine 

 and coastal species (identify both 

 their species characteristics and 

 those populations needing special 

 protection or management considera- 

 tions) 



• Marine mammals (biological and 

 management needs, distribution 

 abundance, population status, and 

 ecological relationships) 



• Evaluation of wildlife-caused dam- 

 ages and hazards and of the develop- 

 ment of more humane, selective, ef- 

 fective, and safe animal damage con- 

 trol techniques 



• Diseases of free-ranging populations 

 of anadromous fish species, efTects 

 of environmental changes caused by 

 man on these populations, and de- 

 velopment of hatchery fish more 

 capable of surviving in natural envi- 

 ronments 



• The Great Lakes and determination 

 of the effects of environmental con- 

 taminants on their fisheries 



• Efficacy and safety of fish pesticides 

 and drugs in order to reach full 

 compliance with F^iblic Law 92-516. 



List of Gap Areas 



• The fundamental habitat require- 

 ments and population dynamics of a 

 wide range of nongame fish and 

 wildlife that are not now threatened 

 or endangered. 



Office of Water Research and Technology 

 (OWRT) 



The Office of Water Research and Technology 

 supports basic research with the potential to con- 

 tribute to the solution of water-related problems. 



PRIORITIES AND GAP AREAS 31 1 



