41 



TESTIMONY OF 



DR. NED A. OSTENSO 



ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH 



NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 



BEFORE THE 



SOBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY, GULF OF MEXICO, 



AND THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 



COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES 



U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



MARCH 24, 1993 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: 



I appreciate the opportunity to testify on behalf of the National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Undersea 

 Research Program (NURP) . 



NURP is the Federal government's civilian program which places 

 the scientist in the ocean. NURP's mission is threefold: 

 1) providing support and safety for research in the sea and on 

 the seafloor; 2) enhancing knowledge of biological, chemical, 

 geological and physical processes affecting natural resources and 

 the ocean and Great Lakes environment; and 3) developing new 

 techniques and technologies to improve diver safety and 

 performance (supporting Section 21 (a) of the Outer Continental 

 Shelf Lands Act of 1978) . 



During fiscal year 1992, NURP supported research and operations 

 on both a regional and national scale. NURP's regional program 

 operates primarily through a network of six undersea research 



