system Study (SES), begun in 1974 to study the life cycle of 

 seagrasses, their role in coastal ecology, and their contribution to 

 ocean productivity. 



In addition to the research projects in these four program areas, the 

 IDOE Office supports the rapid archiving and dissemination of IDOE 

 data by NOAA's Environmental Data Service, sponsors international 

 workshops to lay the groundwork for future international studies, supports 

 information dissemination through publications and films, and supports 

 training in modern oceanographic techniques for scientists from develop- 

 ing nations. 



In recognition of the importance of facilitating practical applications 

 of its research effort, and in order to identify areas of research which 

 may be called upon to complement the studies now under way, the 

 IDOE Office is sponsoring a series of workshops, keyed to the four IDOE 

 program areas, to discuss unfilled needs and potential uses of research 

 results. 



Program Management 



Guidelines for IDOE proposals require, in addition to the usual NSF 

 standards of sound scientific quahty and nonduplication of effort, that 

 the project fit into one of the four IDOE program areas, that the 

 research be primarily oriented toward the open ocean, rather than 

 coastal or estuarine waters, that it not He within the area of responsibility 

 of a Federal mission agency, and that its long-term nature, or the degree 

 of interdisciplinary or interinstitutional cooperation called for, make it 

 unsuitable for funding through other channels. 



IDOE projects have, for the most part, been confined to ocean 

 areas, to the frustration of scientists concerned with subjects such as 

 metallogencsis and climate which, while dependent on oceanic processes, 

 are not confined geographically to the ocean themselves. To understand 

 the process of ore formation it is desirable to study the geolog)', the 

 earthquakes, the volcanism, and the ore deposits on land above the 

 subduction zones, as well as the processes along the mid-ocean ridges. 

 But IDOE funding stops at the beach. Similarly, stratigraphic and 

 paleontological evidence of past climates can be found on land as well 

 as at sea, yet IDOE supports only studies of marine data. 



Meshing with an ongoing project often presents problems. Individual 

 investigators must give up some of their independence and subordinate 

 their interests to the goals of the project as a whole. Many scientists, 

 though recognizing its necessity, find this difficult, and may choose not 

 to participate at all or do so uncomfortably with feelings of stress. 



IDOE normally does not fund individual small studies of the sort 

 that NSF's Research Directorate has traditionally supported.^ During its 



^ See footnote on page 7. 



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