144 



Department of Energy 



Germantown. MO aoaT-i-iaDO 



ADM James D. Watkins, USN (Ret.) 

 President, Consortium for Oceanograpnic 



Researcti and Education 

 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. 

 Suite 300 

 Washington, DC. 20036 



Dear Admiral Watkins: 



Subject: The role of the Department of Energy in ocean science is to support 



interdisciplinary studies on the dispersal and fate of energy-related materials in 

 the marine environment. 



Thank you for your letter of October 1 1 , 1995. to Dr. Martha Krebs informing us of the tri- 

 Committee hearing on advancing the science of oceanography through partnerships. I 

 appreciate the opportunity that your testimony will provide for acknowledging the Department 

 of Eneigy's contributions to ocean science, in addition, I agree that during these times of 

 fiscal constraint, government downsizing, and program reengineering, it is extremely 

 Important that paitnerst'iips be developed to help coordinate our research and dnvalopment 

 efforts. Such partnerships are also necessary tc ensure the efficient use of distributed 

 capabilities and resources. 



The Department of Energy and its predtscesscr esgencies have supported long-term 

 interdisciplinary studies in ocean science as part of the concern about the sustainable 

 development of energy resources and the dispersal and fate of energy-related materials 

 (■nciuding radionuclides, trace metals, synthetic organics, hydrocarbons, and most recently 

 COj) in the marine environment. It is believea that the ocean may be a large sink for 

 emissions of atmospheric CO, resulting from energy production via fossil-fuel combustion and 

 that cartjon is an important currency for marine ecosystems and for marine resources. 



The Office of Health and Environmental Research is cun-ently supporting university and 

 national laboratory scientists to conduct molecular to global-scale studies to: 



• dsfine ocitnnic sources and sinks in the global carbon cycle; 



• quantify the biogeor.hemical mechanisms and processes by which carbon is 

 assimilated, transported, and transformed in the coastal ocean; and 



• understand and predict the natural vanabiiity of the ocean and coupled ocean- 

 atmosphere systems on decade and longer time scales. 



® 



/*nnt;n •» »y ^m jflfW/c***! r w*' 



