376 



42 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE NEXT DECADE 



bal change research is a national concern, resolution of this prob- 

 lem of transition is urgent. 



The transition of NASA technology to Department of Defense 

 (DOD) operational measurements has had mixed success; the mi- 

 crowave radiometer is now operational in the Defense Meteoro- 

 logical Satellite Program, and data are provided routinely to aca- 

 demic investigators. The Navy has flown, and plans to continue 

 to fly, additional altimeters for ocean surface measurements. However, 

 NASA's attempts to work with DOD on the flight of other instru- 

 ments for surface winds and ocean color have floundered; this 

 area also needs attention. 



Because of the importance of oceanography to the Global Change 

 Research Program, NASA should reestablish some mechanism with 

 sufficient stature at headquarters to communicate with the ma- 

 rine science community. NASA should formulate, in collabora- 

 tion with other agencies and the academic community, a coherent 

 sense of where its long-term responsibilities lie for the overall 

 health of marine science. For example, NASA is the agency that 

 can nurture the special scientific and technical expertise required 

 for the use of satellite remote-sensed data, and it must do so. 

 Partnerships are key; it is more important than ever for the ocean 

 community to develop partnerships with NASA, as it has with 

 other agencies. NASA should help foster these partnerships. Fur- 

 ther, NASA needs to recognize the importance of supporting sur- 

 face-based programs that both directly support and help maximize 

 the scientific returns from its spacecraft. 



Department of Energy 



The Department of Energy, formed in 1977, is responsible for 

 supporting the development of energy production and conserva- 

 tion technology, the marketing of federal energy supplies, nuclear 

 weapons research and development, energy regulation, and the 

 collection and analysis of data on energy production and use. DOE 

 has carried out marine-related research for many years, most re- 

 cently as part of its Carbon Dioxide and Coastal Ocean Margins 

 Programs in the Office of Health and Environmental Research. 

 The research focused initially on understanding the fate of radio- 

 nuclides. DOE marine research is presently concentrated on chemical 

 and biological aspects of the global carbon cycle to understand the 

 fate of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere as part of 

 energy production and use. In particular, DOE has funded studies 

 of integrated regional biological productivity on the continental 



