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CATEGORY 3 : RESEARCH AND STUDY PROGRAMS 



In category 3 are those agencies whose activities in the estuarine zone 

 are primarily research in nature ; namely, the National Science Fomi- 

 dation, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Academy of 

 Sciences-National Academy of Engineering. The programs and activi- 

 ties of all three of these organizations are extremely broad and it is 

 only as their activities relate directly to the estuarine zone that we 

 briefly describe them here. 



The National Science Foundation 



The National Science Foundation supports scientific research and 

 education in the sciences, including estuarine-related disciplines. It has 

 funded the development of marine and atmospheric research facilities. 

 It has also sponsored a broad spectrum of research activities, and has 

 supported the education of environmental scientists of all kinds. The 

 agency was also given additional authority by the National Sea Grant 

 College and Program Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-688). Under the 

 provisions of the act, the National Science Foundation acts to support 

 applied research by establishing an Office of Sea Grant program and 

 by preparing policy guidelines for use by grant applicants. Several 

 sea grant programs have been directed largely toward the estuaries. 



The Smithsonian Institution 



The Smithsonian Institution relates generally to the ecological, bio- 

 logical, and geological study, preservation, and educational aspects of 

 fauna, flora, and sediments in estuarine area. It depends upon the 

 accumulation and analysis of adequate biological and environmental 

 data to predict the impact of environmental modifications on the estu- 

 arine biota. The modifications must represent improvement rather than 

 degradation. It operates an Oceanographic Sorting Center for the 

 processing of aquatic, biologic, and geologic samples. It develops inter- 

 disciplinary conferences, such as on pollution problems in New York 

 Harbor. It conducts studies on subjects ranging from sedimentation 

 and beach erosion to the distribution and abundance of marine plants 

 and animals. The agency is involved with several research facilities 

 with capabilities in the area of estuarine ecosystems and in various 

 kinds of tropical research. 



National Academy of ScieTices — National Academy of Engineering 

 The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Acad- 

 emy of Engineering (NAE) are twin organizations composed of dis- 

 tinguished scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of 

 science and engineering and their uses for the general welfare. Al- 

 though not Government agencies, the academies enjoy close relations 

 with the Federal Government from which they hold congressional 

 charters. Each charter specified, "the Academy shall, whenever called 



