26 



Dr. Stever. To the administration, the White House. 



Senator Holltngs. I don't want to start making any differences 

 there. We have to keep this down to ocean pollution. 



You may proceed, and we appreciate hearing from you at this time. 



Dr. Stever. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of the sub- 

 committee. 



I appreciate your invitation to appear before this committee as 

 part of your symposium on ocean pollution to discuss the work of the 

 NSF related to that topic. 



Dr. Thomas Owen, who is the Assistant Director for National and 

 International Programs at the NSF is here with me. He has the 

 principal responsibility within the NSF in the field m which you 

 are concerned, although work is going on in two of our other direc- 

 torates, the Assistant Director for Research has some basic research 

 work in this area, and the Assistant for Research Applications has 

 some work. Dr. Owen can answer questions in all tliree areas. 



Not until recently has the Foundation supported activities directly 

 related to the problems of pollution control and abatement. Through 

 its basic research project grants to universities and oceanographic 

 institutions, the Foundation for many years has supported a wide 

 spectrum of studies that contribute to our understanding of the oceans, 

 coastal areas, and estuaries. 



This includes research projects in physical, chemical, biological, 

 and geographical oceanography and in atmospheric science that are 

 important to the overall pollution study effort. Presently there is 

 work underway which relates to the establishment of pollution base- 

 lines and to sources, transfer routes, and biological effects of pollutants 

 found in the ocean environment. 



I might also mention at this point that NSF provides the lion's 

 share of support for the oj>eration of the academic oceanographic 

 fleet used by oceanographers in pursuit of much of their work. 



Senator Hollings. At that particular point. Dr. Stever, do all our 

 sea grant programs in the oceanographic research vessels provide the 

 lion's share of the academic oceanographic effort ? 



Dr. Stevter. Yes. 



Senator Hollings. Elaborate on that, would you ? 



Dr. Stever. Yes. By law, you know the NSF can do no research in 

 its own laboratories. It has no laboratories. It owns some national 

 centers, but they are operated by others. So, we make grants,,, and most 

 of our granting is to academic institutions, or to other institutions such 

 as Woods Hole. 



By agreement wnthin the oceanographic community, with NOAA 

 and with the Navy and others, the NSF handles most of the support of 

 the academic oceanographic fleet. We support the ships at Scripps In- 

 stitution of Oceanography, at Texas A. & M., and so forth. 



Senator Hollings. Approximately how many ships are involved? 



Dr. Owen. Senator, the NSF contributes to the support of 32 ships, 

 rangini; in size from 50 to 250 feet, at 17 different operating institu- 

 tions. We contribute to their operational support, sir. 



If one totals the cost of operation of the academic oceanogi'aphic 

 fleet, one finds that the NSF provides for somewhere between 65 and 

 75 percent of its annual operating cost, with the Navy providing 20 

 percent and the other agencies of the Federal Government and States 

 providing the balancer 



