Section II 

 A Unified Plan 

 A. The Ocean Sciences 

 Core Research Program 



The Division of Ocean Sciences supports research through two Sections. The Research Section 

 funds investigations in Biological, Chemical, and Physical Oceanography, and IVIarine Geology 

 and Geophysics. The Oceanographic Centers and Facilities Section underwrites Ship Operations, 

 Oceanographic Technology, and the Ocean Drilling Program. 



A unified plan for growth in Ocean Sciences must recognize that new research initiatives arise 

 from the core programs and their support for relatively small projects in traditional 

 disciplines. This core has critical needs that should be addressed to allow the individual 

 investigators access to improved facilities and analysis techniques, to train new Ph.D-level 

 scientists in these technological innovations, and to undertake new research beyond that called 

 for in the Global Geosciences initiatives, such as in marine biotechnology and ocean drilling 

 core analysis. 



The Physical Oceanography Program is concerned with understanding the circulation of 

 the major oceans and adjacent seas, continental shelves, estuaries and large lakes. 

 Investigators study physical properties, water boundaries, and the driving forces, such as 

 winds, solar radiation, precipitation and evaporation, the earth's rotation, and tides. The 

 program is divided into five areas: ocean circulation, coastal and estuarine circulation, 

 ocean/atmosphere coupling, surface and internal waves and tides, and microstructure and 

 turbulence. 



The Chemical Oceanography Program supports scientists who seek to understand 

 processes affecting the chemistry of oceans, estuaries, and large lakes, and the way they 

 respond when perturbed. They study processes and mechanisms affecting chemical compounds 

 and phases in the ocean to determine routes and rates of supply to and removal from the ocean as 

 well as alterations during transit. The program is divided into five areas: equilibria and 

 physiochemical properties; transfers and transformations at the land/sea boundary; material 

 fluxes, transport, and alterations; the influence of biochemical processes; and development of 

 tracers to study large-scale processes. 



The Biological Oceanography Program has wide responsibilities involving the support of 

 scientists to study and predict relationships among marine organisms and their interaction 

 with geochemical and physical processes. A central focus is to understand ecosystems ranging 

 from ocean margins and continental shelves to central gyres and ocean basins, and ultimately to 

 understand the role of organisms in global-scale processes. Biological oceanography involves 

 research into primary production; microbial loop processes and the role of microorganisms as 

 sources and sinks of materials and nutrients; higher trophic levels and food webs; and 

 communities adapted to specialized, extreme environments. 



