Ocean Studies Board Activities in Support of NSF

The requested funding will be used to continue providing guidance on major ocean-related science, engineering, and policy issues to the federal ocean agencies, including the National Science Foundation. The Ocean Studies Board (OSB) is the focal point within the National Academy of Sciences for ocean-related science, engineering, and policy issues. The board explores the science, policies, and infrastructure needed to understand, manage, protect, and restore coastal and marine environments and resources.

The board has produced reports that garner interest from the public media, various industries, educational institutions, Congress, and other federal agencies. The convening function of the board brings together the academic, federal and state agency, and industry scientists as well as interested stakeholders on particular issues such as fisheries and coastal hazards.

OSB supports ocean literacy and helps build the public’s understanding of how the ocean influences their daily lives, educates children about the Earth’s environment and its processes, and inspires the next generation of ocean scientists. They support recruitment of minorities into the earth sciences through participation in mentoring and fellowship programs.

In 1999, the OSB initiated the Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture. This annual lecture, held in Washington, DC, focuses on ocean science topics of interest and importance to policymakers and the public. In addition, through the National Academies’ Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellows program, graduate student fellows are supported.

The Ocean Studies Board (OSB) of the National Academy of Sciences explores the science, policies, and infrastructure needed to understand, manage, and conserve coastal and marine environments and resources. It provides a forum for ocean issues to be discussed, organizes studies to help address these issues, and produces reports that are available to the public.

The OSB conducts a wide range of activities, from in-depth studies of scientific controversies to fast-track reviews of urgent policy issues. The OSB core support is shared between multiple federal agencies. In addition to the activities related to ocean issues, this proposal provides partial support for expenses associated with OSB core, Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), the Revelle Lecture, and U.S. National Committee for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development activities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.