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The U.S. National Science Foundation Establishes the First Grant Agreement with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for Ocean Carbon Research Support
April, 2008
The U.S. National Science Foundation Establishes the First Grant Agreement with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for Ocean Carbon Research Support, April 2008
The International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project promotes the development of a global network of ocean carbon observations for research
© IOCCP


The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded UNESCO a three-year grant to support two Ph.D. personnel in managing the ocean carbon programs of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). Awarded earlier this month, this is the first direct grant agreement between the U.S. National Science Foundation and UNESCO.

The IOC serves as a liaison between the international research community and UN mandates that specifically call on the Commission to develop a global network of systematic observation and research on the ocean’s role as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, and to assess the state of the marine environment in response to a changing climate.

The ocean carbon programs of the IOC are under the direction of Dr. Maria Hood, an NSF-supported member of the UNESCO-IOC staff since 1999.

Dr. Donald L. Rice, Director of the Chemical Oceanography Program in the Division of Ocean Sciences at the National Science Foundation, commenting on the award, said “We here in the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences are very pleased that we have been able to establish this direct line for supporting the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP) at IOC. Scientifically and socially, the IOCCP is arguably one of the most important IOC activities that NSF has sponsored. (Although indirect) NSF support for the IOC was in place for many years, (today) when our need for efficient international exchange of data and discoveries relevant to the ocean carbon cycle is greater than ever before, I believe that having a direct and flexible funding linkage between NSF and IOC will significantly benefit both the U.S. and the international community at large.”

The U.S. Mission to UNESCO works with the Natural Sciences Sector and member states to strengthen the quality of UNESCO's programs in the sciences. U.S. priorities include the IOC, which also coordinates the international tsunami warning system, and the International Hydrological Program (IHP), which focuses on freshwater issues. The importance of these efforts is underscored by the fact that the U.S. remained engaged in these programs even during our nineteen-year absence from UNESCO.

Read the complete article by Dr. Maria Hood on the NSF Agreement with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for Ocean Carbon Research Support carbon programs

Links of interest



The International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP)

The Ocean Acidification Network – an information network for the international scientific community

The U.S. National Science Foundation



 
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