Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters (AOSL), Started in 2008, is an international English journal for the publication of original Letters related to all aspects of the atmospheric sciences and physical oceanography. The journal provides a rigorous peer-review process, rapid publication speeds (final decision in three months, and publication in six months), and maintains high standards in the quality of accepted manuscripts. AOSL has a length limit of 5000 words including figures (one figure is equivalent to 400 words), tables, references and an abstract of no more than 250 words.
大洋钻探计划是从1968年开始的一项大型综合海洋科学研究计划，40多年中，经历了深海钻探计划（DSDP）——大洋钻探计划（ODP）——综合大洋钻探计划（IODP，2003-2013）三个阶段。由于大洋底部样品获得的困难性，该计划几乎是获得深海洋壳基底样品的唯一手段。最初的宏伟目标是：钻透洋壳，即获得地幔物质组成，到目前为止获得的最长岩芯为两千五百多米（504B Hole）。大洋钻探计划以来，开拓了新的科学研究领域，极大程度上拓展了海洋综合科学的发展，例如，大洋板块构造、洋壳演化、洋中脊岩浆过程、海洋沉积学、古海洋学、海底古地磁学、海洋生物学等等一系列研究。代表性贡献有：成功验证了全球板块构造学说；开创并一直检验着地幔柱学说；创建了古海洋学，极大促进了对全球环境变化认识；验证了洋壳深部存在生命活动，并一直搜寻着非光和作用的生命极限等等。 中国是IODP的成员国，每年100万美金会费，每年大约2-3个科学家可以登船，我国科学家也有机会获得宝贵了大洋钻探样品。可如今，IODP正在讨论下一阶段研究重点和计划，但偏偏这时美国的科研资助出了问题，原有的每年5个航次，要改为2-3个航次，大大缩减了资助强度。本人作为参加该计划的“科学家”之一，受首席科学家的邀请，向美国NSF提出了该计划继续执行的重要性，大量“飞信”使美国IODP有了重新申请保持资助的决心。但是，最近得到的回信结果是航次减少是必然的，重要原因也在于国际油价的飙升，增加该计划的资助只能牺牲其它科学计划的利益。将来的资助来源可能逐渐转为利益集团的资助，但这样满足集团利益的地位就很突出了，纯粹的海洋基础科学研究可能也会变味。美国科研资助危机可见一斑，估计国际综合海洋科学研究将会得到重创。再有，日本的“地球”号，5.7万吨位的巨型海洋钻探船，在本来只有4个月/年的航次前提下，又受日本地震海啸等一系列的影响，估计近年也很难有远洋钻探计划。 目前，我国海洋科学尤为落后，抓住西方国家资助危机的机会，我国海洋科学有机会缩短相关领域的差距。 下面是回信的内容： Dear Members of the Ocean Drilling Community, I thank you for the many letters of support for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) we received from students, post-docs, faculty, and research scientists from the U.S. and across the globe. We at NSF agree with your collective voices about the tremendous advances in knowledge of earth history and processes that scientific ocean drilling has achieved over more than 40 years of operation. We understand that ocean drilling is the only way to acquire such knowledge. We are gratified to read each of your individual perspectives on how much this program means to your career and to the progress of science. We expect nothing less from the program investments we make at NSF. Your letters assure us that our investment in scientific ocean drilling has been wise. Such successes lay a strong foundation as we consider IODP for renewal beyond the current 10-year program that ends in 2013. NSF shares your frustration over the need to reduce the JOIDES Resolution (JR) schedule to 6 months of operation in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. This circumstance does not reflect a decline in NSF’s support for scientific ocean drilling which remains strong despite a ~1% cut in the overall FY 2011 budget for NSF. However, the reasons for the projected reduction in drilling time are longstanding and complex, involving much more than the current national economic crisis or the increased cost of fuel. Below I provide a “big picture” view of the overall investment by NSF in IODP. I explain the causes of the reduced JR schedulein FY 2012 and outline some steps being taken by OCE in hopes of alleviating the situation. In the seven-year period from the beginning of IODP in FY 2004 to the end of FY 2010, NSF expended $517.4 million in ocean drilling including the JR retrofit ($115M), stimulus funds ($25M), and annual operating funds ($377.4M). Expenditures in FY 2011-2013 will likely bring the entire investment in the 10 year program to well over $700 million. While this is less than some may have hoped for when program was authorized by the National Science Board (NSB), it still represents a very substantial investment. It is important to understand that NSB approval is an authorization to expend funds, not an appropriation. Back in the early years of the previous decade when NSF’s overall budget was growing rapidly, ramping up the IODP/NSF budget to a much higher level seemed plausible. Unfortunately, world events since then have dramatically altered the economic landscape in which we now operate and that goal may no longer be attainable. Another way to view NSF’s support for ocean drilling is to compare our investment in IODP relative to other programs. The budget for IODP resides entirely within the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE). In FY 2010, IODP expenditures totaled $63.4M representing 18% of the total OCE budget ($349.9M) making it by far the largest single program in the division. By comparison, in FY10 the budget of the Marine Geology and Geophysics core science program stood at $28.4M, less than half (45%) of the IODP budget. From FY 2004 to FY 2010, the total OCE budget increased from about $320M to $350M or 9.4% while at the same time the IODP budget increased by 25%. Other OCE programs saw much lower proportional increases. For example, our investment in core science programs in the Ocean Section (Biological, Chemical, and Physical Oceanography Programs) increased by 11.1%, the Marine Geology and Geophysics Program declined by 3.4%, and expenditures on the academic research fleet remainedessentially flat (0.0%). Hence, since FY 2004, IODP has been treated far more favorably than any other program in OCE. Given a flat budget in FY 2011, and increased fuel costs affecting not only IODP but also the entire academic research fleet, any additional increase in the IODP budget would have to come at the expense of other programs in OCE. If the IODP budget has been increasing, why is our ability to keep the JR at sea declining now? First and foremost are the costs of fuel which have skyrocketed over the last few years. Second, IODP operating costs over the last few years have been subsidized by $25M in one-time stimulus funds received in 2009. Those extra funds are what enabled 8 months of operation since the JR left the shipyard but now are nearly exhausted. Third, cost overruns during the retrofit of the JR were temporarily financed by the vessel owner. Those additional costs were amortized by adding them to the cost of the lease at a rate of $5M per year. That excess cost directly reduces funds available for expeditions. The good news is those added costs will be fully paid off by the end of FY 2013. NSF recognizes and understands the stress to the IODP program caused by a reduction to a 6 month drilling schedule. We are taking actions to alleviate the situation. We are allowing the US Implementing Organization (USIO) to try to schedule an industry-funded expedition in the near future. Doing so would have three major benefits. First, it would remove NSF-funded day-rate costs during the period that the JR was used by an industry organization. Those saved funds could be applied elsewhere. Second, it would enhance staff retention by enabling at least some of the crew to have more days at sea at no cost to NSF. Third, it would set the stage for a viable business plan in a proposed renewal of the program. In addition, discussions with international partners about future expedition scheduling are currently underway. Our record shows that among its many ocean science priorities, OCE has provided strong support for ocean drilling science. Our regard for the value of ocean drilling remains high while recognizing that other areas of ocean science also deserve increased support. We look forward to the release of the new Science Plan and the findings of the National Research Council (NRC) review of ocean drilling science. Using these reports and others (e.g., the update of the Ocean Research Priorities Plan due this summer; the just-released NRC study on future ocean science infrastructure needs) a new subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Geosciences will provide guidance to NSF on balancing the scale of future investment in ocean drilling as we contemplate the potential renewal of the drilling program in a time of federal budget uncertainty. The NSF relies heavily on input from the academic community in making decisions. We really appreciate hearing from the community about the value of the programs we support. Thank you again for sharing with us your views about the importance of ocean drilling science. Regards, David O. Conover, Director Division of Ocean Sciences
标签: 海洋科学
