National Science Foundation: Ocean Acidification

by: Michael Saunders

The National Science Foundation is an independent US agency that is mainly responsible for supporting fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields associated with science and engineering.

In keeping with its goals and objectives, the National Science Foundation has recently constituted a funding opportunity entitled Ocean Acidification Program.

The Ocean Acidification Program is geared towards the acquisition of a better understanding of the potentially adverse effects of slowly acidifying oceans.

The program is designed to develop strategies and practices that will help the sustainability of ocean resources by conducting fundamental research studies on nature, extent and the impact of ocean acidification on oceanic environments.

With that, the National Science Foundation predicts that essential research studies will have to include:

a) Thorough understanding the geochemistry and biochemistry of ocean acidification

b) Thorough understanding of impact of ocean acidification on the physical and biological processes at the organism level, and how those interactions will affect the function and structure of ecosystems

c) Thorough understanding of how technology can utilize the information obtained from the earth system in acquiring better knowledge regarding the effects of ocean acidification on the present day and future oceans.

The program also encourages research projects that could identify organisms and ecosystems that are vulnerable to the changes brought about by ocean acidification, as indicated by the current trends or by the earth's geologic records.

  (continued...)

National Science Foundation: Ocean Acidification
  Page 2

About The Author Michael Saunders is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com one the the most comprehensive Websites offering information on government grants and federal government programs. He also maintains Websites providing resources on environmental grants and grants for youth programs.

Additional Resources

category - Grants for Nonprofits

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Centers for Oceans and Human Health
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has recently established a funding opportunity entitled Centers for Oceans and Human Health which provide linkages between members of ocean sciences and biomedical communities in the hopes of supporting interdisciplinary studies in areas where thorough understanding of marine processes and ecosystems harbor the potential to reduce public health risks.

---

National Estuarine Research Reserve System Land Acquisition and Construction Program
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recently announced a funding opportunity amounting to $1,690,000 to support the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land Acquisition and Construction Program.

---

Research Opportunities In Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2011
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has established the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2011 Program in order to support their agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD).

---

Northern Rocky Mountain Science Centers offers funding to Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Program
The goal of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit(CESU) Program is to jump-start research studies that address concerns regarding the effects of climate change on the hydrology and biota of northern Great Plains.

---