Support of U.S. Scientific Participation in the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES)

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports participation of U.S. ocean scientists, particularly those in the academic research community, in the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). PICES coordinates international marine research to improve understanding of living marine resources, ecosystem processes, land-ocean and atmosphere-ocean interactions, and human impacts in the North Pacific. Because North Pacific ocean systems span multiple jurisdictions, coordinated research across nations is essential to advance knowledge of marine ecosystems and resources important to the United States. The availability of travel funds not only provides influence on the scientific planning for large scale international collaborations, but also provides the opportunity to entrain colleagues and graduate students into research collaborations, scientific sessions, and workshops. The scale of the North Pacific Ocean demands broad collaboration, and the intellectual merits of international collaboration leads to increased understanding of how diverse scientists address their research. Entrainment of young scientists from both the US and foreign countries into these collaborations represents one of the capacity building strategies of PICES, and one which has a broader impact on US science through appreciation of the diverse multicultural approaches to science. 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.