Adv 1 – Leadership
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a/t: NOAA solvesNOAA fails NAP 3, “Exploration of the Seas: Voyage into the Unknown,” pg 136-7, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10844&page=136 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration, which was established in 2000, does not have the wherewithal to undertake the interdisciplinary, global ocean exploration program proposed in this report. Significantly higher allocations are needed to support a more comprehensive program. More money is needed to increase the program’s scope, its flexibility, and researchers access to equipment – all of which will serve to increase its chances for success. The budget for NOAAs Office of Ocean Exploration is indicative of current limitations on US ocean exploration. Initially funded at $4 million in 2001, during ensuing years the program has been funded for $13.2 million and $14.2 million annually. The budget for fiscal year 2004 is in the same range although at the time of publication Congressional support is uncertain. This initial effort has been worthwhile, and it serves as a basis for evaluating what can be accomplished. The effort has been partially proposal driven and partially driven by agency mission, without significant thematic direction or input from the scientific community. That aside, some regional workshopes have been held to engage more members of the scientific community in the office’s efforts. Fiscal limitations have constrained NOAAs ability to carry out a comprehensive exploration program. Critical elements, such as the following, have been compromised by a lack of money: Postcruise science is not funded. Not all discoveries are made during an actual offshore effort, and some discoveries could be missed if specialized onshore tests cannot be performed. Few significant discoveries have been announced or exploited Data management is not funded, so the oceanographic research community has little access to information Only limited technology development is funded. New sensors, for example, to investigate novel sites or measure unsampled properties of the ocean, are not being developed. Ship costs are usually leveraged with other planned programs. The resulting ad hoc efforts do not allow complete freedom to explore a particular site or to venture out of relatively well-studied areas to explore the entire world’s oceans. Project planning is often for the short term because of the nature of government budgeting and within-agency appropriations International cooperative efforts are not supported The scientific community does not see the program as a significant resource of funding for sustained exploration programs. The NOAA effort is not large enough to generate significant discoveries in the ocean sciences nor is it likely to advance the new technologies that could initiate commercial opportunities. Despite its small budget, however, the NOAA program has demonstrated that there is a substantial interest from the US ocean research community. The NOAA exploration program has received many proposals that it was unable to fund. a/t: space tradeoff DAIndependent agency solves – either/or budget decisions are because of squo agency structures Dove and McClain 12, Al Dove is an Australian marine biologist currently serving as Director of Research and Conservation at the Georgia Aquarium Research Center in Atlanta, Craig, Assistant Director of Science for the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, “We Need an Ocean NASA Now,” October 16th, http://deepseanews.com/2012/10/we-need-an-ocean-nasa-now-pt-1/ 85% of Americans express concerns about stagnant research funding and 77% feel we are losing our edge in science. So how did we get here? Part of the answer lies in how ocean science and exploration fit into the US federal science funding scene. Ocean science is funded by numerous agencies, with few having ocean science and exploration as a clear directive. Contrast to this to how the US traditionally dealt with exploration of space. NASA was recognised early on as the vehicle by which the US would establish and maintain international space supremacy, but the oceans have always had to compete with other missions. We faced a weak economy and in tough economic times we rightly looked for areas to adjust our budgets. Budget cuts lead to tough either/or situations: do we fund A or B? Pragmatically we choose what appeared to be most practical and yield most benefit. Often this meant we prioritized applied science because it was perceived to benefit our lives sooner and more directly and, quite frankly, was easier to justify politically the expenditures involved. In addition to historical issues of infrastructure and current economic woes, we lacked an understanding of the importance of basic research and ocean exploration to science, society, and often to applied research. As example, NOAA shifted funding away from NURP and basic science and exploration but greatly increased funding to research on applied climate change research. Increased funding for climate change research is a necessity as we face this very real and immediate threat to our environment and economy. Yet, did this choice, and others like it, need to come at the reduction of our country’s capability to conduct basic ocean exploration and science and which climate change work relies upon? Just a few short decades ago, the U.S. was a pioneer of deep water exploration. We are the country that in 1960 funded and sent two men to the deepest part of the world’s ocean in the Trieste. Five years later, we developed, built, and pioneered a new class of submersible capable of reaching some of the most remote parts of the oceans to nimbly explore and conduct deep-water science. Our country’s continued commitment to the DSV Alvin is a bright spot in our history and has served as model for other countries’ submersible programs. The Alvin allowed us to be the first to discover hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, explore the Mid-Atlantic ridge, and countless other scientific firsts. Our rich history with space exploration is dotted with firsts and it revolutionized our views of the world and universe around us; so has our rich history of ocean exploration. But where NASA produced a steady stream of occupied space research vehicles, Alvin remains the only deep-capable research submersible in the service in the United States. The Ghost of Ocean Science Future that We Want to See We are at a time for renewed commitment to ocean exploration and science. As stated by the Joint Ocean Commission, “Ocean programs continue to be chronically underfunded, highlighting the need for a dedicated ocean investment fund.” Captain Don Walsh, one of three men to visit the deepest part of the ocean, recently stated it best: “What we need is an Ocean NASA.” We borrow and modify John F. Kennedy’s famous speech at Rice University on the decision to go to the moon: In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world’s leading ocean-faring nation…We set sail because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. There is much to be gained from creating NASA-style Ocean Science and Exploration Agency (OSEA). Every dollar we commit to science returns $2.21 in goods and services. Meeting the scientific, technological, logistical, and administrative demands of scientific exploration creates jobs and requires substantial personnel beyond just scientists and engineers. The materials purchased for this cause support even further employment. As with NASA, meeting these scientific and engineering challenges will disseminate ideas, knowledge, applications, and technology to rest of society. This knowledge gained from basic research will form the backbone for applied research and economic gain later. And much like NASA has, OSEA will inspire the next generation of scientist and engineers, instilling in the young a renewed appreciation for the oceans of which we are all stewards: our oceans. It will provide a positive focus for society in a time where hope is often lacking and faith in science is low. OSEA will be the positive message that renews interest in our oceans and their conservation. What Does an OSEA look like? At the core OSEA would need a mission dedicated to basic research and exploration of the >;90% of the world’s oceans that remain unexplored. High risk with the potential for high impact would be the norm. Pioneering knows no other way to achieve those truly novel and impactful gains. To achieve these goals, OSEA would need substantial infrastructure and fleet including international and regional class research vessels, a submersible, remotely operated vehicles, and autonomous underwater vehicles. Funding would need to be secure on decadal cycles to insure both the longevity and permanence of this mission but allow for oversight to ensure OSEA was meeting its mission and financial responsibilities. An ocean exploration center would be staffed with a vibrant community of researchers, engineers, and administrators, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and visiting experts with a strong interacting and supportive community working toward uncovering the mysteries of the oceans. Research would be funded internally from a broad OSEA budget, not externally, freeing scientists and engineers to actually do science and engineering as opposed to the only current option, which is writing grants to other agencies with a less than 10% chance of funding. 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