NOAA SCIENTIFIC REVIEW

1
NOAA SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
OF THE
Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric
Studies
CIMAS
University of Miami Miami FL 20-21 February 2003
2
A Brief Introduction to CIMAS
3
The CIMAS Vision

• To serve as a center of excellence in Earth
  Systems Science and the human interactions with
  the Earth System
• To serve as a means of using this knowledge to
  improve and protect our Environment and to use
  it more effectively and benevolently.
• To convey this knowledge to the public through
  education and outreach.

The CIMAS Vision is consistent with that of the
School and the University at large.
4
The CIMAS Mission

• To conduct research in the terrestrial, ocean,
  and atmospheric environment within the general
  context of the NOAAs mission
• To focus on the physical, chemical, and
  biological interactions between and among these
  environments
• To understand the role of humans in affecting
  these environments and the impact of the changes
  in the environment on humans
• To facilitate and participate-in education
  programs that are grounded in advanced Earth
  System Science..

The School and the NOAA laboratories on Virginia
Key have unique capabilities with which to
address this mission.
5
CIMAS Research Themes

• Theme 1 Climate Variability
• Investigate the dynamics of the ocean and the
  atmosphere and the ways in which they interact on
  interannual and longer-scales and the link to
  climate variations.
• Theme 2 Fisheries Dynamics
• Enhance our understanding of fisheries and
  ecosystem dynamics so as to improve the
  management of fisheries and marine protected
  species.
• Theme 3 Regional Coastal Ecosystem Processes
• Carry out research on the ecological health of
  coastal ocean ecosystems in the Southeast U.S so
  as to lead to better management strategies.

6
CIMAS Research Themes New Directions

• Theme 4 Human Interactions with the Environment
• Study human interactions and impacts on the
  environment so as to provide a scientific basis
  for environmental decision-making.
• Theme 5 Air-Sea Interactions and Exchanges
• Understand the energy exchanges and interactions
  between the atmosphere and the oceans and the
  consequent effects on atmospheric and ocean
  mixing and circulation.
• Theme 6 Integrated Ocean Observations
• Study the integration of modeling and physical
  measurements in the ocean and the atmosphere so
  as to achieve optimal designs of observing
  systems.

7
Organization of the Review

• Theme Reviews Provide an integrated overview of
  research
• Brief overview of history of the theme
• Highlights of current research
• Future directions
• Stress cross-institutional efforts
• Keyed to individual poster presentations
  (handout).
• Special Topics Cross linking issues

8
CIMAS Personnel Profile
CIMAS has status of a division in the School but
has no faculty

• CIMAS activities involve about 70 persons in
  various capacities.

• Typically employ about 30 temp high school
  students under Outreach

9
CIMAS Administrative Tasks
CIMAS activities are grouped under four
administrative Tasks related to different aspects
of the CIMAS mission.

• Task 1 base program of CIMAS. Provides
  administrative structure. Includes support for
  postdocs, graduate students and limited-term
  collaborating research scientists.
• Task 2 support for specialized research
  scientists - employed by CIMAS to complement
  existing expertise at NOAA.
• Task 3 and Task 4 directed research programs of
  CIMAS. Support for research by University
  faculty and scientists.
• Task 3 cooperative with local NOAA labs (reduced
  indirect cost)
• Task 4 all research not covered by Task 3 (full
  indirect cost).

10
CIMAS Personnel Profile

• Research Associates are under Task 2.
• Work closely with the local NOAA laboratories.

• There has been a rapid growth in this class of
  employee.

11
CIMAS Funding

• The history of Task 1 funding from AOML and SEFSC
  
• 1996-1997 to 2001-2002

• There has been a steady growth in Task 1 over the
  past 6 years.
• Activity in SEFSC is more variable than in AOML.

12
CIMAS Funding
Task 2 (Research Associate) funding 1996-1997 to
2001-2002

• Most Task 2 is in AOML.
• There has been a steady growth in Task 1 over the
  past 6 years.
• Growth is mostly in AOML
• There appears to be some net growth in SEFSC.

13
CIMAS Funding
Combined Task 1 and Task 2 1996-1997 2001-2002

• There has been steady growth over the past 6
  years.
• Approximately doubled.

14
CIMAS Funding
Research Funding Combined Task 3 and Task
4 1996-1997 2001-2002

• There is no evidence of a consistent growth trend
  in Research Funding comparable to that in Task 1
  and Task 2.

15
CIMAS Funding
Total CIMAS Funding All Tasks 1996-1997
2001-2002
There is a growth trend but it is driven by Task
1 and Task 2
16
CIMAS Funding
Sources of All Extramural CIMAS Funding 2001-2002

• NOAA sources dominate.
• OAR, OGP, and COP are the major sources
• NMFS is a growing source

17
Major Issues in NOAA-CIMAS Relations
18
Issues in interacting with NOAA that require
attention
Lack of participation in long-term planning.

• JIs as a whole now account for almost half the
  work force in OAR laboratories.
• JIs expend a sizeable fraction of the NOAA and
  OAR research budget.
• Eleven Joint Institutes responsible for 290
  million dollars of NOAA research over the five
  year period, 1996-2001.
• OAR accounts for about 60 of the total volume of
  NOAA activity in JIs
• JIs carry out 92 million dollars of research for
  NESDIS, NWS NMFS and NOS.

• Yet JIs have no effective way of impacting on
  NOAA planning.
• JIs, in effect, had no input into the current
  NOAA Strategic Plan

19
Issues in interacting with NOAA that require
attention
Absence of procedures and source of funding for
developing new research directions in JIs.

• Lack of funding of Task 1 for independent program
  development.
• After years of prodding from the JIs, OAR is
  beginning to address this issue. (See insert
  under Response to Questions tab.)
• Given the continuing financial stress in NOAA, it
  remains to be seen if there is follow through on
  this issue.

20
Issues in interacting with NOAA that require
attention
Harassment from DOC legal counsel

• There has been a dramatic increase in legal
  oversight.
• Much of it a result of a lack of understanding of
  how we work.
• Example The Explorer of the Seas issues (later
  today).
• NOAA and OAR should take a greater role in
  increasing communication between JIs and DOC
  counsel.

21
Issues in interacting with NOAA that require
attention
Maintaining balance between the research function
in JIs and support of research activities in
NOAA.

• Over the past decade, great growth in the number
  of employees in JIs.
• An increasing proportion are engaged in
  activities that are critical to research
  activities in NOAA.
• Many could not be described as research
  scientists of PI caliber.
• A dramatic increase in persons working in
  Information Technology.
• This trend not anticipated by the MOU (which is
  dated in many ways).
• What is the appropriate balance between PI-driven
  research activities funded through CIMAS and the
  support functions that CIMAS fulfills.
• In CIMAS over the past 6 years the number of
  employees in Task 1 and Task II doubled whereas
  research budgets have been essentially flat.

22
Issues in interacting with NOAA that require
attention
Splitting the School over Two Campuses

• In past reviews CIMAS and local NOAA laboratories
  praised for close working relationship cited as
  an example of how JIs should work.
• Close relationship facilitated by proximity of
  School and NOAA labs.
• Possible change University may purchase of the
  Cutler Bay Corporate Centre (CBCC), formerly
  headquarters for Burger King.
• Good News Three buildings with 317,000 square
  feet space (slightly larger than current School
  space) located on 80 acres of prime bay-front
  property.
• Bad News CBCC is located 20 miles (by road)
  south of the present campus.

23
Cutler Bay Corporate Center
My House
24
Issues in interacting with NOAA that require
attention
Splitting the School over Two Campuses

• The strategy under discussion split the campus,
  with some activities remaining on the present
  campus.
• Provost and Dean repeatedly emphasized importance
  of the link between the University and NOAA.
• They have specifically stated that CIMAS and all
  activities associated with CIMAS and the local
  NOAA laboratories will remain on the present
  campus.
• Nonetheless, this move will inevitably affect the
  way that CIMAS and NOAA have cooperated for 25
  years.

25
Questions?