NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the U.S. National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The Board of the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias also approved this project. The members of the working group responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report was supported by contracts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation in the United States and through funding provided by the National Research Council and the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.
Library of Congress Catalog Number 97-68979
International Standard Book Number 0-309-05881-3
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AMC-NRC JOINT WORKING GROUP ON OCEAN SCIENCES
AGUSTÍN AYALA-CASTAÑARES (Co-chairman),
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F.
ROBERT A. KNOX (Co-chairman),
University of California, San Diego
J. EDUARDO AGUAYO-CAMARGO,
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F.
M. ELIZABETH CLARKE
(until September 1996), University of Miami, Florida
DANIEL COSTA,
University of California, Santa Cruz
ELVA G. ESCOBAR-BRIONES,
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F.
D. JOHN FAULKNER,
University of California, San Diego
ARTEMIO GALLEGOS-GARCÍA,
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F.
GERARDO GOLD-BOUCHOT,
Centro de Investigaciones y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán
EFRAÍN GUTIERREZ-GALINDO,
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, B.C.
ADRIANA HUYER,
Oregon State University, Corvallis
DALE C. KRAUSE,
University of California, Santa Barbara
DANIEL LLUCH-BELDA,
Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, La Paz, Baja California Sur
CHRISTOPHER S. MARTENS,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
MARIO MARTÍNEZ-GARCÍA,
Centro de Investigaciones Científicas del Noroeste, S.C., La Paz, Baja California Sur
CHRISTOPHER N.K. MOOERS,
University of Miami, Florida
JOSÉ LUIS OCHOA DE LA TORRE,
Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Ensenada, Baja California
GILBERT T. ROWE,
Texas A&M University, College Station
LUIS A. SOTO,
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F.
FRANCISCO VICENTE-VIDAL LORANDI, Dirección de Posgrado e Investigación,
Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Cuernavaca, Morelos
VÍCTOR MANUEL VICENTE-VIDAL LORANDI, Dirección de Posgrado e Investigación,
Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Cuernavaca, Morelos
Staff
EDWARD R. URBAN, JR., Study Director
JENNIFER WRIGHT, Senior Project Assistant
OCEAN STUDIES BOARD
KENNETH BRINK (Chairman),
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
ALICE ALLDREDGE,
University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID BRADLEY,
Pennsylvania State University, State College
DANIEL BROMLEY,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
OTIS BROWN,
University of Miami, Florida
WILLIAM CURRY,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
RANA FINE,
University of Miami, Florida
CARL FRIEHE,
University of California, Irvine
ROBERT B. GAGOSIAN,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
JOHN E. HOBBIE,
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
EILEEN E. HOFMANN,
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
EDWARD HOUDE,
University of Maryland, Solomons
JOHN KNAUSS,
University of California, San Diego
ROBERT A. KNOX,
University of California, San Diego
RAY KRONE,
University of California, Davis
LOUIS J. LANZEROTTI,
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, New Jersey
NANCY MARCUS,
Florida State University, Tallahassee
B. GREGORY MITCHELL,
University of California, San Diego
NEIL OPDYKE,
University of Florida, Gainesville
MICHAEL ORBACH,
Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina
TERRANCE J. QUINN,
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
JAMES P. RAY,
Equilon Enterprises LLC, Houston, Texas
GEORGE SOMERO,
Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
PAUL STOFFA,
University of Texas, Austin
KARL K. TUREKIAN,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Staff
MORGAN GOPNIK, Director
EDWARD R. URBAN, JR., Senior Program Officer
DAN WALKER, Senior Program Officer
SUSAN ROBERTS, Program Officer
ROBIN MORRIS, Administrative Associate
SHARI MAGUIRE, Senior Project Assistant
LORA TAYLOR, Senior Project Assistant
JENNIFER WRIGHT, Senior Project Assistant
ANN CARLISLE, Project Assistant
COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER (Chairman),
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
PATRICK R. ATKINS,
Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
B. JOHN GARRICK,
PLG, Inc., Newport Beach, California
THOMAS E. GRAEDEL,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
DEBRA KNOPMAN,
Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.
KAI N. LEE,
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
JUDITH E. MCDOWELL,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
RICHARD A. MESERVE,
Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.
HUGH C. MORRIS,
Canadian Global Change Program, Delta, British Columbia
RAYMOND A. PRICE,
Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario
H. RONALD PULLIAM,
University of Georgia, Athens
THOMAS C. SCHELLING,
University of Maryland, College Park
VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,
Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida
E-AN ZEN,
University of Maryland, College Park
MARY LOU ZOBACK,
United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
Staff
ROBERT M. HAMILTON, Executive Director
CRAIG SCHIFFRIES, Associate Executive Director for Special Projects
GREGORY H. SYMMES, Assistant Executive Director
JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative and Financial Officer
SANDI FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate
MARQUITA SMITH, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William Wulf are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
The Academia Mexicana de Ciencias (AMC), formerly the Academia de la Investigación Científica (AIC), is an independent, nonprofit association, established in 1959, to which distinguished Mexican scientists are affiliated on an individual basis. The AMC has pursued the development of scientific research in Mexico and the consolidation of the national academic community. The AMC has advocated that the production of knowledge should always be for the benefit of mankind and the preservation of the environment, while ensuring that scientific activity be governed by the ethical principles of the common good. The AMC's commitment to the Mexican nation entails promoting dialogue between scientists and members of civil society and state authorities for the examination and solution of national problems. Dr. Francisco Bolivar Zapata is its president.
The Fundación Nacional de Investigación (FNI) is a consortium of three Mexican Academies, namely the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias, the Academia Nacional de Medicina, and the Academia Nacional de Ingeniería. FNI is an auxiliary organization that serves as the operating branch of the three academies for the undertaking of joint studies with Mexican and foreign experts.
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:
Robert Dunbar, Stanford University
J. Frederick Grassle, Rutgers University
Robert Herzstein, Shearman and Sterling, Washington, D.C.
John Knauss, Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of Rhode Island
Thomas Malone, North Carolina State University
Bruce Phillips, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
Alberto Zirino, Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
The report also was reviewed by three other individuals, including two Mexican reviewers, who wished to remain anonymous. While the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, it must be emphasized that responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the NRC.
Preface
It is with great pleasure that we present the following report of the Joint Working Group on Ocean Sciences (JWG) that was a collaboration between the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias (AMC) and the U.S. National Research Council. This report resulted from cooperative efforts of Mexican and U.S. ocean scientists over a period of two and one-half years. The report is published in both Spanish and English to make its information accessible to scientists in both nations. We believe this report will provide the foundation for increased cooperation between ocean scientists and policymakers of Mexico and the United States, to the benefit of the citizens of both nations.
It has been rewarding to work together as colleagues and to discuss exciting scientific opportunities that would best be explored in binational scientific activities. We were also challenged by the social and environmental issues that will require a strong ocean science capability in both nations. We hope that this will be only the beginning of stronger binational cooperation. It is encouraging to see members of the JWG lead the way in binational cooperation by inviting participation in a research cruise, hosting a scientist on sabbatical, and jointly organizing a multinational conference focused on the Gulf of Mexico. We hope that this report will encourage such activities to multiply.
We extend our thanks to all JWG members, who worked diligently to produce this report. Special thanks are due to Ed Urban, the study director at the Ocean Studies Board, without whose extraordinary hard work, patience, and diligence this report could not have been completed. The JWG also thanks the sponsors of this study: the AMC in Mexico and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, and National Research Council in the United States.
AGUSTÍN AYALA-CASTAÑARES
Mexican Co-chairman
ROBERT A. KNOX
U.S. Co-chairman