International Science in the National Interest at the U.S. Geological Survey (2012) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 History and Context of USGS International Activities
2 History and Context of USGS International Activities
Pages 23-38
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 23... ...
government agencies that address issues of land use and management, energy and mineral resources, environment and climate, and public health. Geological survey agencies at federal and state levels conduct mapping, monitoring, and research in Earth and environmental science to inform near- and long-term decision-making and government policies.
|
From page 24... ...
The Director of the United States Geological Survey, which office is established, under the Interior Department, shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. This officer shall have the direction of the United States Geological Survey, and the classification of the public lands and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain.
|
From page 25... ...
The USGS mission is broad and thus requires expertise in multiple areas to assess climate and land-use change, manage ecosystems, assess energy and mineral resources, monitor and mitigate natural hazards, monitor and manage water resources, and provide topographic, geological, geochemical, and geophysical maps. In addition to the other DOI bureaus with which the USGS collaborates, other federal science agencies with Earth science-oriented missions and expertise (e.g., NASA, NOAA, ARS)
|
From page 26... ...
. In addition to these activities, the USGS has established several Centers of Excellence within the United States that have been asked to participate in various international projects in polar regions, wetlands areas, and seismically active zones worldwide (e.g., the Antarctic Resource Center,6 the National Wetlands Research Center,7 and the National Earthquake Information Center8)
|
From page 27... ...
Geological Survey and, as a by-product of that partnership, became familiar with and then became actively involved with a(n) effort to understand the potential of the mineral wealth of Afghanistan and the challenges, which are many, to the Afghans in developing that resource in a socially and environmentally responsible way, but that would lead to economic sovereignty for the people of Afghanistan…9 Appendix C provides additional descriptions of USGS international activities from postWorld War II through the mid-1990s, and Box 2.2 provides some examples of recent, major international efforts requiring USGS involvement.
|
From page 28... ...
Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project: assesses global supply, demand, and availability of critical minerals. This assessment is being conducted in cooperation with other national and international geological and mineral resource institutions, with USGS serving to coordinate the global assessment.
|
From page 29... ...
agency partners, international organizations, and foreign governments using "reimbursable" funds.11 The OIP indicates that from 2006 to 2010, the USGS directed $15 million per year of federally appropriated funding toward international energy assessments, mineral assessments, and invasive species monitoring and research.12 The USGS has also used federal appropriations to fund international activities related to natural hazards, such as global earthquake monitoring. Some of these activities take place as a result of direct congressional mandates, and others are conducted on the initiative of the USGS to support the fulfillment of its domestic mission and U.S.
|
From page 30... ...
Advancing U.S. foreign policy and national security interests by - providing information and technical assistance in responding to natural disasters in foreign countries; - providing technical assistance in the assessment of water, energy, and mineral resources; - supporting development of information standards; - facilitating collaboration among resource and information managers; - conducting studies to manage invasive species; - providing technical assistance to international organizations in managing biological information; - conducting global assessments of energy and mineral resources.
|
From page 31... ...
for USGS international science projects. Note that the lists of agencies and organizations are not exhaustive.
|
From page 32... ...
In addition to the specific scientific expertise the Survey provides to international studies, these partners cited capacity building as a critical component of much of the USGS international work. The four agencies also emphasized the value they place on the longevity of their relationships with the Survey, the fact that the USGS is an established, worldwide leader in many Earth science disciplines, and the Survey's reputation as a reliable partner that generates high-quality products.
|
From page 33... ...
Agency for International Development; Emily Scott, Department of Defense; and Gotthard Walser, World Bank lines, expressed by DOS Circular 175.15 These projects typically involve several partners and funding streams can also be from several sources, including both reimbursable and appropriated funds. The USGS Natural Hazards mission area, for example, uses a combination of congressionally appropriated funds and reimbursable funds for international work.
|
From page 34... ...
Sources of reimbursable funding for interactional activities in the Natural Hazards mission area include the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) , which supports the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program and the Earthquake Disaster Assistance Team (EDAT)
|
From page 35... ...
As authorized by a 1962 amendment to the Organic Act, the USGS examines the "geological structure, mineral resources, and products" both within and outside the national domain in support of U.S. national interests and for the benefit of the American people.
|
From page 36... ...
, foreign countries, international institutions, and other organizations -- and the projects vary considerably in terms of scope, duration, goals, and outcomes. Chapter 3 summarizes recently concluded and ongoing USGS international interactions and collaborations, and identifies how these activities have supported the overall USGS mission and/or U.S.
|
From page 37... ...
2003a. USGS Mineral Resources Program: The Global Mineral Resources Assessment Project.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.