The FY 1999 Budget Request for U.S. Polar Programs is $244.96 million, an increase of $16.43 million, or 7.2 percent, over the FY 1998 Current Plan of $228.53 million.
 

NSF conducts Polar Programs through two budget Activities:

• U.S. Polar Research Programs include funding for both Arctic and Antarctic research, as well as operations and science support.
• U.S. Antarctic Logistical Support Activities fund logistics and operational support provided by the Department of Defense that contribute to the U.S. presence in Antarctica.

The Arctic and Antarctic are premier natural laboratories whose extreme environments and geographically unique processes enable research not feasible elsewhere. Projects supported by Polar Programs employ ice sheets to detect high energy subatomic particles, utilize astrophysical observations made in cold dry polar conditions to determine the evolution and structure of the universe, analyze the chemistry of ice cores as a record of global climate history, examine the effects on marine life of increased ultraviolet light (UVB) from ozone depletion, and elucidate adaptation mechanisms of organisms and ecosystems to harsh living conditions.

NSF is one of twelve federal agencies supporting Arctic research and logistics. The Foundation provides interagency leadership for research planning as directed by the Arctic Research Policy Act of 1984. NSF also supports university research to increase our knowledge of the region, to improve understanding of Arctic phenomena, and to enhance stewardship of natural resources.

In the Antarctic, NSF is charged with managing all U.S. activities through a single integrated program. The U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) implements national policy to maintain Antarctica as an area of international cooperation reserved for peaceful purposes, to preserve and pursue unique opportunities for scientific research to understand Antarctica itself, as well as its role in global environmental systems, to protect the relatively unspoiled environment and its associated ecosystems, and to assure the conservation and sustainable management of the living resources in the surrounding oceans.

Funding for the USAP includes research and the science support directly linked to research projects, as well as support for the broader operations and logistics infrastructure that makes it possible to conduct science on the remote and uninhabited continent. Across the USAP, research grants and science support account for about 40 percent of the program.

U.S. Polar Programs support activities through the Foundation’s key program functions: Research Project Support; Education and Training; Research Facilities; and Administration and Management.

 
Research Project Support: Priority is given to fundamental research that can be uniquely undertaken in the polar regions. Research in the Arctic and Antarctic covers virtually every aspect of our planet: the solid earth, glacial and sea ice, terrestrial ecosystems, the oceans, the atmosphere and beyond. Research on the solid earth is integral to understanding plate tectonics. Glacial and sea ice studies focus on the unique role of polar regions in climate. Marine/terrestrial biota studies rely on the extreme environment to study systems relatively unaffected by humans. Ocean studies concentrate on the role of polar regions in generating nutrient-rich, cold currents that influence global ocean circulation. High latitude magnetic field and upper atmospheric studies provide singular views of near-earth space physics. The dry, cold atmosphere at the South Pole, its 9,300 foot elevation and six month continuous night permit astronomical studies not feasible elsewhere. The search for Antarctic meteorites enables fundamental advances in knowledge about the origin of our solar system, including possible life on Mars.

Within Research Project Support, three centers are funded in Antarctica. The Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica conducts research in both astronomy and astrophysics at the South Pole. Two Antarctic Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites are part of the U.S. LTER network. On the Antarctic Peninsula, the LTER near Palmer Station focuses on marine research, with field support from the research vessel Laurence M. Gould. At the LTER in the Dry Valleys near McMurdo Station, researchers study polar desert oases and permanently ice-covered lakes. These sites involve a number of researchers, graduate students and undergraduates from several universities across the United States as well as researchers from other federal agencies.

Arctic and sub-Arctic LTERs in Alaska -- at Toolik Lake and at the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest -- are the base for studies of Arctic forests, tundra, lakes and streams. These LTERs are supported through NSF’s Biological Sciences Activity, with associated research supported by Polar Programs.

Polar Programs will be part of the Foundation-wide effort to address concerns about grant sizes by increasing the average award size and duration and providing more support for researchers, with particular attention to new investigators. These efforts will also contribute to increased efficiency in the Foundation’s merit review process, and achieve greater cost-effectiveness for both NSF and the university community. In addition, Polar Programs will participate in the Foundation-wide initiative on Research on Education and Training Technology, undertaken in partnership with the Department of Education.
 

Education and Training: Innovative efforts in Polar Programs contribute to the integration of research and education. These efforts, some of which are carried out cooperatively with the Education and Human Resources Activity, as well as with other agencies, include use of new technologies (interactive video); outreach activities providing Arctic and Antarctic research experiences to high school teachers; efforts to improve scientific literacy and education in Alaska; and contribution to development of a geosciences curriculum for undergraduates (GLACIER) relating geoscience disciplines to polar phenomena, in particular ice sheet evolution. Polar Programs also supports the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training program.
 

Research Facilities - Polar Science Operations and Logistics: Research in the polar regions is also supported through provision of special facilities and logistics.

Arctic

Support for Arctic research facilities, through Polar Programs and other NSF Activities, includes support for Arctic field stations and large instrument facilities in Alaska, Greenland, and Arctic Canada:

• U.S. Navy nuclear submarines provide for an annual science cruise to the Arctic Ocean for unclassified, dual-use research in physical, chemical and biological oceanography, including a limited number of emergences through the ice for a variety of measurements.
• Camps and automated stations on the North Slope of Alaska support studies of carbon dioxide and methane fluxes from the tundra, as part of Polar Programs’ Arctic System Science component.
• A facility at Kangerlussuaq provides support for research on the Greenland Ice Cap.
• Facilities leased at Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland support terrestrial/icecap field programs in northern Greenland and on the drifting ice of the Arctic Ocean.
• A monitoring site at Point Barrow, Alaska, is supported by Polar Programs in partnership with NOAA for studies of ultra-violet radiation.
• The research vessel Alpha Helix, part of the U.S. academic research fleet, undertakes oceanographic research in high latitudes. Primary support comes through NSF’s Ocean Sciences Subactivity, with joint support from Polar Programs.
• Activities in Canada and Greenland are undertaken in cooperation with researchers from the host country and local governments. Summit Camp is the site of atmospheric chemistry studies that extend the results of the earlier Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP 2) for climate research on deep ice cores. NSF’s Atmospheric Sciences Subactivity, with cooperative support from Polar Programs, supports a range of facilities. Greenland locations include the Sondrestrom Incoherent Scatter Radar Facility, and the Magnetometer Array on the Greenland icecap -- both for studies of upper atmospheric effects such as aurora. A magnetometer at Iqaluit on Baffin Island provides additional high-latitude sites for upper atmospheric research.

In the Antarctic, funds for polar science operations and logistics make research possible by providing all the infrastructure, instrumentation, and logistics necessary for scientists from all disciplines -- including over 600 650 science personnel from institutions in over 30 states who travel to Antarctica for their research. This support includes forward staging facilities in New Zealand and South America, as well as the home ports or headquarters for the military and civilian contractor in the United States. Facilities include:

• A year-round facility at McMurdo Station on Ross Island that functions as the logistics hub of the USAP in addition to the staging area for major summer research camps. It is the southernmost solid ground accessible by ship, and is the largest of the three Antarctic permanent stations. Research conducted at the Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center in McMurdo and in the immediate vicinity emphasizes glaciology, geology and geophysics, and long term ecological research.
• A year-round facility at the Amundson-Scott Station, located at the geographic South Pole. Research areas supported by the station include glaciology, meteorology, astrophysics, upper atmosphere physics, and astronomy research related to the origin and evolution of the universe.
• A year-round facility at Palmer Station on Anvers Island. This is the only Antarctic Station north of the Antarctic Circle. It is one of NSF's long-term ecological research sites, focusing on biological and marine ecosystem research.
• Aircraft necessary to provide transportation of people and cargo to and within the continent; all support for outlying field camps; and search and rescue operations. Some aircraft are owned or leased by NSF, and others are provided on a cost-reimbursable basis by the Department of Defense.
• Two leased research vessels -- the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, a research icebreaker designed to operate year-round throughout the Antarctic Ocean, and the R/V Polar DukeLaurence M. Gould, which supports research in the Antarctic Peninsula area and provides the entire logistic support of Palmer Station. The present lease for the R/V Polar Duke has been extended through Spring 1997. The successor, the R/V Laurence M. Gould, under construction in Louisiana, is expected to be available in early autumn 1997.
• A Polar Class Coast Guard icebreaker for breaking the channel to McMurdo Station for a tanker and supply ship that are provided on a cost reimbursable basis by the Military Sealift Command.
• Operations support by a civilian contractor, Antarctic Support Associates, which operates the stations, leases private ships and planes, maintains facilities, and provides science support.
• Air traffic control, meteorology services, and electronic equipment maintenance support by a Department of Defense organization, Space and Warfare Systems Center Charleston.
• Helicopter operations support by a civilian contractor, Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.

Administration and Management: The administration and management key program function includes $1.35 million for Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointments and contractors performing administrative functions.
 

National Policy for Antarctica

In 1996 the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) completed a government-wide review of U.S. Antarctic policy at the request of Congress and reaffirmed U.S. policy, including the need for a continuing U.S. presence at the South Pole. The report also recommended that an external panel be convened by NSF to explore options for sustaining the high level of USAP science activity under constrained funding, including consideration of South Pole Station.

As a result of the NSTC review, NSF convened the U.S. Antarctic Program External Panel, chaired by Norman Augustine, then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The Panel’s 1997 report included the following recommendations:

• The U.S., as a matter of national policy, should maintain a continued year-round presence in Antarctica, including at the South Pole.
• The U.S. should promptly initiate steps to eliminate safety and health shortfalls at all U. S. facilities in Antarctica and, because of their magnitude, particularly at South Pole Station.
• The U.S. should continue to maintain permanent facilities in Antarctica at Palmer, McMurdo and the South Pole.
• The existing South Pole Station should be replaced with an Optimized Station. This construction can be accomplished by the year 2005 if the necessary budgetary steps are taken immediately (to initiate funding for the period FY98-FY02).

NSF’s Enhanced Role in the Arctic

The Arctic plays a central role in regional and global environmental issues, especially those related to climate and resource development. Current model simulations predict that the Arctic will be the first place on the planet to be significantly impacted by projected climate changes. The Arctic is also of considerable importance from economic and national policy perspectives. The Alaskan Arctic and adjacent areas contain significant oil, natural gas and marine resources. Research findings will assist with the management and development of these natural resources in ways that sustain the environment.

The need for additional scientific information is matched by new opportunities, including the opening of the Russian Arctic to researchers, the declassification of U.S. and Soviet oceanographic data, and the launching of the research icebreaker USCG Healy. The Polar Programs Arctic Research Program will participate with other NSF Activities to enhance support for research and education in the Arctic. In FY 1999, support across NSF will total about $81 million, an increase of approximately $27 million:
 

Emphasis includes expansion of logistics capabilities, research platforms and facilities; extension of education and outreach activities, especially those exploring new technology venues and distance learning; increased scientific cooperation at international levels, and further development of research programs on the human dimensions of global change. In FY 1999, over $50 million is requested for research and education, $9.5 million for targeted logistics improvements, and $21.0 million for the Polar Cap Observatory. An Arctic Affiliates group, with representatives from across the Foundation, provides interaction among NSF programs supporting Arctic research.
 

Foundation-wide Activities

The FY 1999 request for U.S. Polar Research Programs includes participation in Foundation-wide activities.

Life and Earth’s Environment (LEE): In FY 1999, Polar Programs will provide an increment of $10.0 million for LEE. Plans include:

• Integrated Research Challenges in the Environmental Sciences – an increase of $7.35 million for studies of the role of microscopic plants in the food chain of the Arctic Ocean; studies of soil structure and permafrost; and the development of improved technological capabilities such as autonomous underwater video and sampling equipment to study remote polar regions.
• Global Change – an increase of $1.60 million for research on global change/earth system interactions, with emphasis on the interaction between human communities in the Arctic and global change, and on the role of microbes in control of generation and emission of greenhouse gases.
• Life in Extreme Environments (LExEn) and Environmental Observatories - an increase of $250,000 for LExEn research and $80,000 for support of Long-Term Ecological Research sites in Antarctica.

Educating for the Future (EFF): In FY 1999, support for EFF will increase $1.26 million to enhance activities such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program; Scouting in Antarctica; Live from Antarctica project linking researchers to classrooms; curriculum development initiatives; summer internships in Alaska; and Teachers Experiencing the Antarctic and Arctic.

Participation in the NSF-wide Major Research Instrumentation program will continue.