NSF FY 1995 Budget Request: Geosciences

The National Science Foundation has requested a 9.7 percent increase for the Geosciences Activity budget for fiscal year 1995. This increase of $39.22 million would bring funding up to $443.09 million.

Note that the Geosciences Activity is a separate line item under the Research and Related Activities budget (as contrasted to the Physics and Astronomy Subactivities which are under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Activity.) The Geosciences Activity budget is divided into the following three subactivities:

Atmospheric Sciences. FY 1993 (last year) funding: $126.50 million; FY 1994 Current Plan: $134.37 million; FY 1995 Request: Up 10.0% to $147.87 million.

Earth Sciences. FY 1993 funding: 75.75 million; FY 1994 Current Plan: $80.57 million; FY 1995 Request: Up 8.3% to $87.29 million.

Ocean Sciences. FY 1993 funding: $179.35 million; FY 1994 Current Plan: $188.93 million; FY 1995 Request: Up 10.1% to $207.93 million.

Four Science and Technology Centers are supported by this budget: Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms; Center for Clouds, Chemistry and Climate; Southern California Earthquake Center; and Center for High Pressure Research. Support would increase by $160,000 to $7.99 million in FY 1995.

Geosciences funding for the following five user facilities would increase by 8.7% to $130.69 million: National Center for Atmospheric Research, Academic Research Fleet/Ship Operations, Upper Atmospheric Sciences Facilities, Earth Sciences Facilities, and Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Center. In the budget document provided to Congress, NSF states that its priorities for research are as follows:

“Strategic national initiatives, especially the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) [up $35.22 million to $134.46 million] and High Performance Computing and Communications [up $4.00 million to $6.92 million];"

“Highest quality research and education in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences through individual research grants, coordinated field programs, and research centers;" (Research Project funding is up $28.58 million to $293.56 million; Education and Training funding is constant at $10.85 million.)

“Instrumentation and facilities (including ships, aircraft, computers, radars, seismographs, and data management systems) needed to do world-class research in the geosciences.” (Facilities funding is up $10.48 million to $130.69 million.)