Annex 3
NERC'S MARINE-RELATED DIRECTED PROGRAMMES[62]
RECENTLY COMPLETED
PROGRAMMES
Autosub Under Ice (AUI) [£5.86 million; 2000-06]
The primary objective of the AUI programme was
to investigate the marine environment of floating ice shelves
with a view to advancing the understanding of their role in the
climate system. This entailed developing Autosub and associated
world-class monitoring technology to allow access to this previously
inaccessible environment under the ice.
Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Processes and European
Climate (COAPEC) [£4.85 million; 2000-05]
The goal of COAPEC was to determine the impact
on climate, especially European climate, of the coupling between
the Atlantic Ocean and the atmosphere, including the influence
of the El Nio—Southern Oscillation on this coupling.
Environmental Genomics [£16.5 million; 2001-06]
The Environmental Genomics programme aimed to
exploit existing and emerging genomic knowledge and technology
to advance and test evolutionary and ecological theory, and so
provide a better understanding of ecosystem structure and function.
Marine & Freshwater Microbial Biodiversity
(M&FMB) [£7.0 million; 2001-05]
The aims of the M&FMB programme were (i)
to improve our understanding of aquatic microbial biodiversity
in the context of community interactions and ecosystem function,
and (ii) to investigate the potential for biotechnological exploitation.
Marine Productivity [£6.5 million; 1998-2005]
The main aim of the Marine Productivity programme
was to develop coupled modelling and observation systems for the
pelagic ecosystem, with emphasis on physical factors affecting
zooplankton dynamics.
Ocean Margins LINK [£4.5 million; 2000-05]
The UK together with Ireland shares an ocean
margin over 1,500 km in length containing valuable oil and gas
reserves but the economic benefits of this huge area have not
yet been fully determined. The multidisciplinary Ocean Margins
LINK programme aimed to improve geological understanding of ocean
margins.
The SeaSense LINK [NERC funding of £1.5 million,
DTI funding of £0.8 million; 1996-2003]
A collaborative programme designed to support
innovative pre-competitive R&D of marine sensors. The programme
targeted a growing market need for improved sensors for monitoring
and managing the marine environment, and aimed to adapt and transfer
sensor expertise developed by non-marine industry sectors and
the science base, and create strategic links between the science
base and industry.
CURRENT PROGRAMMES
Flood Risk from Extreme Events (FREE) [£6
million; 2005-10]
The FREE programme is researching what causes
and propagates floods, so helping to forecast and quantify flood
risk, and will inform society about the likely effects of climate
change. It is bringing together researchers in the hydrological,
meteorological, terrestrial and coastal oceanography communities
in an integrated research programme for the first time. It recognises
and complements existing research and development programmes such
as the Flood Risk Management Research Consortium (FRMRC)2.
Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP) [£3.5
million; 2004-08]
The IODP is a major international research programme,
primarily funded by the USA, Japan and a consortium of European
countries. NERC, through BGS, is the lead agency in managing the
operation of the European contribution, and has successfully led
the first ocean drilling programme to core sediments beneath the
ice near the North Pole. The results of this project are underpinning
international science on the climate history of the Arctic region.
Overall, IODP aims to provide a better understanding of plate
tectonic processes, Earth's crustal structure and composition,
environmental conditions and life in ancient oceans, and climate
change. NERC funds many UK scientists to participate in this global
science project and it is seen as an important part of the training
programme for marine scientists.
Post-Genomics and Proteomics [£12.0 million;
2003-07]
This programme will focus on the application
of integrated genomic and/or proteomic approaches to answering
environmental questions in specific science areas of strategic
importance to NERC and the UK.
Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System
(QUEST) [£21.0 million; 2003-09]
The primary objective of QUEST is to achieve
a better qualitative and quantitative understanding of large-scale
processes and interactions in the Earth System, especially the
interactions among biological, physical and chemical processes
in the atmosphere, ocean and land and their implications for human
activities.
Rapid Climate Change (RAPID) [£20.0 million;
2000-07]
The major objective is to improve our ability
to quantify the probability and magnitude of future rapid change
in climate, with a main (but not exclusive) focus on the role
of the Atlantic Ocean's thermohaline circulation. Funding to continue
the programme beyond 2007 has been identified, inter alia, as
part of Theme 10 ("Integration of Sustained Observations
in the Marine Environment") of Oceans 2025.
UK Surface-Ocean/Lower Atmosphere Study (UK SOLAS)
[£10.3 million; 2003-09]
The main aim of the UK SOLAS programme is to
advance understanding of the mutual interactions between the atmosphere
and the oceans, focusing on chemical exchanges that affect both
ocean productivity and atmospheric composition and climate.
62 Funding levels are for total programme, not just
the marine element. Further details are available at www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/. Back
| 
