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***NURP* -- NOAA's Undersea Research Program**

**FY 2006 SCIENCE GUIDANCE**

*This document outlines NURP's Science Guidance to the NURP Centers and
NIUST for FY 2006.*

**INTRODUCTION**

NOAA's Undersea Research Program (NURP) is a comprehensive underwater
research program that supports NOAA's mission by providing scientists
with the tools and expertise they need to conduct scientific research of
regional, national, and global importance. Of special interest to NURP
is research focused on NOAA's management responsibilities -- corals,
fisheries, and ecosystems -- and on advancing underwater technologies to
conduct this research. Additionally, NURP is keenly interested in
furthering the field of marine biotechnology research through its
*National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology's* (NIUST)
National Repository of marine natural products. This repository
represents the first intensive survey/sampling of U.S. coral reef
organisms that are screened in-house for biomedical and agrochemical
potential; and is available to qualified researchers for further
biotechnology studies.

NURP works with scientists to use advanced underwater technologies and
methods including: scuba diving, mixed-gas diving, advanced technical
diving, human-occupied submersibles, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs),
autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), sea floor observatories,
*Aquarius --* the world's only underwater laboratory, and other cutting
edge technologies. By using advanced underwater technologies, NURP helps
scientists make observations, collect samples, and conduct experiments
that would otherwise be unobtainable.

About 90 percent of the funding appropriated to NURP by the U.S.
Congress is spent extramurally (outside NOAA) on undersea research. NURP
supports high-quality, peer-reviewed research through 6 regional NURP
Centers and NIUST. The quality of NURP-supported research is ensured
through a competitive process with high standards of peer-review
patterned after the National Science Foundation.

The following research directions constitute the NURP FY 2006 Science
Guidance. These guidelines are based upon the *NOAA Strategic Plan for
FY 2005-2010*, the five-year *NOAA Research Plan for fiscal years
2005-2009,* the twenty-year *NOAA Research Vision*; and research needs
as defined by NOAA resource managers. These directions are meant to
serve as an initial guide to the NURP Centers and NIUST in forming their
approach to FY 2006. The NURP Centers and NIUST should continue to
consider their individual capabilities, expertise, and unique regional
priorities in developing their scientific and programmatic approaches.

**STRATEGIES**

In response to the changing needs of society and the environment, NOAA
has adopted a new strategic plan for FY 2005-2010. The new plan responds
to changes in climate, demographics, globalization, economies, and
stressors to the environment. *NOAA's Strategic Plan* can be downloaded
from [www.spo.noaa.gov](http://www.spo.noaa.gov/).

*NOAA's Mission:*

> ***To understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment and
> conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet the Nation's
> economic, social, and environmental needs.***

NURP responds to NOAA's mission by using its expertise in undersea *in
situ* research and technology.

*NURP's Mission:*

> ***To support NOAA's mission through advanced undersea research.***

NURP's mission directly supports NOAA by providing an *improved
understanding of the Nation's underwater resources to enable effective
ecosystem-based management*. NURP supports targeted research that
enables NOAA to achieve its Ecosystem Mission Goal to "protect, restore,
and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through
ecosystem-based management".

The NOAA Strategic Plan identifies five fundamental *activities* by
which the Ecosystem Goal can be met:

1.  ***Monitor and observe*** the land, sea, atmosphere, and space and
    create a data collection network to track Earth's changing systems.

2.  ***Understand and describe*** how natural systems work together
    through investigation and interpretation of information.

3.  ***Assess and predict*** changes in natural systems and provide
    information about the future.

4.  ***Engage, advise, and inform*** individuals, partners, communities
    and industries to facilitate information flow, assure coordination
    and cooperation, and provide assistance in the use, evaluation, and
    application of information.

5.  ***Manage*** coastal and ocean resources to optimize benefits to the
    environment, the economy, and public safety.

NURP supports primarily the activity to ***Understand and Describe***;
and also contributes information to support activities to ***Monitor and
Observe**, **Assess and Predict**, **Engage, Advise, and Inform**,* and
***Manage***.

**REGIONS OF INTEREST FOR FY 2006**

NURP supports research in all waters and their habitats within the U.S.
Exclusive Economic Zone and waters under U.S. jurisdiction including,
the Great Lakes, territorial seas, and adjacent waters of the United
States; U.S. Territories; and the Freely-Associated States.

#### [Habitats of Interest]{.underline}

NURP encourages research to be conducted in specific habitats including:

-   Coral ecosystems

-   Deep coral reefs (e.g., insular slope reefs at the edge of scuba
    limits)

-   Deep-sea coral ecosystems

-   Essential Fish Habitat

-   Seamounts and other hard bottom structures (pinnacles, outcrops,
    etc.)

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-   Hydrothermal vents and cold seeps

#### [Marine Managed Areas]{.underline}  {#marine-managed-areas .unnumbered}

NURP encourages and supports research in areas that are managed for
specific uses. The development and evaluation of management strategies
is also encouraged. These marine managed areas include:

-   Marine Protected Areas

-   Habitat Areas of Particular Concern

-   National Marine Sanctuaries

-   National Estuarine Research Reserves

-   National Wildlife Refuges

-   National Parks

**RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR FY 2006**

**[NOTE]{.underline}**: *For organizational purposes, research
directions are divided into five categories -- Corals, Fisheries,
Ecosystems, Management Strategies, and Technology Development. These
categories are for reporting convenience and are not meant to be
mutually exclusive. Additionally, some research directions are repeated
because of their applicability to multiple categories.*

These priorities were established using the research foci documented in
the five-year *NOAA Research Plan,* the twenty-year *NOAA Research
Vision*, and discussion with NOAA resource managers. These plans may be
found on [www.spo.noaa.gov](http://www.spo.noaa.gov/).

**[Corals]{.underline}**

.

**The use of novel and emerging technologies to...**

-   Define the roll of keystone species within coral communities and
    determine how they sustain such roles through studies of their
    trophic and behavioral webs, physiological metrics in comparison to
    other guild members (including reproductive physiology), recruitment
    dynamics, and population dynamics.

-   Study the life histories of economically important marine organisms
    associated with shallow and/or deep-sea coral ecosystems.

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-   Conduct research to better understand how ecosystems function,
    including interrelationships between environments, populations,
    species, and individual organisms to predict how such systems will
    react to change.

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-   Conduct research to better understand the threats faced by shallow
    coral reefs, including, but not limited to, coral bleaching, coral
    diseases, land-based pollution, and invasive species.

-   Determine the effects of environmental and climatic factors to
    organismal infectivity and susceptibility to disease, as well as on
    the health of corals.

-   Conduct research to develop methods for restoration of damaged coral
    reefs.

-   Conduct studies to increase the understanding of deep-sea corals,
    including knowledge of the corals themselves, the factors that
    influence their growth, reproduction, distribution, recruitment, and
    how communities of corals may function as habitat for fish and
    invertebrates.

-   Model and predict future environmental changes (e.g. shifts in major
    water masses) on decadal and centennial time scales using past
    environmental conditions as recorded in fossil and living deep-sea
    coral skeletons.

-   Develop models to accurately predict the effects of environmental
    changes (including natural events) on habitats of interest and
    marine managed areas (See the section entitled Regions of Interest
    for more information on critical habitats and marine managed areas).

-   Evaluate, model, and predict the effects of anthropogenic stressors
    on shallow and deep-sea coral habitats and/or ecosystems and
    estimate rates of impact recovery.

**[Fisheries]{.underline}**

**[NOTE]{.underline}**: *Fisheries includes commercially important fish
and invertebrates (e.g., Queen Conch, Spiny Lobster, American Lobster,
King Crab, Tanner Crab, etc.)*

**The use of novel and emerging technologies to...**

-   Determine how spatial and temporal patterns of diversity are
    regulated and relate spatial patterns to phenotypic and genetic
    variation in key taxa in critical habitats and marine managed areas.
    (See the section entitled Regions of Interest for more information
    on critical habitats and marine managed areas).

-   Conduct research to better understand how ecosystems function,
    including interrelationships between environments, populations,
    species, and individual organisms to predict how such systems will
    react to change.

-   Conduct studies to assess the effectiveness of management strategies
    for conserving fish stocks, essential fish habitat, biological
    diversity, and productivity.

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-   Use advanced underwater technology to develop improved techniques
    for stock assessment of fish populations, and to determine the
    effectiveness of stock or habitat enhancement efforts.

-   Model and predict the effects of anthropogenic stressors on fish
    populations, habitats or ecosystems, and estimate rates of impact
    recovery.

-   Identify, characterize, and understand essential fish habitat to
    determine requirements for healthy fish populations.

-   Assess long-term changes in oceanographic or climatic parameters
    that may affect the abundance of fish populations.

-   Determine the relationships of oceanographic and climatic parameters
    to the abundance and diversity of economically important fishery
    populations.

-   Conduct research on life histories of commercially or ecologically
    important fish and invertebrate stocks.

-   Develop models to accurately predict the effects of environmental
    changes (including natural events) on habitats of interest and
    marine managed areas (See the section entitled Regions of Interest
    for more information on critical habitats and marine managed areas).

-   Assess the influence of trophic interactions and oceanographic
    conditions on recruitment success.

-   Document and assess the effects of fishing on trophic structures.

    **[Ecosystems]{.underline}**

**The use of novel and emerging technologies to...**

-   Develop models to predict the succession of hydrothermal vent/cold
    seep communities as a response to changes in chemical flux.

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-   Seek out, recover, and culture novel organisms from unique, extreme
    environments, such as deep-sea vents and cold seeps, for the purpose
    of identifying unique bioactive compounds with commercial potential.

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-   Investigate the relationships between vent or seep geochemistry and
    the associated vent and seep communities.

-   Understand the role that methane hydrate degassing plays in the
    carbon cycle.

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-   Characterize, assess, and analyze the spread of alien and invasive
    species.

-   Collect, analyze, and archive marine samples for biomedical and
    commercial applications.

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-   Evaluate, model, and predict the effects of anthropogenic stressors
    and/or environmental changes hydrothermal vent and cold seep
    ecosystems, and estimate rates of impact recovery.

**[Management Strategies]{.underline}**

**The use of novel and emerging technologies to...**

-   Conduct studies to assess the effectiveness of management strategies
    for conserving fish stocks, essential fish habitat, biological
    diversity, and productivity.

-   Conduct research to assess the effectiveness of marine managed
    areas.

-   Conduct research to develop new management strategies or improve
    strategies in current use.

    **[Technology Development]{.underline}**

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-   Develop new technologies/methods to improve NOAA's ability to assess
    fish and invertebrate populations.

-   Develop new technologies/methods for monitoring the dynamics and
    status of ecosystems and communities, including chemical, physical,
    and biological sensors.

-   Develop new technologies for *in situ* long-term research and
    observations, including underwater vehicles for long-term immersion
    and remote control including, AUVs, ROVs, and chemical, physical,
    and biological sensors.

-   Develop new technologies/methods to support technical diving and use
    of closed-circuit rebreathers.

**GENERAL GUIDELINES**

## Eligibility {#eligibility .unnumbered}

Eligible applicants are U.S. institutions of higher education,
not-for-profit institutions, and federal, state, and local governments.
Federal agencies may not charge salary or overhead.

## Regions {#regions .unnumbered}

NURP supports research in all waters and their habitats within the U.S.
Exclusive Economic Zone and waters under U.S. jurisdiction including,
the Great Lakes, territorial seas, and adjacent waters of the United
States; U.S. Territories; and the Freely-Associated States.

##  Proposal Guidelines {#proposal-guidelines .unnumbered}

Proposals for funding from NURP through its 6 regional NURP Centers and
NIUST must meet rigorous scientific guidelines, including:

-   Research subjects must support NOAA's and NURP's strategic goals.

-   Research questions should be hypothesis-driven, and formulated in a
    way that is answerable by the proposed methodology. *"Look-and-see"
    explorations are generally not supported.*

-   Hypotheses and methods should be economic - efficiently addressing
    the research problem with the least use of resources. *"Shotgun"
    approaches to problem solving are discouraged.*

-   Proposed methodology must be adequate to address the problem,
    appropriate to the situation, and must be the most cost-effective.
    Alternative methods must be effectively eliminated.

-   Research should address processes or relationships that will lead to
    explanatory knowledge that can be extrapolated to the larger world.

-   Research should be innovative, and must produce new knowledge.

-   Proposals to develop models to predict the impacts of environmental
    change, anthropogenic stressors, etc. should contain a field
    component that utilizes the assets and/or expertise of the NURP
    Centers and/or NIUST.

-   Proposals for technology testing should utilize the new technology
    in novel scientific research.

-   Principal Investigators must demonstrate that they have background
    knowledge and familiarity with the research subject and methodology
    proposed. Previous publications in related subjects are beneficial.

Table 1. NOAA's Undersea Research Program Contacts

+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| **Program**              | **Director**  | **Address**               |
|                          |               |                           |
|                          | **Contact     |                           |
|                          | Information** |                           |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
|                          |               |                           |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ##### **NOAA's Und       | Barbara Moore | NOAA's Undersea Research  |
| ersea Research Program** |               | Program                   |
|                          | <Barbara.Mo   |                           |
| Headquarters             | ore@noaa.gov> | 1315 East-West Hwy,       |
|                          |               | R/NURP                    |
| [www.nurp.noaa.gov](ht   | Tel: (301)    |                           |
| tp://www.nurp.noaa.gov/) | 713-2427 x127 | Silver Spring, MD 20910   |
|                          |               |                           |
|                          | Fax: (301)    |                           |
|                          | 713-1967      |                           |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ***North Atlantic and    | Ivar Babb     | North Atlantic Great      |
| Great Lakes***           |               | Lakes                     |
|                          | <ba           |                           |
| ***NURP Center*** at the | bb@uconn.edu> | National Undersea         |
|                          |               | Research Center           |
| University of            | Tel: (860)    |                           |
| Connecticut at Avery     | 405-9121      | University of Connecticut |
| Point                    |               | -- Avery Point            |
|                          | Fax: (860)    |                           |
| [www.nurc.uconn.edu](htt | 445-2969      | 1084 Shennecossett Road   |
| p://www.nurc.uconn.edu/) |               |                           |
|                          |               | Groton, CT 06340          |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ***Mid-Atlantic Bight*** | Michael       | Mid-Atlantic Bight        |
|                          | DeLuca        |                           |
| ***NURP Center*** at     |               | National Undersea         |
|                          | <deluca@imcs  | Research Center           |
| Rutgers University       | .rutgers.edu> |                           |
|                          |               | Institute of Marine &     |
| [marine.rut              | Tel: (732)    | Coastal Sciences          |
| gers.edu/nurp/mabnurc.ht | 932-6555 x512 |                           |
| ml](http://marine.rutger |               | Rutgers University        |
| s.edu/nurp/mabnurc.html) | Fax: (732)    |                           |
|                          | 932-8578      | 71 Dudley Road            |
|                          |               |                           |
|                          |               | New Brunswick, NJ         |
|                          |               | 08901-8521                |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ***Southeast U.S. and    | Andrew        | Southeastern U.S. and     |
| Gulf of Mexico***        | Shepard       | Gulf of Mexico            |
|                          |               |                           |
| ***NURP Center*** at the | [shep         | National Undersea         |
|                          | arda@uncw.edu | Research Center           |
| University of North      | ]{.underline} |                           |
| Carolina at Wilmington   |               | University of North       |
|                          | Tel: (910)    | Carolina at Wilmington    |
| [                        | 962-2440      |                           |
| www.uncwil.edu/nurc](htt |               | 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane  |
| p://www.uncwil.edu/nurc) | Tel: (305)    |                           |
|                          | 451-0233      | Wilmington, NC 28049      |
|                          |               |                           |
|                          | Fax: (910)    |                           |
|                          | 962-2410      |                           |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ***Caribbean***          | John Marr     | Caribbean Marine Research |
|                          |               | Center                    |
| ***NURP Center***        | <jmarr@perryi |                           |
|                          | nstitute.org> | 100 North U.S. Highway 1  |
| Caribbean Marine         |               |                           |
| Research Center          | Tel: (561)    | Jupiter, FL 33477         |
|                          | 741-0192      |                           |
| [www.per                 |               |                           |
| ryinstitute.org](http:// | Fax: (561)    |                           |
| www.perryinstitute.org/) | 741-0193      |                           |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ***West Coast and Polar  | Jennifer      | West Coast and Polar      |
| Regions***               | Reynolds,     | Regions                   |
|                          | Acting        |                           |
| ***NURP Center***        |               | Undersea Research Center  |
|                          | <westnurc@    |                           |
| University of Alaska     | guru.uaf.edu> | University of Alaska      |
| Fairbanks                |               | Fairbanks                 |
|                          | Tel: (907)    |                           |
| [www                     | 474-5870      | P.O. Box 757220           |
| .westnurc.uaf.edu](http: |               |                           |
| //www.westnurc.uaf.edu/) | Fax: (907)    | 213 O'Neill Building      |
|                          | 474-5804      |                           |
|                          |               | Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220  |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ***Hawai*'*i and the     | John          | Hawai'i Undersea Research |
| Western Pacific***       | Wiltshire,    | Laboratory                |
|                          | Acting        |                           |
| ***NURP Center***        |               | University of Hawai'i     |
|                          | <johnw@soes   | Manoa                     |
| Hawai'i Undersea         | t.hawaii.edu> |                           |
| Research Laboratory      | Tel: (808)    | 1000 Pope Road, MSB 303   |
|                          | 956-6802      |                           |
| University of Hawai'i    |               | Honolulu, HI 96822        |
| Manoa                    | Fax: (808)    |                           |
|                          | 956-2136      |                           |
| [www.soest.hawa          |               |                           |
| ii.edu/HURL/](http://www |               |                           |
| .soest.hawaii.edu/HURL/) |               |                           |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+
| ***National Institute    | Ray Highsmith | National Institute for    |
| for***                   |               | Undersea Science and      |
|                          | <eniust       | Technology                |
| ***Science and           | @olemiss.edu> |                           |
| Technology***            |               | Department of             |
|                          | Tel: (662)    | Pharmacognosy             |
| University of            | 915-6507      |                           |
| Mississippi and the      |               | University of Mississippi |
|                          | Fax: (662)    |                           |
| University of Southern   | 915-7026      | University, MS 38677-1848 |
| Mississippi              |               |                           |
|                          |               |                           |
| [www.usm.edu/niust/](ht  |               |                           |
| tp://www.usm.edu/niust/) |               |                           |
+--------------------------+---------------+---------------------------+

**WHY WE DO THE RESEARCH?**

NURP conducts hypothesis-driven research using novel and emerging
technologies, through both the academic and federal research
communities, directed at meeting the needs of NOAA resource managers
responsible for managing corals, fisheries, and ecosystems. NURP also
conducts research to: (1) advance underwater technologies and tools to
conduct state-of-the-art research-- such as ROVs, AUVs, human-occupied
submersibles, undersea laboratories, advanced technical diving, and
biological and chemical sensors; (2) evaluate management strategies,
e.g., evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas; and (3)
develop marine natural products.

NURP research is intended to provide NOAA managers with the necessary
information to make well-informed decisions. NOAA's management
responsibilities and research authorities for corals, fisheries, and
ecosystems are derived in part from:

-   Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000

(16 U.S.C. §6401 *et seq.*)

-   Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

(as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act)

(16 U.S.C. §1801 *et seq.*)

-   National Marine Sanctuaries Act

(16 U.S.C. §1440)

-   Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000

(30 U.S.C. §1902)

-   National Materials and Minerals Policy Research and Development Act
    of 1980

(30 U.S.C. §1601)

-   Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (1978)

(43 U.S.C. §1347)

-   Executive Order 13158: Marine Protected Areas (2000)

-   Executive Order 13089: Coral Reef Protection