Answer. 2. Fields of specialization of the technical staff (full-time permanent) are as follows by major discipline: Answer 3. The present level of funding in the category of environmental research, as defined in the answer to question 4 (directly and indirectly relevant) is estimated at $3 to $4 million, depending on one's definition of relevance or a little over 4 percent of total NBS operating costs. Over $0.5 million of this is contributed by other agencies, mainly the Environmental Protection Agency. NBS has no specific level of authorization of funds for environmental research. With the exception of a few highly specialized programs, NBS operates on the continuing authorization of its enabling legislation, subject to appropriations each fiscal year. Answer 4. In the category of "environmental" research we customarily distinguish between that research (and services) which is specifically aimed at an environmental measurement problem and that which is meant to advance generally the state-of-the-art in some field which has major applicability to environmental research as well as to other areas. The first kind is referred to here as "directly" relevant and the second as "indirectly" so. Where the connection of the work with environmental problems is more tenuous, it is not classified as environmental research. As examples: a project to develop measures of loudness for the purpose of assessing the effect of ambient noise on people is classified as "direct" a project to maintain and develop national acoustical measurement standards for a wide variety of users the broadcasting industry, for acoustical detection of natural events, etc., as well as for those making environmental noise measurements would be classified as "indirect," even though badly needed by the environmental research community. In this report we have tried to stay on the conservative side in assigning research to the environmentallyrelated category. The level of funding presented in the answer to question 2 supports some 80 specific R&D projects at NBS. Most are one-to-three man projects, each with a specific goal. This collection of projects is heavily weighted in the direction of the application of analytical chemistry to better air and water pollution measurement, and the determination of properties or behavior of substances which pose pollution problems. A sampling of projects is given here with comments to indicate the nature and the intended applications of work underway. DIRECTLY RELEVANT •Development of a method for certification of sulfur dioxide premeation tubes and distribution of NBS certified tubes to be used for on-site calibration of air pollution monitoring devices in the field. EPA laboratories developed the device, which is a plastic tube containing liquid sulfur dioxide that leaks very small, controlled amounts of the gas and allows preparation of acrurately known calibration samples at SO2 concentrations in air that are characteristic of industrially polluted atmospheres. This activity is a part of the NBS Standard Reference Materials Program, under which accurately characterized samples of materials are supplied to users throughout the country for calibratios of their measuring instruments. Standard samples of carbon monoxide in air are being developed for the same purpose, and research is underway on standard samples of ther air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and ozone. •Preparation, analysis, certification, and distribution of a standard reference sample of sulfur in fuel oil, trace elements in biological materials such as tree leaves. •Tracking of residual radioactivity in recycled metals from nuclear energy facilities. •Research on a method for determining the size distribution of airborne particulate matter as a means of source identification and assessment for emission control purposes. Studies of gas reactions which contribute to the production of photochemical smog-the role of sulfur dioxide and ozone among other species. •Preparation of a handbook of thermodynamic properties of materials and substances, to be used by engineers for more efficient incinerator design. A project to study the chemical properties of NTA (proposed as a phosphate substitute in laundry detergents) in water solution, to determine whether NTA solubilizes heavy metals existing in inert form in bottom sediments and facilitates their introduction into food chains. •Development of an accurate method for measurement of NTA at concentrations which might be present in natural waters should it be introduced as a phosphate substitute. Development of a new technique for detection and measurement of organic pollutants in water by gas chromatography. Study of the decomposition of synthetic polymers their degradability at high temperatures. This relates to solid waste disposal, and specifically to the fate, now unknown, of the rubber worn off of tires. Development of loudness scales taking into account the complexities of human response to noise. •Research on vehicle tire noise abatement. INDIRECTLY RELEVANT Development of humidity measurements and standards. This activity provides a basis for compatible humidity measurements that are being made by many agencies for many purposes. Humidity data are useful in the meteorological prediction of air pollution incidents. Neutron activation analysis employing the NBS nuclear research reactor. Research in this field contributes to the advancement of the state-of-the-art in chemical analysis of airborne particulate pollutants and of trace inorganic materials dissolved in water. •Development and dissemination of pH standards. This parameter is one of the more important in measurements of water quality since it is an indicator of acidity. It is used widely in industrial process control and in biomedical research as well. ⚫Development of gravimetric analysis for trace elements and substances. Gravimetric (by weight) analyses can in principle be made absolute-not requiring reliance on on-site standards for comparison. Thus, they have general promise as "referee” methods against which other simpler techniques can be checked. ⚫Basic acoustic standards and microphone calibration, referred to in the preamble. Radioactivity standards development. This research is applicable to radiation safety (occupational and medical) and, by extension, to radiation pollution measurements. Studies of air pollution penetration inside buildings, as a function of their structure and ventilation systems. Certain NBS facilities deserve special mention. We have at the Gaithersburg installation a very sophisticated sound laboratory (construction cost about $2 million) containing both anechoic and reverberation chambers; a mobile sound measurement laboratory (developed at a cost of about $75,000); a linear accelerator which can be used for activation analysis (construction cost $3 million); and an experimental research nuclear reactor, also used in activation analysis for trace element measurements (construction cost $9 million). Directions in environmental research NBS plans to implement in the near future: •Development of standards, standard reference materials, and accurate techniques for the measurement of low-level radioactivity characteristic of presentday natural waters. ⚫Research to improve accuracy of the measurement of fluid flow at low velocities characteristic of many flowing natural water systems, of lake upwelling, and slow ocean currents. ⚫Systems analysis for strategic deployment of stations within environmental quality monitoring networks; development of performance criteria for sewage disposal plants and systems reliability standards for such systems. ⚫Hardware and software design for environmental quality data networks; automation of monitoring equipment; development of voluntary standards for interfacing monitoring and data storage systems. 5. NBS has no current projects on ecosystem structure and function. 6. Almost all of the research described is conducted in our own facilities. 7. Mechanisms for identifying or addressing environmental questions are relatively informal. Since the NBS contribution is largely in the field of improvement of physical and chemical measurement methods, large-scale environmental investigations have not so far been undertaken. Many of the projects underway are of course interdisciplinary within the physical sciences and engineering; this does not pose any particular problem of the sort the question addresses. NBS activities in environmental research are initiated after identification of measurement problem areas to which NBS can most effectively contribute. Staff awareness of research needs is maintained by many mechanisms, some of which can be listed explicitly: ●Professional contact with investigators in other laboratories (Government, university, and private industry). •Direct contact with research administrators in other agencies such as EPA; this maintains awareness of "lead" agency priorities. Such contact is maintained between both technical staff and management at various levels. ⚫NBS staff participation on interagency task groups working on environmental questions. This has proved to be a most valuable way of ensuring that NBS research is imbedded in context. A few examples of such activities are memberships or participation on : -Council on Environmental Quality Task Groups on recycled materials. -Interagency Task Force on Standards for Water Data Acquisition and a companion committee on Data Handling. -Advisory Panel to the National Oceanographic Instrumentation Center (NOAA). -Radiation Safety Panel of the Federal Council on Science and Technology. -Environmental Work Group of the Department of Commerce, which reviews proposed environmental legislation and environmental impact statements. -An NBS staff member represented the Secretary of Commerce on the Federal Radiation Council. With respect to the specific question on mechanisms for coordination with EPA; we have no general formal agreement with that agency although we would respond favorably should EPA be interested in such an arrangement. However, NBS has assigned representatives to maintain liaison with the appropriate offices of EPA in the fields of air and water pollution, noise, and radiation safety. NBS has a joint agreement with the Oceanographic Instrumentation Center to provide basic standards support and advice and assistance with methods for calibration and performance testing of oceanographic instrumentation. 8. There are many well-known measurement problems related to environmental research that we cannot address because of funding limitations. In a time of staff reductions, reprogramming flexibility is reduced and NBS must pay careful attention to earlier commitments on which users of NBS services depend. Virtually, all of the NBS funded work in the environmental area in which we are now engaged is funded through reprogramming. NBS has unique facilities and measurement research competence that is clearly underutilized and on which research and services of both long and short term benefit can be built. A combination of direct and other agency funding would provide the proper balance of long and short term responsiveness, and of independence and lead agency control. THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION BACKGROUND NOAA came into existence on October 3, 1970, as proposed by President Nixon in Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970. The basic mission of NOAA is to develop a unified approach to the problems of the ocean and the atmosphere and to create a focal point within the civilian sector of the Federal Government for this purpose. NOAA's responsibilities include observing and predicting the state of the oceans, the state of the lower and upper atmosphere, and the size and shape of the earth. It maintains the nation's warning systems for such natural hazards as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and seismic sea waves, and provides information for national defense, agriculture, transportation and industry. In addition, NOAA monitors atmospheric, oceanic, and geophysical phenomena on a global basis through its complex of air, ocean, earth, and space facilities, and prepares aeronautical and marine charts and maps. NOAA has been charged with maintaining continuing and close liaison with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Council on Environmental Quality as part of an effort to insure that environmental questions are dealt with in their totality and that they benefit from the full range of the government's technical and human resources. In addition, NOAA has been designated to provide the focus or lead agency role in coordinating various environmental activities among Federal agencies and international organizations. Included among the activities of national scope involving other Federal agencies are marine mapping, charting, geodesy, and data storage; marine environmental prediction; meteorological services and supporting research; and weather modification. NOAA also has a major role in the program under which licenses will be granted for ocean dumping activities. Internationally, the United States, with NOAA in the lead agency role, is a major participant in world-wide environmental activities such as the World Weather Program and the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization and the International Council of Scientific Unions. NOAA also participates in the Integrated Global Ocean Station System and The International Decade of Ocean Exploration under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. NOAA has been designated by the State Department to prepare the U.S. Basic Paper on Monitoring of the Environment, to be presented to the Secretary General of the U.N. Conference on the Human Environment for use by the Conference at its 1972 meeting scheduled at Stockholm, Sweden. The Office of Ecology and Environmental Conservation has been established within NOAA to act as a central point to which ecological and environmental conservation interests can communicate their views on NOAA activities. The Office will review all NOAA activities which impinge on environmental matters and represent NOAA within the interagency councils of the Government on matters that involve environmental quality. ANSWERS TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS QUESTION 1a. What is the organizational structure of your environmental research program? NOAA's interim organizational structure is shown on the attached chart. In this structure the Environmental Research Laboratories are charged with fundamental research and fundamental technology development, while the remaining major line components perform mission-related research and technology development. The NOAA laboratory structure (discussed under Question 1b) provides a major national capability for environmental research. This in-house capability is complemented by out-of-house research sponsored by NOAA through grants and contracts with universities, industry and state governments. The Sea Grant Program and the Grants-in-Aid Program which provides matching funds to states for fisheries management research are the major sources of out-of-house research and development funding; however, all of the NOAA major line components support out-of-house research and development. |