Future Directions for Southern Ocean and Antarctic Nearshore and Coastal Research

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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will conduct a consensus study to provide guidance on future science research and technology directions needed to ensure continued U.S. science abilities and leadership in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic nearshore and coastal zone. The study will identify the highest-priority science directions for Southern Ocean and Antarctic nearshore and coastal research, determine research vessel capabilities needed to support these science directions, assess technologies and tools that can extend ship capabilities and/or directly support new science directions, and note gaps between the science directions, ship capabilities, and tools. The study will gather input from a broad and diverse group of oceanographers and coastal scientists, which will enhance community engagement and optimize the future use of Antarctic research vessels. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will conduct a consensus study that identifies high-priority science research directions for Southern Ocean and Antarctic nearshore and coastal research, as well as the tools, technologies, and ship capabilities needed to ensure continued U.S. science abilities and leadership in the region. An ad hoc committee of carefully selected volunteers will provide disciplinary expertise and will gather information from a base of published literature, public meetings, and a workshop with invited scientific community members. This workshop is envisioned as a main information-gathering aspect to identify science directions and the ship and technological capabilities needed to support them. The committee members will deliberate on information provided throughout the information-gathering process and will produce a written report, which undergoes a rigorous peer review. The report is publicly released after approval from the National Academies and is available as a free pdf. This consensus study approach has previously been successfully used by federal agencies to obtain strategic guidance on research priorities and future needs, thereby enabling limited resources to be used most effectively.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.