Earth and Life Studies RSS Feedhttp://dels.nas.edustudies in progressCopyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.http://dels.nas.eduen-usWed, 19 06 2013 17:01:59 EDTWed, 19 06 2013 17:01:59 EDTDELS-Webmaster@nas.eduDELS-Webmaster@nas.eduhttp://dels.nas.edu/images/dels/dels-earth-title.pnghttp://dels.nas.eduhttp://dels.nas.edu/Study-In-Progress/Decadal-Survey-Ocean-Sciences/DELS-OSB-12-032013-05-28 00:00:00.0http://dels.nas.edu/Study-In-Progress/Mississippi-River-Water-Quality-Science/DELS-WSTB-12-01http://dels.nas.edu/Study-In-Progress/Review-draft-paper/DELS-BEST-12-06http://dels.nas.edu/Study-In-Progress/Opportunities-Remote-Sensing/DELS-PRB-12-02The material that sustains the nuclear reactions that produce energy can also be used to make nuclear weapons—and therefore, the development of nuclear energy is one of multiple pathways to proliferation for a non-nuclear weapon state. There is a tension between the development of future nuclear fuel cycles and managing the risk of proliferation as the number of existing and future nuclear energy systems expands throughout the world. As the Department of Energy and other parts of the government make decisions about future nuclear fuel cycles, DOE would like to improve proliferation assessments to better inform those decisions. This study considers how the current methods of quantification of proliferation risk are being used and implemented, how other approaches to risk assessment can contribute to improving the utility of assessments for policy and decision makers. The study also seeks to understand the extent to which technical analysis of proliferation risk could be improved for policy makers through research and development.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Improving-Assessment-Proliferation/183352013-06-12 00:00:00.0This report reviews the science that underpins the Bureau of Land Management's oversight of free-ranging horses and burros on federal public lands in the western United States, concluding that constructive changes could be implemented. The Wild Horse and Burro Program has not used scientifically rigorous methods to estimate the population sizes of horses and burros, to model the effects of management actions on the animals, or to assess the availability and use of forage on rangelands. Evidence suggests that horse populations are growing by 15 to 20 percent each year, a level that is unsustainable for maintaining healthy horse populations as well as healthy ecosystems. However, promising fertility-control methods are available to help limit this population growth. In addition, science-based methods exist for improving population estimates and predicting the effects of management practices in order to maintain genetically diverse, healthy populations, and estimating the productivity of rangelands. Greater transparency in how science-based methods are used to inform management decisions may help increase public confidence in the Bureau of Land Management.<br /><br /> <strong><h3>Webinar Registration</h3></strong><br /> <a href="https://nasevents.webex.com/nasevents/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=660841344">June 18th</a> 11:00 a.m. EDT<br /> <a href="https://nasevents.webex.com/nasevents/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=663097112">June 26th</a> 1:00 p.m. EDT <br /><br /> <strong>Additional materials are available online, including <a href="/global/banr/horse-and-burro-faq">an FAQ</a> and <a href="/global/banr/horse-and-burro-map">an interactive map</a>.</strong><br /><br />http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Using-Science-Improve/135112013-06-04 00:00:00.0At the request of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for several chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies, such as accidental or intentional chemical releases in community, workplace, transportation, and military settings, and for the remediation of contaminated sites. Three AEGLs are approved for each chemical, representing exposure levels that result in: 1) notable but reversible discomfort; 2) long-lasting health effects; and 3) life-threatening health impacts. This volume in the series includes AEGLs for Agent BZ (3-quinuclidinyl benzilate), ethyl phosphorodichloridate, n-hexane, methanesulfonyl chloride, nitric acid, propargyl alcohol, and vinyl acetate.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Acute-Exposure-Guideline-Levels-Selected/183132013-05-01 00:00:00.0When determining the potential effects pesticides could pose to endangered or threatened species, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) should use a common scientific approach, this report finds. Specifically, the agencies should use a risk-assessment approach that contains problem formulation, exposure analysis, effects analysis, and risk characterization. <br /><br /> Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), before a pesticide can be sold, distributed, or used in the United States, EPA must ensure that it does not cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment, which includes species that are listed as endangered or threatened and their habitats. The U.S. Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies, including EPA, to consult with FWS and NMFS when a federal action "may affect" a listed species or its habitat. If EPA determines that a pesticide is "not likely to adversely affect" a listed species, and FWS or NMFS agrees, no further consultation is required. However, if EPA determines that a pesticide is "likely to adversely affect" a listed species, a formal consultation with FWS or NMFS is required, and FWS or NMFS determines whether a proposed action is likely to jeopardize the listed species and issues a biological opinion. <br /><br /> Over the last decade, questions have been raised regarding the best approaches or methods for determining the risks pesticides pose to listed species and their habitats. EPA, FWS, and NMFS have developed their own approaches to evaluating environmental risks because their legal mandates, responsibilities, institutional cultures, and expertise differ. Although the agencies have tried to resolve their differences in assessment approaches, they have been unsuccessful at reaching a consensus. This report examines the scientific and technical issues related to determining risks posed to listed species by pesticides.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Assessing-Risks-Endangered-Threatened/183442013-04-30 00:00:00.0Mandated by the Global Change Research Act, the National Climate Assessment is produced every four years by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. This NRC report evaluates the draft 2013 National Climate Assessment. It provides both practical suggestions for immediate improvements to the document, and broader considerations, for example, about fundamental approaches used in certain parts of the draft Assessment, and about the scope of the research that underlies the Assessment findings. Overall, the Panel finds that given the current state of the science and the scope of resources available, the 2013 National Climate Assessment does a reasonable job of fulfilling its charge to inform the President, the Congress, and the nation about the current state of scientific knowledge regarding climate change effects.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Review-Draft-2013/183222013-04-15 00:00:00.0Access to energy and mineral resources is essential to support the United States' high standard of living, economy, and security. Energy in the U.S. comes from a variety of sources, including fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), nuclear energy, and renewable sources (solar, wind, and geothermal). Nonfuel minerals are necessary for the existence and operation of products and services used by people every day and are provided by the mining industry. However, as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, the nation is facing the loss of many experienced energy and mining workers in industry, academia, and the government. At the same time, the current educational system is not producing enough qualified workers to fill current and future jobs, which increasingly require science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills. Some innovative solutions are being pursued, but more action is needed if the nation is to maintain a skilled workforce able to supply its energy and mineral needs.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Emerging-Workforce-Trends/182502013-03-21 00:00:00.0In recent years, extreme storms and hurricanes have caused increasingly disastrous flooding along U.S. rivers and coastlines, with much of the damage occurring when levees failed or were overtopped by water. This report examines how FEMA National Flood Insurance Program assesses, mitigates, and insures against flood risk behind levees, and how the program communicates that risk to the public. FEMA needs an updated approach to analyze and manage flood risk to give public officials and individual property owners a more precise idea of the risks they face, the report finds. Because no levee completely eliminates flood risk, more effective communication is needed to increase awareness and encourage communities behind levees to use multiple methods to manage flood risk.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Levees-National-Flood-Insurance/183092013-03-20 00:00:00.0Humans have long relied on underground space for the placement of physical structures that allow our cities and developed areas to function safely. These include building foundations, underground utilities (e.g., power, gas, communications, waste management), transportation (e.g., roads and highways, subways, freight and passenger rail) and their supporting facilities. However, underground infrastructure is rarely engineered in coordination with other underground or surface infrastructure, or in consideration of how it may contribute to the long-term sustainability of society—considerations that will be increasingly important as populations increase, climate changes, and more demands are placed on underground infrastructure. <br /><br /> Underground engineering can promote sustainability if conducted using a more holistic approach to lifecycle planning, construction, and maintenance, and if the underground is considered part the total above- and below ground urban and natural system. Because urban underground space is a nonrenewable resource, a thorough understanding and tracking of the health of its natural and manmade systems is needed to inform broader urban planning. The lack of coordinated management of and support for research and development in underground engineering undermines US leadership in this field and jeopardizes the ability of city planners to meet sustainability goals. This report offers a new multidisciplinary framework for research, education, and training to prepare a domestic workforce with that capacity.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Underground-Engineering-Sustainable-Urban-Development/146702013-02-28 00:00:00.0Increasing renewable energy development, both within the United States and abroad, has rekindled interest in the potential for marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) resources to contribute to electricity generation. These resources derive from ocean tides, waves, and currents; temperature gradients in the ocean; and free-flowing rivers and streams. One measure of the interest in the possible use of these resources for electricity generation is the increasing number of permits that have been filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As of December 2012, FERC had issued 4 licenses and 84 preliminary permits, up from virtually zero a decade ago. However, most of these permits are for developments along the Mississippi River, and the actual benefit realized from all MHK resources is extremely small. The first U.S. commercial gridconnected project, a tidal project in Maine with a capacity of less than 1 megawatt (MW), is currently delivering a fraction of that power to the grid and is due to be fully installed in 2013. <br /><br /> As part of its assessment of MHK resources, DOE asked the National Research Council (NRC) to provide detailed evaluations. In response, the NRC formed the Committee on Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Technology Assessment. As directed in its statement of task (SOT), the committee first developed an interim report, released in June 2011, which focused on the wave and tidal resource assessments (Appendix B). The current report contains the committee's evaluation of all five of the DOE resource categories as well as the committee's comments on the overall MHK resource assessment process. This summary focuses on the committee's overarching findings and conclusions regarding a conceptual framework for developing the resource assessments, the aggregation of results into a single number, and the consistency across and coordination between the individual resource assessments. Critiques of the individual resource assessment, further discussion of the practical MHK resource base, and overarching conclusions and recommendations are explained in this report.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Evaluation/182782013-01-29 00:00:00.0We live in a changing world with multiple and evolving threats to national security, including terrorism, asymmetrical warfare (conflicts between agents with different military powers or tactics), and social unrest. Visually depicting and assessing these threats using imagery and other geographically-referenced information is the mission of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). As the nature of the threat evolves, so do the tools, knowledge, and skills needed to respond. The challenge for NGA is to maintain a workforce that can deal with evolving threats to national security, ongoing scientific and technological advances, and changing skills and expectations of workers. This report assesses the supply of expertise in 10 geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) fields, including 5 traditional areas (geodesy and geophysics, photogrammetry, remote sensing, cartographic science, and geographic information systems and geospatial analysis) and 5 emerging areas that could improve geospatial intelligence (GEOINT fusion, crowdsourcing, human geography, visual analytics, and forecasting). The report also identifies gaps in expertise relative to NGA's needs and suggests ways to ensure an adequate supply of geospatial intelligence expertise over the next 20 years.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Future-Workforce-Geospatial/182652013-01-25 00:00:00.0The world's ocean has already experienced a 30% rise in acidity since the industrial revolution, with acidity expected to rise 100 to 150% over preindustrial levels by the end of this century. Potential consequences to marine life and also to economic activities that depend on a healthy marine ecosystem are difficult to assess and predict, but potentially devastating. To address this knowledge gap, Congress passed the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act in 2009, which, among other things, required that an interagency working group create a "Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification." This National Research Council (NRC ) report reviews the strategic plan on the basis of how well it fulfills program elements laid out in the FOARAM Act and follows the advice provided to the working group in the NRC's 2010 report, <i><a href="http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Ocean-Acidification-National-Strategy/12904">Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean</a></i>. This report concludes that, overall, the plan is strong and provides a comprehensive framework for improving our understanding of ocean acidification. Potential improvements include a better defined strategy for implementing program goals, stronger integration of the seven broad scientific themes laid out in the FOARAM Act, and better mechanisms for coordination among federal agencies and with other U.S. and international efforts to address ocean acidification.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Review-Federal-Ocean-Acidification/170182013-01-10 00:00:00.0At the request of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for several chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies, such as accidental or intentional chemical releases in community, workplace, transportation, and military settings, and for the remediation of contaminated sites. Three AEGLs are approved for each chemical, representing exposure levels that result in: 1) notable but reversible discomfort; 2) long-lasting health effects; and 3) life-threatening health impacts. This volume in the series includes AEGLs for boron trifluoride, bromoacetone, chloroacetone, hexafluoroacetone, perchloryl fluoride, piperidine, propargyl alcohol, trimethoxysilane and tetramethoxysilane, and trimethylbenzenes.http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Acute-Exposure-Guideline-Levels-Selected/158522013-01-04 00:00:00.0