NURP Facing Funding Losses

NOAA has given the ax to the Undersea Research Program (NURP) for the fiscal year of 2013. NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and NURP officially merged on October 1 of 2007. NURP has provided NOAA the ability to use and access submersibles, technical diving, unmanned or remotely operated vehicles as well as seafloor observatories. NURP’s goal was to provide scientists with the tools and expertise needed to investigate and explore the underwater world. NURP also worked to provide grants to both federal and non-federal research communities through its six regional centers and the National Institute of Undersea Science and technology.

The Science Director of Hawaii’s Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), another program impacted by this decision, has appealed to scientists to write letters to Congress. NOAA has cut the 4 million dollar budget to NURP determining the program has “ a lower-priority function within its portfolio of research activities.”  NURP has provided research and insight into a number of operations and projects including determining impacts of trawling and other fishing practices on essential seafloor habitats, devised new and better methods to improve stock assessments, conducted research on coral reef health, Partnered with the National Science Foundation and the Department of the Interior’s Mineral Management Service to better understand deep sea chemosynthetic communities, as well as providing and developing educational programs for teachers and students.

Hawaii’s Undersea research Laboratory is asking the community to sign a petition. HURL operates two submersibles Pisces IV and Pisces V. The vehicles are two of only eight vehicles that exist in the world today that are occupied by humans, and can reach depths of greater than 1500 meters. HURL is the only facility in the Pacific Rim supporting undersea research for NOAA and other organizations. They have conducted 1900 dives representing 9300 hours of under sea research. To sign the petition go to:

http://signon.org/sign/support-deep-sea-research-1