Division of Environmental SciencesDivision of Environmental Sciences
Environmental Studies ProgramEnvironmental Studies Program
Ronald Lai ([email protected])
Program Coordinator of Physical Sciences
Environmental Studies ProgramEnvironmental Studies Program
• Develops and oversees applied scientific Develops and oversees applied scientific studies required for making responsible studies required for making responsible decisions for managing energy and marine decisions for managing energy and marine mineral resources on the U.S. Outer mineral resources on the U.S. Outer Continental ShelfContinental Shelf
Applied Science for Informed Decisions on Ocean EnergyApplied Science for Informed Decisions on Ocean Energy
EnvironmentalEnvironmental Studies ProgramStudies Program
Pollutant Transport (air & Pollutant Transport (air & water)water)
Biological Resource Biological Resource Characterization (habitat & Characterization (habitat &
behavior)behavior)
Marine Environmental Marine Environmental Monitoring Monitoring
Fates and EffectsFates and Effects
Socioeconomic EffectsSocioeconomic Effects
BiotechnologyBiotechnology
Invasive SpeciesInvasive Species
LeasingLeasing
ExplorationExploration
ProductionProduction
DecommissioningDecommissioning
BOEM-Funded Research
Environmental Studies ProgramEnvironmental Studies Program
Funding Research
Competitive ContractsCompetitive Contracts
Inter-Agency AgreementsInter-Agency Agreements
Partnering Partnering NOPP; NOAA; ONR; NASA; NSF; NOPP; NOAA; ONR; NASA; NSF;
USGS; FWS; NPS; DOE; etc.USGS; FWS; NPS; DOE; etc.
Cooperative AgreementsCooperative Agreements• Coastal Marine Institutes (CMI)Coastal Marine Institutes (CMI)
• Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU)Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU)
Environmental Studies ProgramEnvironmental Studies Program
Determining Priorities
• Mission relevanceMission relevance• Scientific meritScientific merit• Technically feasibleTechnically feasible• TimingTiming• ApplicabilityApplicability• AffordableAffordable
National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP)
a. Improving Wind Waves Prediction: Global to Regional Scales
b. Improving Tropical Cyclone Intensity Forecasting
BOEM Information Needs (Oil and Gas, Sand and Gravel, and Alternative
Energy Programs)
• Modeling output shall be used to guide the environmental mitigation and control measures and safe operation in offshore environment.
• Validated full coupled atmospheric-wave-ocean models in multi-model systems provides valuable tools to assess
short and long terms
environmental impacts.
• Questions?
