Findings and Recommendations - Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science - page 111

TABLE 3.1 . Estimated Costs of Proposed Programs
Program New Funds (million dollars per year)

Core Programs:
Geobiology 7

Earth & Planetary Materials 5

Hydrology 5

Instrumentation and Facilities 10

Major Initiatives:
EarthScope 10 a

Natural Laboratories 20 b

Multidisciplinary Research:
Microorganisms in the Environment 4

Planetary Science 4

Education 3

Total 68

a Exclusive of EarthScope facilities funded through the MRE program.
b Includes $5 million for instrumentation and mobile laboratories.

In constructing the budget estimates in Table 3.1 , the committee considered
the following points:

• The average annual expenditures of the disciplinary core programs in EAR
is about $11 million, while EAR contributions to special emphasis areas
range from $1 million to $11 million ( Appendix A ). Programs with total
budgets of less than a few million dollars rarely develop thriving
constituencies; the committee thus refrained from recommending new
programs below this level. The budget figures in Table 3.1 , correspond to
the annual costs of programs in current dollars.
• A substantial new core program in geobiology ($7 million) is needed to
take advantage of exceptional scientific opportunities and to furnish an
appropriate focus for EAR participation in the NSF-wide programs in
biocomplexity and the environment. In addition, the committee
recommends significant funding ($4 million) for a special emphasis area
in microorganisms in the environment, which would jump-start the
expanded EAR effort in geobiology.