COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DON FUQUA, Florida, Chairman ROBERT A. ROE, New Jersey MARILYN LLOYD, Tennessee MERVYN M. DYMALLY, California NORMAN Y. MINETA, California RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois MICHAEL A. ANDREWS, Texas BUDDY MACKAY, Florida TIM VALENTINE, North Carolina ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey. LARRY WINN, JR., Kansas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire CLAUDINE SCHNEIDER, Rhode Island ROD CHANDLER, Washington Dr. Thomas F. Malone, scholar in residence, St. Joseph College and coconvenor, Symposium on Global Change, International Council of Scientific Unions, Ottawa, Canada; and Dr. Francis P. Bretherton, senior scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research and Chair- Dr. Shelby G. Tilford, Director, Earth Science and Applications Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC; Dr. John H. McElroy, Assistant Administrator for Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC; Dr. Alvin W. Trievelpiece, Director, Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC; and Dr. Albert L. Bridgewater, Acting Assistant Director, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC... Appendix I: Letter, Sept. 4, 1984, to Chairman Harold L. Volkmer from Ruth clate INTERNATIONAL GEOSPHERE/BIOSPHERE PROGRAM: 1984 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1984 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 1:30 p.m., in room 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable Harold L. Volkmer (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. VOLKMER. The Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications will come to order. Today we open 2 days of hearings on the International Geosphere/Biosphere Program. Just over 25 years ago, the International Geophysical Year opened the space age with the launch of Sputnik and also demonstrated that a coordinated, interdisciplinary study of the Earth could yield valuable results. These two activities-the Space Program and the study of the Earth-have remained linked together because in situ and remote sensing by satellites can contribute so much to Earth science. Indeed, advances in satellite technology, coupled with advances in our ability to handle quantities of data, make it feasible to consider an ambitious program such as the IGBP. We are led to consider a program such as International Geosphere/Biosphere Program for two basic but different reasons. Both are equally important on different time scales. First, we have on our national and international agendas right now several problems that demand global, interdisciplinary scientific work for their solution. Among these I would include acid rain, the CO2 greenhouse effect, deforestation, nuclear winter, and the ozone-freon interaction. In other words, these are problems we see now. The second reason for International Geosphere/Biosphere Program is simply to understand the world we live in. I believe this reason drives many members of the scientific community. However, I want to say to my colleagues in Congress that while such understanding may not have an identifiable application now, it will surely help us avoid, or recognize sooner, tomorrow's problems. I must acknowledge that this program cuts across many jurisdictions. Our subcommittee has taken the lead because of the prominence of space technology in global scale Earth science research programs, but I want to make it clear that virtually every subcommittee of this committee will have an interest in the International Geosphere/Biosphere Program. |