The Unique Role of USGS in Marine Biological Research

The Biological Resources Division (BRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a unique role among Federal Agencies conducting biological research in marine ecosystems: Our primary focus is on science needed for the conservation of Department of Interior (DOI) trust species on DOI "lands" that border or encompass marine waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Marine research projects in BRD are conducted under a variety of thematic programs (for example, Status and Trends, Endangered Species, Global Climate Change, etc.) and out of BRD Research Centers, Field Stations and Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units scattered throughout the country.

What is the purpose of this web site?

Owing to this diversity and distribution of research effort, it is difficult to grasp the full extent of BRD marine research activities-- or appreciate how BRD research projects dovetail with those of other Federal agencies.  This web site is simply a portal to BRD marine science on the web. It guides you to existing web sites with information on marine research-- both within and outside of BRD. With a great deal of search effort, you could find all this information yourself. Our purpose here is to save you time by zeroing in on marine research programs and issues in the DOI  that concern us in BRD.

What's on this web site?

We provide you with direct links to National, Regional and Local web sites for DOI agencies with marine interests. We draw your attention to a variety of marine research projects currently underway at BRD Research Centers and Cooperative Research Units across the country. You can also see what other USGS divisions— including the Geological Division, Water Resources Division, and Mapping Division— are doing in the marine research arena by navigating through their national web sites.  Tour local web sites for some 180 different National Wildlife Refuges, National Parks and Seashores to view the dazzling array of properties administered by the DOI, and read about the marine conservation issues they face. Review the kinds of marine research being supported by the DOI’s Minerals Management Service. Compare marine research conducted in DOI with that being done in the largest Federal agency dedicated to marine science: the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

What's not on this web site?

Most importantly, a lot of BRD Research Centers, National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks are not found here if they do not have some link to marine issues. Furthermore, web sites that are featured here may be incomplete or lacking in details. Some sites are well developed and easy to navigate. Others are still under development, and provide scant information on marine science projects or programs. Much USGS-BRD marine science is simply not reported on the web, or unavailable to us at this time. Nonetheless, we hope you find this a useful beginning to exploration of biological marine science in the USGS.

Background: The evolving role of USGS in marine ecology.

The Biological Resources Division (BRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) faces many new challenges as we enter the 21^st century. Our current biological research program reflects a history of working within different Department of Interior (DOI) agencies in the past. Our current mandate is to provide scientific advice and conduct research on a wide range of biological issues for a suite of Interior agencies with properties scattered over an enormous geographic area.

The arena of marine research has been particularly dynamic and challenging. Whereas DOI has traditionally focused on land-based interior issues, a variety of DOI trust species such as seabirds and marine mammals depend almost exclusively on marine resources and range over the entire continental shelves of both coasts. More than 180 DOI properties, including National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks, host a variety of species such as turtles, salmon and marine waterfowl that wander freely between freshwater, estuarine and marine habitats. Some properties include within their boundaries marine waters that support a myriad of wholly-marine organisms. DOI-managed habitats range from tropical coral reefs to glacial fiords, barrier beaches to active volcanic islands. Management concerns encompass a wide range of issues including habitat degradation, pollutants, visitor impact, commercial and subsistence harvest, invasive and endangered species, etc. In turn, human impacts must be weighed against the background of natural variability, habitat succession, and climate change— none of which are trivial to assess and often require knowledge of processes acting over enormous spatial and temporal scales.