FOCUS - Chemistry
Facilities that provide access to the sea, including the UNOLS Fleet, can be one of the most expensive components of oceanographic research, and facilities must be used efficiently. The chemical oceanography community generally recognizes this.
In some cases, this recognition can negatively impact small science programs that need to work in remote areas or during bad weather. This type of science may produce a small science party on a large ship , or it may involve long transits for relatively few science days. Several steps can be taken to mitigate this type of problem.
First, the funded and proposed plans for ship use should be widely distributed. Publication of these data in an easily accessible format on the Internet is under development by UNOLS and should be continued.
Second, scientists should be encouraged to review these ship requests, particularly if they plan to operate in remote areas, to see if it is possible to combine science parties or otherwise enhance efficient use of ships.
Efforts such as these will reduce costs of providing facilities support and increase the proportion of funds that can be used to support the basic science.