Blue Template for Slide Presentations

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33rd IGC International Consortium of Geological
Surveys
An Integrated Strategy for Government-Sponsored
Science Mark Myers, Director U.S. Geological
Survey11 August 2008
U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological
Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological
Survey
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Night light produced largely from fossil fuels
An index of population and human power in the
environment
NASA
Night light produced largely from fossil fuels
Lots of Us Using Lots of Stuff!
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Human-induced changes on a global scale
Rising demand for resources Approaching
thresholds of ecosystems Scientific knowledge is
essential for a sustainable society
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Ecosystem Services
Goods and services of value to humans that come
from natural systems Not well integrated into
decision making Not fully valued in economic
discussions, societal decisions Markets are
insufficient to convey benefits of ecosystems
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Finding balance - environment and people
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Science a bridge to rational solutions
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The Relevance of National Surveys
Authoritative, unbiased Accessible
Extensive national and global observation
networks and databases require a national
commitment Historical perspective essential for
information continuity and archival
Decision support tools Partnerships optimize
science resources, build consensus
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USGS Science Strategy
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Circum-Arctic Resources Assessment

• First publicly available petroleum resource
  estimate of the entire area north of the
  Arctic Circle released 23 July
• Conducted with international partners
• Geological Survey of Canada
• Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
• U.S. Minerals Management Service
• Norwegian Petroleum Directorate
• USGS World Energy Consortium
• Cambridge Arctic Shelves Programme

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Polar bears and a changing Arctic

• USGS science findings contributed to the DOI
  decision to list polar bears as a threatened
  species 1. Sea ice is vital to polar bear
  survival 2. Sea ice habitat has dramatically
  melted in recent decades 3. Models suggest sea
  is ice likely to further recede in the future
• USGS studies other impacts of changing Arctic
  conditions
• Other Arctic species
• Recoverability of energy resources
• Law Of The Sea issues

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Great Southern California Shakeout
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Toward future geological surveys

• New frontiers for Geological Surveys
• Beyond traditional categories of natural
  resources
• Assess energy alternatives
• Consider societal resilience
• Expand as vital sources for science information