The Board on Earth Sciences and Resources (BESR) provides a focal point for National Research Council activities related to the earth sciences. Under the auspices of the Board, standing committees and ad hoc committees provide independent advice to the federal government on a wide range of earth science issues, including research, the environment, natural hazards, resources, data, and education. It also provides guidance related to U.S. participation in international earth science programs. The standing committees of the Board are Committee on Earth Resources; Geographical Sciences Committee; Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering; Committee on Geophysical and Environmental Data; Committee on Seismology and Geodynamics; and Mapping Science Committee. Presently, BESR is overseeing eleven ad hoc studies with the several more expected to begin in 2011. Studies presently under way are: Deep-Time Geologic Records for Understanding Climate-Change Impact; Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters; Management and Effects of Coalbed Methane Development and Produced Water in the Western United States; National Earthquake Resilience - Research, Implementation, and Outreach; National Requirements for Precision Geodetic Infrastructure; New Research Directions for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA): A Workshop; New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences at the National Science Foundation; Private-Public Sector Collaboration to Enhance Community Disaster Resilience; Sea-Level Rise in California, Oregon, and Washington; Spatial Data Enabling USGS Strategic Science in the 21st Century; Underground Geoengineering for Sustainable Development; and Uranium Mining in Virginia.
