This is a planning grant for Dr. Charles Nittrouer and his two other colleagues to visit Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to organize a research project in the coastal ocean of New Guinea. This is an important visit since the wet tropical terrain in the Indo-Pacific archipelago is major global source of fresh water, solutes and particulates. Oceanic processes active in the coastal oceans adjacent to wet tropical areas control the material flux that escapes to the world ocean. Very little research has been completed in the Indo-Pacific archipelago. The proposed work in and around New Guinea can provide important data on the discharge of sediments from the river and their impacts on the geomorphology, chemistry, and biology of the surrounding coastal zone. Three scientists represent biological, physical, and geological oceanography, respectively. This visit can provide important linkages with authorities and scientists in the region and lay the groundwork with local scientists.
