This award provides continued support for the International Secretariat and core operations of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). The IGBP was established in 1986 by the international Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) in order to facilitate international collaborative research that would describe and understand the interactive physical, chemical, and biological process that constitute critical parts of the total Earth system and the changes that occur within and among those components. The IGBP sponsors seven core projects, each of which addresses a scientific question of major importance for an understanding of global biogeochemical cycles. These core projects include studies of atmospheric chemistry, ocean biogeochemistry, coastal zone processes, terrestrial ecosystems and land use, biospheric aspects of the hydrologic cycle, and past global changes. The IGBP also supports international data and information management activities, and it co-sponsors the Global Change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START). Through this award, NSF will provide three years of funding for continued support of the IGBP on behalf of all agencies participating in the U.S. Global Change Research Program. U.S. support is matched by contributions from more than 40 other nations.
