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APPENDIX B:

DEFINITIONS OF SCIENCE ELEMENTS
AND TYPE OF ACTIVITY

Definition of Science Elements

1.  Biogeochemical Dynamics - The study of (1)the sources, sinks, fluxes, and interactions between mobile biogeochemical constituents within the Earth system, with a particular focus on oxygen, and other key elements, including carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and the halogens;  (2) the cycling of biogeochemical elements in the atmosphere, oceans, terrestrial regions, biota, and other sediments over Earth's history;  (3) the influence of biogeochemical elements on the regulation of ecological systems and contribution to potential "green-house" constituents (for example CO2, CH4, etc.) that might have a direct influence on climate and the life-sustaining envelope of the Earth.   Hydrology is excluded here and included in #3.  For consistency, ozone studies will be included here.

2.  Ecological Systems and Dynamics -  The study of the responses of ecological systems, both aquatic and terrestrial, to changes in global environmental conditions and of the influence of biological communities on the atmosphere, climatic, and ocean systems.  It includes studies of plant succession, terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, extinctions, relationship with geological substrate, etc.  Contemporary monitoring and specific ecosystem experiments can provide information on multiple stresses influencing the biota and on the biotic response to environmental stresses both natural and cultural; such information is needed to achieve the basic understanding required for the development of models. Identification and study of particularly sensitive and indicative ecosystems will be especially informative.

3.  Climatic and Hydrologic System -  The study of the physical