Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Science Plan
2011/2012 Science Priorities (PDF) (2pp, 235K)
The Region 9 Science Council (RSC) has developed the following research priorities to help determine the major areas where support is needed from the Office of Research and Development for fiscal years 2011/2012. The RSC worked with management and staff from each Division within the Region to determine their top Science Priorities. Within these priorities there are two overarching themes: (1) the need to incorporate the unique characteristics and environments of the arid southwestern portions of the country into research goals, projects, and outreach and (2) the need to consider climate change issues and impacts when addressing science priorities.
Air
- Improving air quality and public health in the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast Air Basin through research on control technologies and control strategies
- Addressing infrastructure and public health challenges associated with climate change adaptation in the Western U.S. and Pacific Islands through research on climate change and energy.
Water
- Remote wetlands delineation
- Numeric nutrient criteria development and stressor identification
- Demonstrating water quality impacts of low impact development/green infrastructure
- Assessing the cause of the decline of Delta fisheries and Central valley salmonids
- Assessing sources and loads of selenium discharges to the San Joaquin River
- Coral reef ecosystem assessment tools • Wildlife criteria development
Waste Management
- Cross-Media Impacts of Organic Materials Recycling and Biogas Use
- Materials Management: Reducing the Lifecycle Impacts from Goods through Preferred Strategies
- Green Building: Health Effects and Lifecycle Environmental Impacts from Buildings
Superfund
- Contaminated Vapor Intrusion into Buildings: Improving site investigation methods
- Asbestos Human Health Risk Assessment
- Green Remediation
- Groundwater Remediation
- Perchlorate: Human Exposure Routes
- Nanoparticles
Communities and Ecosystems
- Life Cycle Analysis of Environmental Effects of Agriculture, especially Dairy System
- Sustainability Indicators for Policy-making
- Better Methods to Identify and Evaluate the Most Vulnerable Communities and the Cumulative Impacts and/or Risks These Communities May Face
- Influx of Large-Scale Solar Energy Projects in the Desert Southwest
- Development of Tribal Environmental Indicators in the U.S./Mexico Border Region
- Impact of climate change on tribal lands, traditions, and ways of living
- Targeting Lead-based Paint Inspections Under TSCA
- Integrated approach to understanding fate and effects of pesticides in water and sediment
Archived Region 9 Science Plan
Archived Science Plan, FY07 (PDF) (22pp, 215K)
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