Oceanography | March 2017
QUARTERDECK
The Federal[scient]ist Papers
As readers know, Oceanography is published by The Oceanography
Society, a private nonprofit organization. But in light of the ongoing
vigorous discussion and debate about the size and scope of the fed-
eral government, and particularly about the appropriate funding levels
for US science agencies, this may be a good time to acknowledge the
essential support that federal agencies have provided for special issues
of Oceanography over the past two decades. Since 1996, the Office of
Naval Research, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National
Science Foundation, and the United States Arctic Research Commission
have sponsored most issues of Oceanography. Most frequently, special
issues have reviewed the science that resulted from a particular pro-
gram that an agency supported, some of which were multinational.
Other special issues have had invited papers on specific ocean-related
topics that were cross-program and cross-agency. US agencies also
generously sponsored publication of both issues devoted to women in
oceanography and the March 2016 special issue on graduate education
in the ocean sciences.
These special issues of Oceanography have been useful outlets for dis-
seminating information about government-supported ocean science
research outcomes both within and outside our community. Our sci-
ence articles are peer reviewed, are written in more accessible language
than a technical journal, and are freely and openly available on the
web, creating the potential for expanding the magazine’s audience. As
an example, recent articles in The Washington Post and The Guardian
specifically mentioned articles from the NASA-sponsored December
special issue section on Ocean-Ice Interaction. The online versions of
the newspaper articles linked to the Oceanography articles. Thanks to
social media, the articles generated an enormous spike in hits to the
Oceanography website.
Whatever the future may hold, I hope that Oceanography will remain
able to disseminate information about the valuable oceanographic
research conducted by federal agency scientists as well as scientists at
academic institutions who are funded by federal agencies. Given that
TOS membership represents 66 countries, it would be appropriate to
balance US coverage with more articles that describe research funded
by government agencies outside the United States.
I encourage submission of review articles about your government-
funded research program that articulates why your research is import-
ant and provides an accessible overview of your results and how they
affect the future of our planet (see author guidelines at https://tos.org/
oceanography/guidelines). When published, everyone can then aid in
dissemination by promoting the articles and special issues on social
media. As a famous American said, “It takes a village.”
Ellen S. Kappel, Editor
June 2017
Autonomous and Lagrangian
Platforms and Sensors
September 2017
Sedimentary Processes Building a
Tropical Delta Yesterday, Today, and
Tomorrow: The Mekong System
December 2017
Celebrating 30 Years of Ocean Science
and Technology at the Monterey Bay
Aquarium Research Institute
In addition to the special issues articles,
Oceanography solicits and publishes:
• Peer-reviewed articles that chronicle
all aspects of ocean science and its
applications
• News and information, meeting reports,
hands-on laboratory exercises, career
profiles, and book reviews
• Editor-reviewed articles that address
public policy and education and how
they are affected by science and
technology
• Breaking Waves articles that describe
novel approaches to multidisciplinary
problems in ocean science
Special Issues
Oceanography
Upcoming
https://tos.org/oceanography