Planning, Prioritizing, and Implementing Gulf of Mexico
Regional Marine Research and Information Needs

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Gulf of Mexico Research Plan Now Available

The depth and breadth of research needs in the Gulf of Mexico are too great for the limited financial and human resources that are available. In order to use these limited resources efficiently, the research community needs a prioritization process. The mission of the Gulf of Mexico Research Plan (GMRP) is to identify priority research needs for the Gulf of Mexico through broad constituent input and to implement strategies to address those needs. The goal is to assist the Gulf of Mexico research community, including those who conduct or administer research or use research findings.

More than 1,500 people from 260 universities, government agencies, businesses, NGOs, and other organizations provided input in the development of the GMRP. The highest-rated Gulf of Mexico research priorities are framed within five theme areas. These theme areas, presented alphabetically, are:

• Ecosystem health indicators
• Freshwater input and hydrology
• Habitats and living resources
• Sea level change, subsidence, and storm surge
• Water quality and nutrients

The research priorities for the Gulf of Mexico cover many disciplines including anthropology, biology, chemistry, climatology, ecology, economics, engineering, geology, hydrology, oceanography, physics, sociology, and many others. The GMRP, supporting documents, and appendices are available at the report webpage.

The next step to effectively address the regional research needs is to develop an implementation plan. To implement the GMRP, it is essential that the research community recognize opportunities in funding partnerships to optimize the use of expertise and limited resources throughout the region.

This page was last updated on 24 September 2009.