§ 950.7 Center for Environmental Assessment Services (CEAS).

EDIS assists National decisionmakers in solving problems by providing data analyses, applications, assessments, and interpretations to meet their particular requirements. Many of these services are provided by the EDIS Center for Environmental Assessment Services (CEAS). (a) The following are examples of CEAS projects and services: (1) CEAS prepares data-based studies and weekly assessments of potential effects of climatic fluctuations on National and global grain production. (2) CEAS provides environmental analyses and assessments to support efficient and effective planning, site selection, design, construction, and operation of supertanker ports and offshore drilling rigs. Such planning depends heavily upon environmental assessments. (3) During the heating season, CEAS issues monthly and seasonal projections of natural gas demand for multi-State regions of the conterminous United States. Similar projections are made for electricity during the cooling season. (4) CEAS has developed and makes available when needed a statistical oil spill trajectory risk model based on historical meteorological and oceanographic data. (5) The center has analyzed the potential ecological effects of the planned disposal of huge volumes of saturated brine into Gulf waters for the National Strategic Petroleum Reserve and may be called on to provide similar services in other subject areas. (6) CEAS provides experiment design, data analysis, and data management support to project managers and produces merged, validated multidisciplinary data sets for international and national study (such undertakings as the recent key role in the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) experiments). (7) CEAS provides special data or information as required. Currently the Center is assembling an inventory of cruises and a global oceanographic data base from observations taken during the First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE). (b) Additional information on these or related services can be obtained by writing: Director, Center for Environmental Assessment Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC 20235; or by calling (202) 634-7251.