Sea Champion Picked for Ocean, Air Agency

Jane Lubchenco, a marine biologist with a passion for improving public understanding of science, has been tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to run the government agency responsible for understanding and conserving two vital components of the planet — the oceans and atmosphere (a choice first reported by Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post).

If confirmed, Dr. Lubchenco would be the first female administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (and under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere). She has also spoken up frequently about the need to restrict emissions of carbon dioxide, both to limit climate disruption and protect sea life. Below, you can read Dr. Lubchenco’s responses to a set of questions I posed earlier in the year on marine conservation. She is a past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as is John P. Holdren, who Mr. Obama is expected to name on Saturday as his choice for presidential science adviser. (They both also received MacArthur Foundation “genius” grants.)