In Alaska, 1989 is remembered as the year of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In the science world, it was two years later, 1991, that an international group of marine scientists identified a need to understand how global change affects the abundance, diversity and productivity of marine populations. They concluded that our ability to predict natural changes in marine animal population is very limited and initiated the GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics) program. GLOBEC aims to advance our knowledge of the structure and functioning of the world's oceans and the ocean's response to physical forcing. It identifies the development of numerical models that assimilate real-time environmental information to track and forecast natural physical and biological conditions. These models will improve our ability to predict marine animal population change, and that predictive ability is a prerequisite for assessing anthropogenic impacts such an oil spill on marine ecosystems. In turn, improved predictive abilities will result in much more effective oil spill prevention and response strategies.

The Prince William Sound (PWS) Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) was authorized in 1990 by the United States Congress to "identify and develop the best available techniques for preventing and responding to oil spills in the Arctic and sub-Arctic" (Title V, Section 5001, Oil Pollution Act of 1990); and, also to "assess and understand the long range effects of Arctic or sub-Arctic oil spill impacts on the natural resources of Prince William Sound. . . and the environment, the economy and the lifestyle and wellbeing of the people who are dependent on them." OPA90 identifies the PWS Science and Technology Institute (known as the PWS Science Center) in Cordova, Alaska, as administrator and home for OSRI. Between 1992 and 1995, Congress appropriated $500,000 for the OSRI program. Since 1996, when amendments instituted a funding mechanism for OSRI, the program has received annual interest earnings from a $22.5 million trust held by the U.S. Treasury. OSRI's research program will continue as long as oil exploration and development occurs in Alaska.

OSRI's first strategic plan for oil pollution research and development (1995) focused on the risks and costs of oil spills. Recognizing GLOBEC's conclusions about our weakness in making physical and biological predictions, and the consequential impact on our understanding of damages caused by oil spills, the OSRI program incorporated GLOBEC's goal and approach to improve prediction of natural changes. This approach also improves our assessment of costs, a key element in identifying the best oil spill prevention and response technologies.

OSRI solicited its first proposals for grant projects in late 1997. Since 1998, OSRI has awarded an annual average of 1 million dollars supporting a wide range of projects. Today, OSRI is building from the foundation of prior research programs, such as Sound Ecosystem Assessment and the Prince William Sound Nowcast-Forecast System to help support an integrated ocean observing system. National and regional US ocean observing systems (aoos.org) are in development with goals to monitor real-time ocean observations and provide products from processed data and model simulations developed from those observations. The Prince William Sound Observing System is tailored to also address marine safety, security and ecosystem monitoring needs specific to the Sound.

The OSRI Advisory Board meets twice each year to set policies and review the implementation of OSRI programs. The Board's structure includes four committees - Executive, Scientific and Technical, Financial and Work Plan - each of which meet as needed throughout the year. Annual work plans are adopted by the Advisory Board in the early fall and determine continuing projects and new project solicitations to be issued in the coming year.

The annual work plans are based on a five-year Science Plan adopted by the Board in 2005. The Science Plan is organized around four goals identified by the Board in 2002; those goals are to Understand, Respond, Inform and Partner. The Science Plan includes continuing support for physical oceanography and meteorological programs that are part of the PWS Observing System. It also promotes partnerships and joint solicitations with other research programs (such as the Coastal Research Response Center and the North Pacific Research Board). Finally, it includes graduate student fellowships and supports education programs in the Prince William Sound region.

The Advisory Board meets annually with the Prince William Sound Science Center's Board of Directors to discuss issues of mutual interest and assure complementary development of the two organizations.