National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1969. An Oceanic Quest: The International Decade of Ocean Exploration.. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25564.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1969. An Oceanic Quest: The International Decade of Ocean Exploration.. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25564.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1969. An Oceanic Quest: The International Decade of Ocean Exploration.. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25564.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1969. An Oceanic Quest: The International Decade of Ocean Exploration.. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25564.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1969. An Oceanic Quest: The International Decade of Ocean Exploration.. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25564.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1969. An Oceanic Quest: The International Decade of Ocean Exploration.. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25564.
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PREFACE On March 8, 1968, the P r e s i d e n t of the United S t a t e s proposed the launching of "an h i s t o r i c and unprecedented adventure- an I n t e r n a t i o n a l Decade of Ocean E x p l o r a t i o n f o r the 1970's. The general concept and types of programs envisaged were described i n a r e p o r t of the National C o u n c i l on Marine Resources and Engineering Development published i n May 1968. The Council then i n v i t e d the National Academy of Sci e n c e s and the National Academy of Engineering j o i n t l y to provide advice on the s c i e n t i f i c and engineering aspects of U. S. p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n such a Decade. The Academies agreed to examine the s c i e n t i f i c and ocean engineering goals and p r i o r i t i e s among these goals, the c a p a b i l i t i e s r e q u i r e d to achieve them, the program elements of the Decade and the end products and b e n e f i t s to be a n t i c i p a t e d i f the Decade were to be implemented. A S t e e r i n g Committee f o r the Academies' study was then organized by the NAS Committee on Oceanography (NASCO) and the NAE Committee on Ocean Engineering (NAECOE). At the f i r s t meeting of the S t e e r i n g Committee i n D a l l a s on 7 August 1968, a p r e l i m i n a r y statement of goals was developed, a f i r s t attempt was made to e s t a b l i s h c r i t e r i a whereby p o s s i b l e programs could be i d e n t i f i e d as p a r t fo the Decade, and plans were made f o r conducting a workshop where study groups of s c i e n t i s t s and engineers could examine p e r t i n e n t matters i n some d e t a i l . The workshop was held a t Woods Hole, Massachusetts during the

the period 4-13 September 1968. Some f i f t y s p e c i a l i s t s , nominated by NASCO and NAECOE, worked together to prepare statements on s c i e n t i f i c and engineering requirements and goals and on programs t h a t met the e s t a b l i s h e d c r i t e r i a and could u s e f u l l y be implemented to meet these goal s . A l i s t of S t e e r i n g Committee members and workshop p a r t i c i p a n t s i s given i n Annex I . During the next few months d r a f t s were prepared and r e v i s e d by v a r i o u s group l e a d e r s , the S t e e r i n g Committee met twice (8-9 November 1968 and 20-21 December 1968) a t La J o l l a , C a l i f o r n i a , and d r a f t s were reviewed i n d e t a i l by NASCO, NAECOE, and government agency r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . At the December 20-21 S t e e r i n g Committee Meeting most problems were r e s o l v e d and Chairman Wooster was asked to prepare the f i n a l d r a f t of the S t e e r i n g Committee Report. The S t e e r i n g Committee Report was reviewed and endorsed (with minor suggestions regarding emphasis) by NASCO a t t h e i r January 23-25, 1969 meeting. During February 1969 the S t e e r i n g Committee Report was reviewed by a l l members of the Woods Hole VJorkshop, a l l S t e e r i n g Committee members, NAECOE, Marine C o u n c i l s t a f f , r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of the concerned government agencies, the NRC E a r t h S c i e n c e s D i v i s i o n , s e l e c t e d s c i e n t i s t s and engineers who had not p a r t i c i p a t e d i n the p r e p a r a t i o n of the Report, and by a group of expe r t s on i n t e r n a t i o n a l programs assembled 11

by the NAS O f f i c e of the Foreign S e c r e t a r y . These reviews have been most h e l p f u l and p e r t i n e n t suggestions have been used to c o r r e c t and strengthen t h i s r e p o r t . T h i s r e p o r t , endorsed by NASCO and NAECOE, i s f o r the most pa r t the work of and e n t i r e l y the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the St e e r i n g Committee. While generous use has been made of the d r a f t s prepared a t the Workshop and of advice and comments from reviewers, f i n a l determination of emphasis and of p r o j e c t s s e l e c t e d f o r i n c l u s i o n was made by the S t e e r i n g Committee. As the concept of an I n t e r n a t i o n a l Decade of Ocean E x p l o r a t i o n i s f u r t h e r developed and considered both i n the United S t a t e s and among the ocean-oriented n a t i o n s , new programs of merit w i l l emerge and minor changes i n emphasis may be requi r e d f o r s c i e n t i f i c , engineering, p o l i t i c a l or f i n a n c i a l reasons. T h i s , of course, i s as i t should be. During the process, we b e l i e v e t h a t t h i s r e p o r t can serve as a u s e f u l b a s i s f o r d i s c u s s i o n s , both n a t i o n a l l y and i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y . F urther d e t a i l e d development of the Decade should be the work of a permanent Decade Planning Group. Warren S. Wooster, Chairman W i l l i a m E. Shoupp, Vice-Chairman 111

TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page PREFACE i PROLOGUE 1 Distinguishing Features of the Decade 2 Uses of the Ocean 6 Objectives of United States Participation in the Decade 8 Organization of the Report 9 SUMMARY AND MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS Objectives, Goals and Characteristics 10 Relation Between Ocean Uses and Decade Programs (Min- eral Resources, Living Resources, Waste Disposal, Ocean Trans- portation) 12 Summary List of Disciplinary Programs (Geology, Biology, Physics, Geochemistry) 17 Geographical Regions of General Interest 22 Summary of Recommendations on Implementation 24 BENEATH THE SEA 34 Potential Mineral Resources 41 International Cooperative Study of Eastern Atlantic Con- tinental Margins 47 Small Ocean Basins 5 6 Deep Drilling 58

Plate Tectonics 59 Deep Ocean Exploration 65 Boundary Definition 67 THE VITAL STUFF 69 Fisheries Studies 74 A National Goal 76 An International Goal 81 Biological Studies 87 TWO FLUIDS 92 The Peculiar Importance of Forecasting the State of the Ocean Surface Layer 94 Working Toward a Global Forecasting Model 98 Preliminary Forecast Experiments for the Decade 102 Permanent Ocean Stations 108 Pilot Studies of New Methods of Measurement 111 The Deep Ocean 116 SOURCE AND SINK 119 Geochemical Ocean Section Study 121 Transport Processes 123 WAYS AND MEANS 126 Adequacy of Funds 127 Enhanced National Capabilities Manpower 130 Facilities (Buildings, Platforms, Special Installations, Associated Equipment) 131

Improved Technology (Navigation, Platforms, Living Resource Location and Extraction, Survey Methods, Data Manage- ment, Standards) 134 National Program Management Planning 150 Coordination 155 Review 156 Associated Social Studies 157 Strengthening Possibilities for International Cooperation Mutual Assistance 159 Freedom of Scientific Research 161 International Coordination Coordination Tasks 163 Existing Organizations 165 Relation to Other Programs 167

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