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SUMMARY AND MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS Objectives, Goals and Characteristics We propose the following basic objective for the Decade: "To achieve more comprehensive knowledge of ocean charac- teristics and their changes and more profound understanding of oceanic processes for the purpose of more effective utilization of the ocean and its resources." As a corollary to this objective, the following set of goals should be adopted: "To acquire by 1980 an enhanced capability to . . . .exploit, conserve and manage in a rational,economic manner the major living resources of the ocean, and the mineral resources of the continental margin; . . . .evaluate realistically the economic potential of the mineral resources of the deep sea floor, and to provide the factual basis for ration- al decisions about their jurisdiction; . . . .make useful predictions of oceanic conditions on operationally significant time scales; . . . .control modifications of the marine environment resulting from man's intervention; . . . .operate effectively at the surface, within, and at the bottom of the marine environment." Programs appropriate to the Decade would, for the most part, be long term and continuing investigations of cooperative nature, directed toward objectives of - 10 -
widespread interest concerned with more effective utilization of the ocean and Its resources. Although the principal emphasis of the Decade is on the use of the ocean and its resources, many of the investigations proposed in this report are identical with those that can be justified on a purely scientific basis. A noteworthy outcome of the discussions among scientists and engineers was the con- sensus that more effective utilization is now principally limited by lack of scientific information and understanding. Exploration, in the broad sense used in this report, was considered the appropriate and desirable activity for the large-scale cooperative programs of the Decade. The more local and intensive prospecting and development of exploitation techniques, on the other hand, is a task for the industry concerned, or in some cases, for a specific government agency that may be involved. It is possible to identify relatively specific goals in several fields of marine affairs . It is more di f f icul t to specify detailed plans for future research. An inherent characteristic of science is the inability to predict what w i l l be the most fertile lines of attack on identified problems for sev- eral years ahead. Therefore, we have proposed a number of programs, des- cribed in more or less detail, as examples of investigations that are ger- mane to the Decade objective and goals. These examples are drawn from our present experience and understanding; because of the continual evolu- tion of this understanding,it is probable that other proposals of higher prior- ity w i l l subsequently arise. - 11 -
