﻿118 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  5 
  

  

  ent 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  oceans, 
  and 
  even 
  from 
  a 
  prac- 
  

   tical 
  standpoint 
  the 
  great 
  majority 
  of 
  mankind 
  has 
  not 
  bothered 
  it- 
  

   self 
  much 
  about 
  the 
  matter. 
  But 
  when 
  we 
  deal 
  thoroughly 
  with 
  the 
  

   problems 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  we 
  must 
  touch 
  upon 
  many 
  fundamental 
  branches 
  

   of 
  science. 
  

  

  The 
  science 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  concerns 
  with 
  like 
  interest 
  the 
  biologist, 
  

   the 
  chemist, 
  the 
  meteorologist, 
  the 
  magnetician, 
  the 
  geologist, 
  the 
  

   physiographer, 
  the 
  volcanologist, 
  and 
  others, 
  with 
  special 
  subdivisions 
  

   of 
  their 
  lines 
  of 
  investigations. 
  Also 
  the 
  navigator 
  and 
  the 
  civil 
  

   engineer 
  have 
  their 
  important 
  practical 
  problems 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  

   sea. 
  Many 
  branches 
  of 
  science 
  meet 
  in 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  their 
  

   boundaries 
  merge 
  into 
  each 
  other. 
  

  

  The 
  sea 
  has 
  made 
  for 
  us 
  a 
  clue 
  to 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  surface 
  history 
  

   of 
  the 
  world, 
  for 
  in 
  its 
  depths 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   have 
  been 
  filed 
  away 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  archives 
  of 
  nature, 
  and 
  the 
  sedimentary 
  

   rocks 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  formed 
  tell 
  us 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  history 
  

   of 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  A 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  one 
  of 
  scientific 
  interest 
  

   only, 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  pressing 
  economic 
  importance, 
  as 
  an 
  added 
  source 
  

   of 
  supply 
  of 
  human 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  ever-growing 
  populations 
  of 
  the 
  

   earth. 
  

  

  From 
  a 
  biological 
  standpoint, 
  are 
  there 
  any 
  deserts 
  in 
  the 
  sea? 
  

   Is 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  cultivate 
  the 
  sea 
  as 
  we 
  do 
  the 
  land, 
  or 
  as 
  we 
  do 
  our 
  

   oyster 
  resources, 
  or 
  our 
  streams 
  and 
  lakes 
  by 
  stocking 
  with 
  fish? 
  

  

  To 
  utilize 
  our 
  land 
  areas 
  economically, 
  topographic, 
  mineral, 
  

   forest 
  and 
  other 
  special 
  surveys 
  are 
  essential. 
  Just 
  so, 
  it 
  is 
  important 
  

   to 
  have 
  a 
  scientific 
  survey 
  of 
  our 
  ocean 
  areas 
  to 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  take 
  

   stock 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  resources, 
  and, 
  having 
  this, 
  thereby 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  

   position 
  intelligently 
  to 
  develop 
  and 
  to 
  utilize 
  its 
  resources 
  in 
  an 
  eco- 
  

   nomical 
  and 
  efficient 
  manner. 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  being 
  the 
  highway 
  of 
  the 
  commerce 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  do 
  we 
  

   also 
  need 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  food 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  for 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  

   the 
  human 
  race? 
  Or, 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  must 
  we 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  sea 
  

   to 
  provide 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  

   coming 
  populations? 
  Does 
  the 
  human 
  body 
  now 
  require 
  for 
  its 
  

   best 
  development 
  any 
  essential 
  elements 
  of 
  food 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  sup- 
  

   plied 
  by 
  the 
  sea 
  only? 
  

  

  If 
  these 
  questions 
  are 
  answered 
  in 
  the 
  affirmative, 
  then, 
  among 
  

   others, 
  the 
  sea 
  food 
  problem 
  requires 
  our 
  most 
  intelligent 
  attention, 
  

   especially 
  as 
  the 
  people 
  are 
  even 
  now 
  taking 
  thought 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  

  

  