﻿120 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  5 
  

  

  In 
  fact, 
  as 
  we 
  learn 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  facts 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   we 
  also 
  learn 
  of 
  their 
  important 
  influence 
  upon 
  our 
  lives. 
  

  

  I 
  suppose 
  that 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  that 
  are 
  really 
  

   worth 
  while 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  suggested 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  studied 
  by 
  

   some 
  one, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  at 
  least 
  partly 
  solved, 
  but 
  my 
  wish 
  

   is 
  to 
  emphasize 
  strongly 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  an 
  intensive 
  pursuit 
  of 
  those 
  

   that 
  have 
  scientific 
  or 
  economic 
  value, 
  and 
  for 
  concerted 
  effort 
  and 
  

   standardized 
  action, 
  that 
  an 
  awakened 
  and 
  sustained 
  interest 
  may 
  be 
  

   had 
  in 
  those 
  problems, 
  especially 
  by 
  all 
  those 
  nations 
  whose 
  borders 
  

   touch 
  the 
  oceans 
  and 
  who 
  thereby 
  must 
  the 
  more 
  readily 
  realize 
  the 
  

   importance 
  of, 
  and 
  be 
  much 
  interested 
  in, 
  such 
  matters. 
  

  

  Much 
  more 
  of 
  actual 
  observations 
  at 
  sea 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  needed 
  to 
  

   verify 
  existing 
  theories 
  or 
  to 
  modify 
  them 
  to 
  conform 
  to 
  the 
  further 
  

   facts 
  of 
  observation. 
  

  

  The 
  mechanical 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  are 
  more 
  nearly 
  solved 
  than 
  

   its 
  physical 
  ones. 
  The 
  helps 
  to 
  the 
  navigator 
  are 
  far 
  advanced, 
  

   and 
  the 
  life-saving 
  and 
  property-saving 
  appliances 
  are 
  well 
  up 
  to 
  

   date, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  mariner 
  sails 
  on 
  a 
  more 
  familiar 
  sea 
  than 
  the 
  ocean- 
  

   ographer 
  or 
  the 
  geophysicist. 
  But 
  this 
  is 
  only 
  because 
  his 
  problems 
  

   were 
  the 
  more 
  immediate, 
  and 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  method 
  and 
  of 
  

   science 
  was 
  first 
  applied 
  in 
  his 
  direction 
  for 
  very 
  obvious 
  reasons; 
  

   he 
  has 
  been 
  here 
  with 
  his 
  practical 
  problems 
  since 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  modern 
  

   science 
  and 
  has 
  stood 
  ready 
  to 
  apply 
  its 
  findings 
  to 
  the 
  betterment 
  of 
  

   his 
  art. 
  The 
  applications 
  of 
  radio 
  communication 
  have 
  become 
  the 
  

   genius 
  of 
  ocean 
  navigation, 
  and 
  of 
  longer 
  distance 
  weather 
  predic- 
  

   tions. 
  

  

  Yet 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  clearly 
  to 
  separate 
  the 
  pure 
  science 
  from 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  science 
  in 
  oceanography, 
  as 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  stimulate 
  

   the 
  other, 
  and 
  the 
  discoveries 
  of 
  science 
  soon 
  become 
  the 
  necessities 
  

   of 
  the 
  practical 
  navigation 
  and 
  other 
  economic 
  uses 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  OCEANOGRAPHY 
  

  

  Oceanography, 
  the 
  general 
  term 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  science 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   is 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  be 
  designated, 
  is 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  term 
  which 
  em- 
  

   braces 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  rather 
  distinct 
  branches 
  of 
  investigation 
  and 
  study, 
  

   but 
  many 
  of 
  which, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  problems, 
  are 
  generally 
  

   carried 
  on 
  simultaneously. 
  It 
  certainly 
  would 
  be 
  most 
  economical 
  

   and 
  efficient 
  that 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  possible 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  investigations 
  of 
  

   the 
  sea 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  simultaneously 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  exploring 
  expedition. 
  

   The 
  equipment 
  for 
  sea 
  exploration 
  is 
  expensive 
  at 
  best, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

  

  