﻿MAR. 
  4, 
  1922 
  FARIS: 
  SOME 
  PROBLEMS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SEA 
  123 
  

  

  depth 
  probably 
  does 
  not 
  much 
  exceed 
  seven 
  thousand,* 
  including 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  ones 
  that 
  ought 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  verified, 
  both 
  as 
  to 
  po- 
  

   sition 
  and 
  depth 
  of 
  water; 
  or 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  one 
  sounding 
  for 
  each 
  

   17,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  To 
  compare 
  this 
  with 
  what 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  complete 
  general 
  deep 
  sea 
  survey 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  stated 
  

   that 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  thousand 
  soundings 
  are 
  needed, 
  

   spaced 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  about 
  thirty 
  miles, 
  with 
  necessary 
  local 
  develop- 
  

   ment. 
  This 
  would 
  require 
  ten 
  ocean-going 
  ships 
  in 
  continuous 
  ser- 
  

   vice 
  for 
  ten 
  years. 
  And 
  this 
  means 
  that 
  each 
  vessel 
  must 
  take 
  four 
  

   or 
  five 
  deep 
  sea 
  soundings 
  every 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  throughout 
  these 
  

   ten 
  years. 
  If, 
  however, 
  these 
  vessels 
  should 
  carry 
  on 
  other 
  ocean- 
  

   ographical 
  investigations, 
  as 
  they 
  most 
  certainly 
  should 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  

   do, 
  the 
  time 
  would 
  be 
  much 
  longer. 
  

  

  From 
  physiographic 
  and 
  biologic 
  standpoints 
  the 
  borderland 
  of 
  

   sea 
  and 
  shore, 
  the 
  so-called 
  continental 
  shelf, 
  holds 
  a 
  closer 
  claim 
  

   upon 
  our 
  attention 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   populous 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  different 
  forms 
  of 
  sea 
  life; 
  

   and 
  here 
  also 
  the 
  physical 
  forces 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  are 
  most 
  manifest 
  and 
  

   effective 
  in 
  producing 
  the 
  physiographic 
  transformation 
  that 
  the 
  face 
  

   of 
  the 
  earth 
  is 
  experiencing 
  without 
  cessation. 
  

  

  The 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  waves 
  is 
  spent 
  upon 
  the 
  sea 
  shores 
  in 
  an 
  end- 
  

   less 
  and 
  tireless 
  evolution. 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  processes 
  of 
  erosion 
  and 
  

   accretion 
  of 
  sea 
  shores 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  scientist 
  and 
  the 
  

   engineer 
  alike. 
  A 
  study 
  of 
  these 
  involves 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  tides, 
  cur- 
  

   rents, 
  and 
  wind-produced 
  ocean 
  waves. 
  The 
  causes 
  must 
  be 
  studied 
  

   and 
  the 
  effects 
  observed 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  larger 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  oceans, 
  like 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  

   the 
  continents, 
  yet 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  charted 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  

   present-day 
  requirements. 
  The 
  sea 
  bottom 
  from 
  the 
  shores 
  to 
  the 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  continental 
  shelf 
  should 
  be 
  surveyed 
  and 
  mapped 
  to 
  meet 
  

   the 
  needs 
  of 
  commerce, 
  industry 
  and 
  science, 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  vi- 
  

   tally 
  concerned 
  in 
  the 
  undersea 
  physiography 
  of 
  this 
  transition 
  belt 
  

   between 
  the 
  land 
  areas 
  and 
  the 
  deep 
  sea. 
  

  

  A 
  survey 
  and 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  depths 
  surrounding 
  the 
  islands 
  

   of 
  the 
  seas 
  will 
  doubtless 
  do 
  much 
  towards 
  giving 
  us 
  a 
  clearer 
  con- 
  

   ception 
  of 
  coral 
  formation 
  and 
  growth, 
  and 
  add 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   subsidence 
  or 
  emergence 
  of 
  land 
  areas. 
  

  

  The 
  charting 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  basins 
  from 
  their 
  shores 
  to 
  their 
  pro- 
  

   foundest 
  depths 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  outstanding 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  The 
  

  

  * 
  Murray 
  and 
  Hjort. 
  Depths 
  of 
  the 
  Ocean, 
  p. 
  131. 
  

  

  