20 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



solar energy is absorbed iu the atmosphere. There is good reason to believe 

 that changes in the location where interchange of matter and energy takes place 

 between sea and air affect persistent weather patterns. We know that the aver- 

 age weather conditions we call climate can change over a few decades, and we 

 suspect that changes in the storage of gases and heat in the oceans will pro- 

 foundly influence the process. Studies of the mechanisms of interchange be- 

 tween the air-sea boundaries of regions where intense interchange occurs and 

 of the slow mixing between the ocean deeps and the surface which controls stor- 

 age of heat and gases are essential for further understanding, hence for predic- 

 tion and possibility of control. 



From the point of view of military operations there is no comparison between 

 the urgencies of the problems of the oceans and those of outer space. The sub- 

 marine armed with long-range missiles is probably the most potent weapon sys- 

 tem threatening our security today. It seems clear that the pressures of estab- 

 lishing effective bases, and of protecting ourselves from attack, are relentlessly 

 driving us into the oceans. 



The problems involved in military operations in the sea are enormous. We 

 will not be able to navigate under the oceans with adequate precision until our 

 knowledge is greatly expanded. Nor will we be able to detect submerged sub- 

 marines efiiciently unless we learn far more about the ocean depths than we now 

 know. We will not be in a position to negotiate an adequate international sub- 

 marine control and monitoring system until we have the ability to make the 

 oceans transparent so that we can track all submarines in the oceans, both our 

 own and all others. To accomplish this, we must place greater national em- 

 phasis on research in the marine geophysical sciences, on surveys of the ocean 

 background against which tracking must be accomplished, and on the develop- 

 ment of effective devices to achieve such oceanwide surveillance. The Com- 

 mittee's recommendations constitute an essential first step in these directions. 

 With these problems and prospects in mind, this Committee has attempted to 

 assess the steps which should be taken in order that the United States might 

 possess outstanding capabilities in the oceanographic field, and in order that we 

 might obtain sufficient knowledge in time to avert a "crash" program — which 

 would be wasteful in terms both of money and valuable technical manpower. 



The cornerstone of our oceanographic endeavors is basic research. We need 

 to understand waves and the interactions between the atmosphere and the oceans. 

 We need to know more about ocean currents and upwellings. More intensive 

 studies should be made of the properties of sea water and of processes of 

 sedimentation. We should systematically study the life forms in the oceans in 

 three dimensions. We should study the sea floor with instruments and we 

 should send men down to look at it in many localities. 



In view of the complexities of these problems the Committee has recommended 

 that the level of basic research in these fundamental areas be substantially in- 

 creased during the next 10 years. This will require increases both in mani>ower 

 and in facilities. Of particular importance among the facilities are ships, 

 which are to the oceanographer what cyclotrons or reactors are to the nuclear 

 physicist. He simply cannot undertake adequate res. arch without them. 



Our oceanographic research ships are inadequate lor the job which must be 

 done. Most of the ships are old and outdated. Many ai'e obsolete and should 

 be replaced by ships of modern design which will be more eflicient to operate 

 and from which a greater variety of scientific observations can be made. In 

 addition, the number should be increased. 



The oceanographer also needs improved instruments if he is to penetrate the 

 water barrier and learn in detail about conditions at great depths. Thus far 

 oceanographers have not been able to take full advantage of recent technological 

 developments and, accordingly, the Committee has recommended the establish- 

 ment of a program of broad scoi>e, aimed at developing and using new instru- 

 ments and devices for exploring the soa. Using new deep-diving vehicles, for 

 example, it is now possible for man to observe directly the ocean deeps. It 

 seems highly likely that within the next 10 years men will descend through the 

 water nearly 7 miles to the deepest point oh earth. 



An integral aspect of a program for learning about the oceans Involves our 

 surveying them more or less routinely. The topography of the ocean floor 

 should be mapped in detail. We should arrive at a complete picture of gravita- 

 tional and magnetic forces and of ocean currents in three dimensions. Sufficient 

 biological information should be gathered so that we can prepare accurate maps 

 of the distribution of life in the sea. 



