OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 47 



tional use of nuclear powered deep-rumiing submarines, i.e., tlie Po- 

 laris type, and the development of countermeasures against these, 

 including detection, identification, tracking, and attack, will inevi- 

 tably require a far greater knowledge of the location and definition 

 of these seamounts. It has been most fortuitous that the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey has been able to cover the ocean waters of the Gulf 

 of Alaska and to delineate so well the underlying sea floor. How- 

 ever, other and perhaps more strategic ocean areas should be sur- 

 veyed with the same degree of thoroughness and accuracy. 



Last season, at the request of the Atomic Energy Commission, 

 oceanographic observations were made by the Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey in an offshore area designated for the disposal of low-level 

 packaged radioactive wastes. Other areas for this purpose have been 

 designated and a proposal has been made to the Bureau to participate 

 in a program for monitoring these additional areas. Under this 

 proposal the Survey will send ships out to the areas to obtain such 

 data as sediment, water, and biological sampling, plus measurements 

 of currents at various depths. As a special investigation in one area, 

 it is proposed that Coast and Geodetic Survey divers will be utilized 

 to observe and photograph the effects on dummy packages so that 

 they hit the bottom in a series of field experiments, 



Basic to any oceanographic study or research project is the gather- 

 ing of the physical data necessary for the projected study. Many 

 types of studies are of necessity repetitious in nature. This means 

 that the ability to collect data at identical locations at different times, 

 this is all-important. 



In both the collection of data and the ability to collect these data 

 at the same location, time after time, the Coast and Geodetic Survey 

 is without question the leading agency, either private or govern- 

 mental. The nature of our operations and responsibilities have made 

 this necessary, with output limited only by available personnel and 

 equipment. The ability to take repeat observations at the same loca- 

 tion in the ocean, time after time, is of paramount importance in 

 the monitoring of the atomic waste disposal areas. 



The Bureau has pioneeed in the development of equipment and tech- 

 niques for making oceanographic observations, including depth meas- 

 urements, water samples, bottom samples, and the development of 

 special equipment for making these observations. Knowledge of the 

 nature of the magnetic field over oceans is pertinent to modem oceano- 

 graphic research. The Coast and Geodetic Survey has collaborated 

 with the Navy in the development of an induction magnetometer for 

 airborne use over the oceans and for use in magnetic submarine detec- 

 tion work. 



Methods of determining water depths have been imder constant 

 change since the early years when soundings were made with the hand 

 lead. Soundings that formerly required as much as 4 hours in depths 

 of 2,000 fathoms are now made by electronic echo-sounding equipment 

 that makes the same sounding in a few seconds. The early equipment, 

 using audio and visual techniques, has been replaced by automatic 

 recording devices which provide a continuous profile of the ocean 

 floor showing ridges and depressions on a permanent visual graph. 



Precision navigation systems and methods have been progressively 

 developed in step with new and improved methods of depth recording. 



