OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 275 



was to have great influence on marine investigations was the study of 

 the pollution of sea water. This led to new knowledge of coastal and 

 harbor hydrography with many practical applications. 



The wartime acquisition of qualified engineers and electronics spe- 

 cialists was of great importance to oceanography. Many instruments 

 designed at the institution are now in use by oceanographers through- 

 out the world, including the Russians. 



In 1954 the Laboratory of Oceanography, built by the U.S. Navy for 

 our use, Avas dedicated and provided much needed "breathing space." 

 Since then our staff and facilities have continued to expand until we 

 again are badly in need of additional shore facilities. The fleet, now 

 consisting of live seagoing vessels, three inshore craft, and three planes, 

 also is entirely inadequate for our needs. Other facilities acquired 

 since 1952 are the 10-acre "Challenger" property with residences, 

 apartments, and dormitories, two adjacent parking lots, property on 

 the Eel Pond, and a dock for expansion purposes. 



During recent years Government contracts have increased consider- 

 ably from all sources. The institution's endowment, although in- 

 creased through capital gains, never received additional funds. How- 

 ever, one most important contribution to our free moneys for basic re- 

 search has come from the associates of the Woods Hole Oceanographic 

 Institution, a group of private individuals and corporations interested 

 in aiding our work. This fund has been instrumental in providing 

 support for investigations which otherwise could not be carried on. 



A glance at the list of more than 1,000 scientific contributions made 

 by our staff will provide a knowledge of the extreme variability of 

 our program and the important role the institution has played in the 

 development of oceanography. Although until recent years we worked 

 chiefly in the western North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, 

 our ships now have ranged the North and South Atlantic Oceans, the 

 Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. 

 The International Geophysical Year gave us the opportunity, together 

 with our colleagues of the (British) National Institute of Oceanog- 

 raphy, to make an unprecedented survey of the North and South 

 Atlantic Oceans which should become as classic as the famed Chal- 

 lenger and Meteor surveys. Our chemical and biological programs 

 have greatly expanded and are extending their observations over 

 progressively larger areas. 



Oceanography does not fit well into the organization of our univer- 

 sities. There are economies to be gained by having one facility serve 

 the needs of the relatively few students and faculty member of nearby 

 universities and colleges. Our educational activities have increased 

 markedly in recent years, and the universities realize the importance 

 of our facilities, as may be indicated by the recent appointment of six 

 of our staff members to professorships at the Massachusetts Institute 

 of Technology. 



Nearly all problems in oceanography are rather intimately con- 

 nected with the movement of the waters. Thus, the many aspects of 

 the circulation problem in the sea form a central core of knowledge 

 that all marine scientists need to draw on. Oceanography, which may 

 seem at first glance a most diffuse object, does, indeed, have a certain 

 unity. At least, this is our experience at Woods Hole to date, and the 



