the Swedish oceanographer, has materially improved the core sampler. 

 With the Piggot sampler cores of 6 ft. to 12 ft. were obtainable, while 

 it is understood that cores up to 50 ft. in length may be secured with the 

 KuUenberg apparatus. It is obvious that these core samplers are a 

 tremendous advance for collecting samples of the ocean bottom over 

 that of putting a chunk of lard on the end of a sounding lead or by the 

 use of a grab sampler. 



The tmderwater camera is another remarkable piece of apparatus that 

 has been recently employed and is being further developed by Dr. Maurice 

 Ewing, of Columbia University, working through the Woods Hole 

 Oceanographic Institution. Pictures of the ocean floor and the life 

 thereon have been readily obtained to depths of approximately 200 metres, 

 and last year Ewing was successful in getting pictures to far greater 

 depths. 



A current meter developed by Commander Roberts, of the United 

 States Coast and Geodetic Survey, is a convenient device for recording 

 coastal currents by remote control over a considerable period of time. 

 The instruments are attached to secured buoys placed in the area where 

 the desired measurements are to be made. At given intervals, depending 

 upon the velocities of the current, the rotator of the current meter makes 

 a contact which produces a radio wave. This radio wave can be picked 

 up at a shore station and recorded mechanically some miles from the 

 anchored buoys. 



Improvements continue to be made in various t3^pes of gear used 

 for collecting biological material, and especially for making quantitative 

 measurements. Here, however, the conditions are vastly more com- 

 plicated, and no advances as revolutionary as the instruments of physical 

 oceanography have been experienced. 



Information concerning the tides of the Pacific area has been 

 materially increased, and the advances that have been made will be 

 given in a paper by Mr. E. C. McKay, of the United States Coast and 

 (jeodetic Survey. 



The nature and the prediction of sea swell and waves has received 

 much attention both from the theoretical and practical standpoint 

 from many oceanographers, particularly those of the United Kingdom 

 and the United States. Much more will be heard on this very important 

 subject through papers that will be presented to this congress. 



The sea offers much to challenge the chemist and the chemical 

 engineer for producing many types of materials to resist the corrosive 

 and solvent action of sea-water and upon which the organisms living 

 in the sea will not prey and destroy. Many studies on the chemistry 

 of sea-water have been made, especially on the occurrence and distri- 

 bution of some of the elements occurring in small quantities. Interest 

 is being manifested currently in the existence of the isotopes of the 

 various elements in sea-water and marine organisms. Papers to be 

 presented to future congresses of the Pacific Science Association will 

 undoubtedly contain much on the distribution of isotopes and also 

 upon the utilization of radio-active tracers applied particularly to the 

 study of marine organisms. 



The recovery of common salt, sodium chloride, from sea- water is 

 one of the oldest of industries. This compound, so necessary to life, 

 is also one of the basic raw materials of modern commerce, for it or the 

 elements or compounds derived from it are necessary for the manufacture 



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