REPORT ON OCEANOGRAPHY 93 



UNESCO has extended an invitation to FAO to cooperate in this 

 project. It is planned to hold a meeting in 1953 of experts in the field 

 to discuss the problems and possibilities of organizing the laboratories 

 in question. 



PACIFIC OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 

 By Thomas G. Thompson 



NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



In 1949 the National Academy of Sciences established a special com- 

 mittee to review the resources in facilities, personnel and income avail- 

 able in the United States for the support of oceanographic research and 

 to discuss some of the difficulties which must be overcome to assure 

 the advancement of the science. A report of this committee was pub- 

 lished in 1951 as Publication No. 208 of the National Academy-Na- 

 tional Research Council. The report deals, in a general manner, with 

 recent accomplishments in basic oceanographic research, applications of 

 oceanography in peace and war, current problems in developing ocea- 

 nography in the United States and present facilities available for ocea- 

 nographic investigations. 



U.S. NAVY HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE 



The Hydrographic Office has continued to collect bathythermo- 

 graph observations made by naval vessels and Coast Guard Station ves- 

 sels in the Pacific. Routine current reports have been obtained from 

 the navigators of merchant vessels in the Pacific and added to the file 

 that the Hydrographic Office has been assembling for many years. Re- 

 cords of drift bottles have also been collected and notes concerning 

 them have been published in the Hydrographic Bulletin. In addition, 

 a survey of coastal waters of the United States is being carried on under 

 contract by various scientific institutions among which are the Univer- 

 sity of California and the University of Washington. 



U.S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 



In the United States and Alaska, tide stations were continued in 

 operation as follows: 18 along the Pacific coast of the United States 

 and 11 in Alaska. In continuing the program of tidal investigation in 

 the Pacific Islands area, tide stations are being maintained at 14 loca- 

 tions: 6 in the Hawaiian area, 1 at Wake Island, 2 in the Marshalls 

 area, 1 in the Marianas area, 2 in the Carolines area, 1 in the Samoan 

 area, and 1 in the Phoenix area. In addition, records are being pro- 



