Sea water has long been a source of salt, and today it is also a major 

 source of magnesium and bromine with lesser amounts of sodium, 

 calcium, and potassium compounds being recovered as byproducts of 

 extraction processes. With the development of improved desalting 

 techniques, the chemical industry is looking to sea brine for possible 

 new commercial opportunities. 



Federal Research Activities 



Whether the ultimate consumer of research and survey data be a 

 fisherman or an oil firm, the movement of the water, the nature of the 

 sea bottom, and our ability to determine precisely locations in and 

 below the water surface are of key importance. The Federal Gov- 

 ernment, as shown in Table XIII, is currently engaged in a variety 

 of marine science information-gathering activities on the shelf. These 

 include reconnaissance studies of the Atlantic Continental Shelf and 

 its margin which have already suggested new sources of phosphate and 

 manganese (Fig. 15) . New petrogeological structures have been iden- 

 tified off the northeast coast; underwater seismic areas have been 

 studied along the Alaska and California coasts; systematic studies of 

 the Gulf Stream and other coastal currents, and geophysical mapping 

 of offshore sand are leading to understanding of the stability of sea- 

 floor sediments. 



Table XIII. — Marine science activities on the Continental Shelf 



President's . 

 budget, 

 fiscal year 1968, 

 (millions) 



Smithsonian Institution $0. 1 



Department of Commerce 18. 6 



Atomic Energy Commission 2. 



Department of Transporation .5 



National Science Foundation . 7 



Department of tlie Interior 34. 7 



Department of Defense 13. 8 



Total 70. 4 



Federal research programs in support of shipping activities along 

 the coasts include improvements in the quality and detail of nautical 

 charts, enabling ships to operate at maximum efficiency and reducing 

 navigational hazards along coasts and in harbors. The understand- 

 ing and control of marine boring and fouling organisms will save 

 millions of dollars of damage to underwater structures. 



The Future 



As worldwide mineral demands increase and suppliers turn to lower- 

 grade ores, costs are likely to rise. Such increases, however, may 

 be prevented by the discovery of new sources of minerals that can 



78 



