climate. A network of deep-water buoys, stationed throughout the 

 oceans as meteorological and oceanographic observation stations, in 

 conjunction with adequate global atmospheric data obtained from 

 radiosondes, satellites and balloons, could transmit data to computers 

 ashore for analysis and prediction. When coupled to high-speed com- 

 puters, this monitoring system could enable us to improve the accuracy 

 and time scale of weather forecasts, extending our forecasting capabil- 

 ities to more than a week ahead, a capability which will be important 

 to various fields of human endeavor — agriculture, shipping, travel, 

 health, recreation — indeed, any activity which is affected by weather. 



As we extend our understanding of the oceans, this new knowledge 

 will enable us to determine new technological resources which must be 

 developed to bring us closer to our goals. We will learn, too, with this 

 extended understanding, the appropriate role of the Federal Govern- 

 ment, the interactions of Federal, State, and local interests, and inter- 

 national cooperation in accomplishing these important tasks. 



As use of the seas and Great Lakes expands, immediate steps to 

 promote international cooperation as well as mitigate conflict and 

 debilitating rivalry will be needed. Oceans can tie the nations of the 

 world together more than they separate them geographically. The 

 sciences of and access to the oceans are universal. Now all nations 

 must increase their energies to promote the peaceful and cooperative 

 use of the oceans, so that the ocean's bounty may serve the needs of 

 mankind. 



The time is ripe to apply our knowledge of the sea. To be sure, 

 there is much that we still do not know — this will always be true — 

 but we know more of the sea than our actions toward exploitation 

 might suggesit. The technology is ready — new structural materials, 

 miniaturized electronics, computers, nuclear power, underwater ve- 

 hicles. These tools await utilization. 



At the same time, we must continue to nourish the source of this 

 technology — the sciences from which marine technology derives. The 

 sciences of the sea are still very young and their potential for mankind 

 still untapped. Before man can enjoy the benefits of these unex- 

 plored domains, a body of science must be enlarged from which marine 

 technology can draw new tools and new clues of fruitful exploration. 



A responsibility of the Federal Government in this important un- 

 dertaking is the development of marine science policies which both 

 foster and respond to society's dependence on the oceans. But the 

 rational evolution of such policies cannot come through Federal ac- 

 tions alone, for this evolution requires a creative partnership among 

 Federal, State, and local governments, as well as the academic and in- 

 dustrial communities. 



A start has been made by the Marine Sciences Council, in relating 

 marine activities to broad goals, in selecting areas for special emphasis, 

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