Surveying the Environment 



Recent ocean surveys have mapped: 

 — bathymetric and geophysical characteristics of 1,500,000 square miles 



of the North Central Pacific between the Hawaiian and Aleutian 



Islands as part of the SEAMAP program (ESSA) ; 

 ■ — precise bathymetric, geophysical, and oceanographic data over 



260,000 track miles (Navy) ; 

 — the hydrography and currents of coastal and riverine areas of South 



Vietnam (Navy) ; 

 — seasonal physical, chemical and biological productivity factors of the 



Eastern Tropical Pacific (Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Coast 



Guard, Navy, ESSA) ; 

 — geophysical and acoustical properties of over 7,000,000 square miles 



of ocean areas (Navy) ; 

 — geological and geophysical characteristics of the U.S. continental 



Shelf and Slope (Geological Survey) ; 

 — the geomagnetic field in many parts of the world by aircraft (Navy) ; 

 — ^the hydrography of all coastal waters of the United States and Alaska 



and estuarine circulation patterns of critical harbors (ESSA) ; and 

 — navigational hazards in the Great Lakes (Corps of Engineers). 



New Emphasis on Technological Developments 



The magnitude of the task of observing and mapping such a large fraction 

 of the Earth's surface by conventional surface ships has motivated ap- 

 plications of modem technology — both to increase efficiency of measure- 

 ments from shipboard and to supplant or supplement ships as sensor plat- 

 forms. For example, the Navy is developing a high-speed coastal charting 

 system. New emphasis also is being placed this year on potential use of space- 

 craft and buoys and the balanced combination of systems utilizing all 

 techniques. 



Ocean buoys are effective in making many kinds of ocean observations. 

 A recent study, funded jointly by Federal agencies, concluded that systems 

 of data buoys with wide geographical coverage are technically feasible 

 and the most cost-effective means of satisfying a large number of govern- 

 ment-wide operational and research requirements for marine meteorological 

 and oceanographic data. The study analyzed and categorized four sets of 

 requirements for marine data : 



a. global (deep ocean, large scale — 300 to 500 mile grid) ; 



b. coastal North America (within 400 miles of North America, medium 



scale — 50 to 200 mile grid) ; 



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