Marine Science Affairs 



c. Great Lakes and estuaries (territorial U.S. waters, small scale — 10 



to 50 mile grid) ; 



d. research requirements (all areas, various scales from large to very 



small scale grid ) . 

 The study showed that a substantial saving is possible if buoy systems are 

 designed and operated to serve the national requirements for data acquisition 

 as opposed to single agency requirements. 



The Marine Sciences Council reviewed this study and concluded that a 

 National Data Buoy System had sufficient promise to warrant initial devel- 

 opment of prototypes. The Coast Guard was assigned lead-agency responsi- 

 bility for further research, development, testing and evaluation to advance 

 data buoy technology, and to develop and evaluate system requirements 

 and capability preparatory to a future decision to establish a National Data 

 Buoy System. 



The Department of Transportation is requesting $5 million for these pro- 

 grams in FY 1969. An additional $250,000 is being reprogrammed for fur- 

 ther study of technical approaches and plans in FY 1968. 



The possibility of observing important characteristics of the oceans from 

 high-flying aircraft and spacecraft has been investigated by Federal agen- 

 cies and other organizations for a number of years. Several experimental 

 areas appear especially promising : " 



— sea-state and sea level measurement ; 

 — thermal measurements of the sea surface ; 

 — location and "mapping" of surface ocean currents; 

 — sea ice measurement and location and classification of icebergs ; 

 — river discharge and delta studies ; 



— delineation of shorelines, shoals and sea bottom contours, and elim- 

 ination of "doubtful shoals" in the high seas; 

 — detection and measurements of biota; 

 — sea slope measurements; 



— observation of air-sea interaction phenomena; 

 — detection of upwelling zones. 

 The Marine Sciences Council supported a contract study to evaluate the 

 future potential of satellites for ocean observations. The study report, which 

 will soon be released, projects the technological state-of-the-art for observa- 

 tions of sea surface temperature, sea ice, and wave height for the next five 

 years, analyzes requirements and related costs, and describes benefits that 

 could be achieved. 



In October 1967, the Council issued a report, United States Activities in 

 Spacecraft Oceanography, prepared by NASA and the Naval Oceanographic 

 Office, assisted by other interested agencies. This report presented new in- 

 formation about the potential of satellite observation to assist scientists and 



Funds for these developments are reported in Table A-1 of the Appendix under 

 "General Purpose Ocean Engineering." 



108 



