Marine Science Affairs 



with them to give a coherent picture of applicable Federal efforts are set 

 forth as an integral part of other chapters of this Report. 



Knowledge gained from military programs is, to the extent permitted by 

 security considerations, made available in unclassified form for general use. 

 For example, the Navy's program in mapping, charting, and geodesy pro- 

 duces data and charts for navigation and world-wide shipping activity. 

 During the past year all bathymetric data which would not compromise 

 classified ship operations or installations were declassified and made avail- 

 able for public use. These data include sounding journals, echograms, col- 

 lection sheets, small scale charts prepared for inclusion in scientific or 

 technical papers, and similar information derived from both conventional 

 and highly precise navigational positioning. 



The Navy's programs of ship design and materials development, the most 

 comprehensive in the Nation, provide knowledge for private shipbuilding 

 and Federal maritime agencies such as the Coast Guard, the Environmental 

 Science Services Administration, and the Maritime Administration. Navy 

 developments in navigation, which range from submerged, acoustic, posi- 

 tion-keeping devices to systems for locating ship positions precisely on the 

 earth's surface by means of satellites, have been released for scientific and 

 commercial use. The programs of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, 

 directed toward detection of underwater nuclear explosions, provide knowl- 

 edge of the earth's crust and energy transmission characteristics relevant to 

 earthquake studies and volcanology. 



At the same time a number of programs of civilian agencies contribute to 

 Navy capabilities. For example, ESSA's conventional nautical charts and 

 f^SSA and Coast Guard surveys assist in meeting Navy requirements. 



The Scope of the Naval Oceanographic Program 



The Naval Oceanographic Program is concentrated in three areas : ocean 

 science, ocean engineering and development, and oceanographic operations. 

 These programs arc intended to enhance the effectiveness of naval operations 

 through a better understanding of the world's oceans and their boundaries 

 and by providing effective materials, equipment, and techniques. 



The Ocean Science Program includes the study of the physical, chemical, 

 biological, and geological characteristics of the oceans. Underwater acoustics 

 is a major area of conce.rn. Research and exploratory development in these 

 areas are conducted utifeer the Chief of Naval Research, in his capacity as 

 the Assistant Oceanographer of the Navy for Ocean Science, utilizing the 



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