atmosphere which will provide the basis for increased accuracy, timeli- 

 ness, and geographic precison of environmental forecasts ; 



(3) Expand seabed assessment activities to permit better manage- 

 ment — domestically and internationally — of marine mineral explora- 

 tion and exploitation by acquiring needed knowledge of seabed 

 topography, structure, physical and dynamic properties, and resource 

 potential, and to assist industry in planning more detailed investigations; 



(4) Develop an ocean monitoring system to facilitate prediction of 

 oceanographic and atmospheric conditions — through design and deploy- 

 ment of oceanographic data buoys and other remote sensing platforms; 



(5) Improve worldwide data exchange through modernizing and 

 standardizing national and international marine data collection, proc- 

 essing, and distribution ; and 



(6) Accelerate Decade planning to increase opportunities for inter- 

 national sharing of responsibilities and costs for ocean exploration, and 

 to assure better use of limited exploration capabilities. 



These U.S. proposals are compatible with the outline of the program 

 developed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and dis- 

 cussed in the preceding chapter. The National Science Foundation has been 

 assigned initial, lead agency responsibility for the planning and coordination 

 of the U.S. contribution to the Decade. Federal funding of $15 million is 

 being requested for Decade programs in the fiscal year 1971 budget. In 

 addition many ongoing federally funded ocean exploration and research 

 activities are related to the Decade. The extent and nature of future U.S. 

 contributions will depend on the participation of other nations in the Decade 

 program. 



Evolution of U.S. Plans for the Decade 



In the United States, planning for the Decade began in 1968.^ The Marine 

 Sciences Council was then assigned responsibility for coordinating the 

 Decade program on a Government-wide basis. The proposal was elaborated 

 in the Council's report "International Decade of Ocean Exploration" in 

 May 1968. 



In July 1968, the Council contracted for the National Academy of Sciences 

 and the National Academy of Engineering to prepare recommendations 

 concerning the scientific and engineering aspects of the Decade. More than 

 50 of the Nation's foremost ocean scientists and engineers participated in 

 this study, "An Oceanic Quest," which was released in May 1969. The 

 Council supported a study by the Gulf Universities Research Corporation 

 (GURC), "Gulf of Mexico: Model for the Decade," and a number of pro- 

 posals were prepared by scientific groups in the United States and abroad. 

 In its report, "Our Nation and the Sea," the Commission on Marine Science, 

 Engineering and Resources strongly endorsed the concept of an International 

 Decade of Ocean Exploration. 



' A report, in detail on initial U.S. planning for the Decade was presented in ch. IX 

 of the Council's third annual report, "Marine Science Aflfairs — A Year of Broadened 

 Participation," January 1969. 



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