OCEANOGRAPHY 67 



I want to say to Mr. Dingell and Mr. Flynn that we have inaug- 

 urated the system of letting the counsel discuss these matters first 

 and then we will follow up. 



I discussed this with Mr. Dingell yesterday. 



Mr. Bauer ? 



Mr. Bauer. Admiral Pierce, the question, of course, that concerns 

 this committee is the statutory delegation of various data centers which 

 have to do with data that concerns oceanography. For example, in 

 title 33 of the United States Code, chapter IT, under section 883(c), 

 you are made by statute the natioiuil repository of geomagnetic data 

 and collection, and so on. 



Section 883(d) gives you authority to indulge in research in geo- 

 physical sciences including geodesy, oceanography, seismology, and 

 geomagnetism. 



As far as the survey function, you have authority under section 

 883(a) to survey geomagnetic, seismological, gravity, and related geo- 

 physical measurements and investigations, and observations for the 

 determination of variation in latitude and longitude. 



This year, as you know, this connnittee endorsed legislation to re- 

 move any geographic restrictions upon your activities. 



I believe that has passed the House and is on its way. 



We also have the Weather Bureau at Asheville in the same Depart- 

 ment as you are in, the Department of Commerce, which is collecting 

 data from 1,800 ships at sea all over the world, 6 oceanic stations, 150 

 lightships, and, also, through the Hydrogi'aphic OiSce, observations 

 from naval ships at sea as well as doing data processing and analysis 

 of weather for the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Hydrographic 

 Office publications with respect to navigation on the water and in 

 the air of the world. 



Also, the Weather Bureau is engaging at Asheville on the analysis 

 of climatic data for marine atlases. 



I think it is of concern to this committee to see how these three 

 data centers of these activties mentioned can be married without over- 

 lapping and whether any legislation is necessary. 



So, first, I should like to ask you what is the oceanographic data 

 that you contemplate would go to the Hydrogi-aphic Office directly ? 



Admiral Pierce. Well, I would say that all of the observations 

 that are taken at sea, serial temperatures, salinities, biological data, 

 that type of information, in fact the same type of information which 

 is going there now would be sent to this National Oceanographic Data 

 Center but I certainly believe that there is no reason to change the 

 present situation where we are the repository for magnetic data, where 

 we are the central office for determining earthquake epicenter loca- 

 tions, where we are perfectly able to take care of all of the nautical 

 charting data, process it, apply it to our charts and produce the chai'ts. 

 There is no sense of sending that over. 



We are perfectly capable of taking care of all of our tidal observa- 

 tions as we have for the last hundred years. There would be no 

 sense in sending this over because it is being handled adequately at 

 the present time. 



I would say anything that affects oceanography, whether it is re- 

 search or hydrographic or biological, that material should go in there. 

 I see no sense in changing the present situation at all. 



