112 OCEAN SCIENCES AND NATIONAL SECURITY 



Compensation incentives for graduate students may be similarly 

 lacking. 



8. Studies have not been conducted to determine means for im- 

 proved utilization of existing staffs. 



C. ORGANIZATIONS CONDUCTING RESEACBH 



1. Basic and applied oceanography, in terms of reference of this 

 report, is conducted primarily in universities and nonprofit labora- 

 tories. To a lesser degree, some research is conducted in Government- 

 owned and operated laboratories; but virtually none is considered as 

 conducted by private industry. That concerned with proprietary 

 developments such as seismic surveys for offshore oil exploration have 

 not been included because data are not publicly available. Studies 

 concerned with submarine cable laying, while extensive, are regarded 

 primarily as developmental. 



2. Many of the non-Government organizations conducting research 

 were established as independent laboratories. However, because Gov- 

 ernment sponsorship now so strongly dominates their program, there 

 is a question as to the degree with which they can remain independent, 

 without evolving to the status of a creature of the sponsor. 



3. Roughly 70 separate organizations are engaged in oceanic re- 

 search. Apart from some 16 or so large units, the field is charac- 

 terized by a large number of small laboratories which primarily cater 

 to local interests in marine biology or to instruction. Over half of 

 the laboratories employ less than 10 full-time staff, and lack modern 

 facilities and instruments. 



4. Although the smaller organizations exist in large number, 

 facilities and manpower are so limited that even collectively, they 

 could not be expected to carry the main burden of any national pro- 

 gram. Nevertheless, with the high degree of communication and 

 coordination that exists among participating scientists, cooperative 

 programs have been employed in the past wherein staff of smaller 

 laboratories are given an opportunity to share space and facilities on 

 research ships attached to the larger laboratories. This type of 

 endeavor may be expected to increase. 



5. The smaller university groups can make a sizeable contribution 

 to teaching of new students. 



D. FACILITIES AND SHIPS 



1. Oceanography differs from most other sciences in requiring 

 extensive facilities for the conduct of research — in the form of ships 

 and seagoing vehicles. Thus, amortization costs of capital equipment 

 and operating costs of facilities are disproportionately high, represent- 

 ing perhaps 40 or more percent of the total costs during normal opera- 

 tions. In this regard, it is comparable to research in outer space. 



2. There are now 32 ships owned and operated by U.S. laboratories 

 for purposes of oceanographic research and 18 for hydrographic 

 surveying. In the aggregate, the research ships displace 21,498 

 tons; the survey ships, 57,308 tons. 



3. Most of these ships are over 15 years old; their average age is 18 

 years. 



