waters and navigation hazards, shore boundaries, the contours and content 

 of the Continental Shelf — all of these must be known. The Federal Ocean 

 Program in 1971 took considerable strides toward descriptions of greater 

 detail, predictions of longer duration and greater accuracy, and new informa- 

 tion management techniques to handle vast bodies of data. The emphasis 

 in marine environmental monitoring and prediction services has been to im- 

 prove present services and to develop a system capable of monitoring natural 

 and man-induced phenomena, including physical, chemical, biological, and 

 certain geological characteristics in oceanic and coastal regions. 



Progress was made during 1971 in the development of the satellite and the 

 ocean data buoy as key technological elements for acquiring observations of 

 the ocean and atmosphere. The year 1972 will see the development of both 

 buoys and satellites that will enable us to test the expectations of revolu- 

 tionary new methods for monitoring the global ocean. A test buoy system 

 will be deployed in the Gulf of Mexico and infrared-sensing satellites will 

 provide a uniquely thorough look at sea-surface temperatures. 



Impelled by the national need to tap new ofTshore reserves, particularly 

 oil and gas reserves, the Federal Government began the systematic mapping 

 of the Continental Shelf, its bathymetry, geophysical fields, and hidden re- 

 sources. This expansion of marine geophysical and geological surveys is being 

 carried out jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NOAA. At 

 the same time. Federal agencies sought to improve their cartographic de- 

 scriptions of wetlands and seaward boundaries, to automate certain hydro- 

 graphic and cartographic processes, and to extend geodetic control to 

 offshore areas. 



Ocean information services improved during 1971 as data management 

 activities prepared for the major area studies planned for the 1970's and 

 moved to increasingly automated information-handling systems. Services 

 supporting oceanographic instrumentation were upgraded with new equip- 

 ment, and two new facilities at Bay St. Louis, Miss., and Seattle, Wash., 

 were being readied as regional calibration centers. 



Marine Science and Teclinology 



Significant progress was made in 1971 toward improving the Nation's abil- 

 ity to explore, inhabit, manage, and farm the sea. For Sea Grant, a notably 

 successful marine sciences program begun in 1966, the year marked the be- 

 ginning of a new phase. The first four Sea Grant Colleges — the University 

 of Washington, Oregon State University, Texas A&M University, and 

 the University of Rhode Island — were designated by the Secretary of Com- 

 merce, thus realizing one of the original intents of the Sea Grant College and 

 Program Act. Other Sea Grant achievements for the year included estab- 

 lishment of extension advisory services and continued progress in mariculture, 

 ocean engineering, resource management, and other areas of marine science 

 investigation. 



The civil manned undersea science and technology program began a 

 promising series of basic and applied science projects using undersea habitats 

 and research submersibles. Last year's projects included investigations of 



