APPENDIX D— THE INTERNATIONAL DECADE 

 OF OCEAN EXPLORATION 



In 1969 the National Science Foundation was assigned 

 responsibility for the planning, management, and funding of the 

 United States contribution to the International Decade of Ocean 

 Exploration. From the outset emphasis has been upon international 

 cooperation in research important in man's use of the oceans and its 

 resources, as well as on the impact of his activities on the oceans and 

 the impact which the oceans have on man's activities. 



The IDOE philosophy is that major strides in man's use and 

 understanding of the oceans depends on knowledge derived from 

 sustained, comprehensive research projects directed at specific 

 problems. Fruitful advances in understanding the areas singled out 

 for special attention by the IDOE are most likely when carried out by 

 teams of scientists from many disciplines, institutions, and 

 countries. Presently, the IDOE supports ten large-scale, 

 interdisciplinary projects in Environmental Quality, Environmental 

 Forecasting, Seabed Assessment, and Living Resources. 



The Environmental Quality Program is designed to assess, 

 understand, and predict man's impact on the marine environment. 

 Studies are supported to determine present-day concentrations of 

 pollutants and trace compounds in the environment, and to provide 

 knowledge about sources and rates of input, dispersal and transfer 

 mechanisms, and effects on organisms of pollutants in the oceans. 

 One major project (Geochemical Ocean Sections Study— GEOSECS) 

 will provide knowledge of processes important to the diffusion, 

 mixing, and dispersion of trace compounds and contaminants on an 

 ocean-wide basis. 



The Environmental Forecasting Program seeks to develop 

 improved physical and mathematical models of the ocean and air-sea 

 coupling that will provide the basis for increased accuracy in 

 describing and predicting the oceanic environment. Major projects 

 include comprehensive studies of large-scale ocean-atmosphere 

 interactions (the North Pacific Experiment— NORPAX), mid-ocean 

 dynamics (Mid-Ocean Dynamics Experiment — MODE), and paleo- 

 oceanography (Climate— Long-range Investigation, Mapping, and 

 Prediction— CLIMAP). 



The Seabed Assessment Program supports studies of the 

 continental margins, deep-sea floor, and mid-oceanic ridges to 

 identify new areas of natural resources, particularly petroleum and 



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