NSF's CLIMAP project. CLIMAP scientists are examining past 

 climatic trends by studying changes in ocean current patterns, 

 water-mass properties, and sea-surface temperatures indicated by 

 the fossil record of deep-sea sediments. Reliable knowledge about 

 natural climate changes is essential for estimating long-range 

 changes influenced by man's activities, for example, those apparent- 

 ly caused by the release of carbon dioxide into the air from the 

 burning of fossil fuels. 



The International Southern Ocean Studies (ISOS) program 

 examines another aspect of ocean circulation, the relationship of the 

 Antarctic circumpolar current to global ocean circulation and its 

 possible role in weather and climate. Field experiments will 

 determine the dynamics and structure of the circumpolar current, 

 which controls most of the water exchange between the South 

 Atlantic, South Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Field programs in 1974 

 and 1975 included a pilot program to obtain oceanographic data 

 under sea ice in the austral winter, field testing of surface drifters, 

 and a multiship expedition to the Drake Passage/Scotia Sea Region. 



The first major study in NSF's Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem 

 Analysis (CUEA) program, JOINT-I, took place off northwest Africa 

 from February through May 1974. Ships, equipment, and personnel 

 from 11 countries took part in this 40month experiment off Cape 

 Blanc, northwest Africa. Data were collected by three U.S. ships, one 

 U.S. aircraft, and from france, Spain, Mauritania, German 

 Democratic Republic, and Poland. Analysis of the extensive data 

 from JOINT-I is now underway and will be compared to that 

 generated by earlier upwelling experiments off the Oregon and Baja 

 California coasts. Preliminary results suggest that the water 

 movement outside an upwelling region is probably strongly affected 

 by the shape of the continental shelf and slope and that a precise 

 description of this outer movement is essential to understanding the 

 total upwelling circulation. These findings will provide the basis for 

 planning JOINT-II, scheduled to take place in 1976. The main goal of 

 the upwelling research is to develop an understanding of this 

 phenomenon so that prediction models can provide the scientific 

 basis for improved management and use of the ocean's living 

 resources. 



The Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEXj is a 

 multinational cooperative research program aimed at advancing 

 man's understanding of the large-scale response of sea ice to its 

 environment. The information it provides will help solve practical 

 problems ranging from the interaction between the ice cover and 

 global atmospheric circulation to those affecting the passage of ships 

 in ice-covered areas. NSF is responsible for planning, supervising, 

 and coordinating U.S. participation in AIDJEX, with project 



74 



