FRONTIERS IN OCEANIC RESEARCH 71 



For the past decade, the outstanding examples of mineral extraction 

 have been magnesium and bromine, both of which are largely obtained 

 from sea water. These processes were developed during World War 

 II, but have since proven their economic worth. An interesting side- 

 light of the magnesium process is that it employs lime made from 

 oystershells. 



Further development in this area depends considerably upon the 

 availability of cheap process heat and power. Fortunately, we are 

 approaching the day when chemical mineral extraction can be made 

 a byproduct or accessory of the fresh water conversion process using 

 the atomic reactor as an energy source. 



FOOD PRODUCTION 



Food production in the oceans is another vast resource which lies 

 awaiting our call. At present the United States has an agricultural 

 surplus and a considerable amount of marginal untilled land so that 

 talk of a greater food supply may seem academic. But the population 

 trend, both in the United States and worldwide, is strongly upward; 

 and our present excess of food surely will be overtaken within a few 

 decades. Present efforts at fishing, seaweed reduction and the like will 

 pale by comparison with the future effort. I can visualize the sys- 

 tematic husbandry of fish, whales, and other sea animals on a scale far 

 to exceed our present cattle industry, including scientific breeding 

 feeding, pest control and all the rest. 



Likewise, vegetation in the sea will be developed and formed on a 

 large scale for human consumption. Note that these activities like 

 mineral extraction, will be performed anywhere in the world, wherever 

 the need exists, and the distinction between fertile versus sterile agri- 

 cultural areas will tend to be reduced. 



Note also that ocean farming will avoid the need for elaborate irri- 

 gation projects or short-term dependence on the weather. Prototypes 

 of future ocean farming equipment are to be found today in kelp 

 harvesters and floating factories for extracting whale oil. 



DEVICES FOR UXDERSEA RESEARCH 



My last area for attention is undersea research. You have already 

 heard a description of the overall research needs from Professor 

 Brown, so I shall confine this discussion to engineering aspects. Much 

 of the acceleration of oceanographic activity has depended upon, or 

 been accompanied by, new devices for exploring the oceans. To 

 mention a few : the scuba, or "Aqualung" has enabled thousands of 

 people to rediscover the other world that lies at our doorstep and sci- 

 entists to see and feel the underwater habitat ; the bathyscaph has 

 carried man repeatedly to the greatest depths in prosaically reliable 

 fashion; buoys of all kinds and remotely operated instruments have 

 facilitated the measurement of ocean characteristics. What steps will 

 or should come next? 



There must be a mid-depth type of vehicle or mesoscaph, to operate 

 at depths of 15,000 to 18,000 feet, to have good maneuverability and 

 ;a substantial scientific payload. Special accessories such as remote 

 handling and grasping devices will be needed. In my view, about a 

 dozen such craft are desirable, since roughly half the geographic 



