V. Recommendations 



We are persuaded of the Importance of continuing to expand our 

 knowledge and understanding of the oceans and associated atmospheric 

 phenomena, not only for the sake of science and to improve our utiliza- 

 tion of ocean resources, but because the oceans represent a major portion 

 of our global environment with potential impact on many facets of 

 human life, from survival to amenities — impacts about which too little 

 is known. There is no dearth of problems calling for study; in fact we 

 see so many that we are reluctant to identify some as more pressing 

 than others. For example, we see^a growing need for integrated studies 

 of the oceans and atmosphere which would further extend the work of 

 projects such as NORPAX, CLIMAP, and ISOS. We also see a need for 

 comprehensive studies of the global biological productivity of the oceans, 

 in much the same vein as the global study of oceanic chemical constitu- 

 ents which has been undertaken in GEOSECS. The question is not so 

 much what to study as how best to use our present capabilities and 

 institutions to meet the needs of the future. To this end we make the 

 following recommendations: 



• The junction of providing support for long-term multi-institu- 

 tional, multidisciplinary studies of the oceans is an essential one 

 that should he kept intact. In the IDOE, the National Science 

 Foundation has acquired skill, experience, and expertise in the 

 initiation and management of <uch studies, drawing upon the 

 strengths of existing organizations and avoiding the need to 

 create new institutions with their own rigidities. When the decade 

 program ends, as we feel it should, this capability should not 

 disappear, but through some means, perhaps an Office of Ocean 

 Explorations within NSF, should be established on a continuing 

 basis. 



• The funds presently allocated to long-term cooperative ocean 

 studies should not be lost when the decade ends. The present 

 budget has made possible a viable program whose value, despite 

 its limitations, is sufficient to justify its continuation and possible 



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