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94 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE NEXT DECADE 



DIRECTIONS FOR BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY 



Summary 



In the next decade, biological oceanography will emphasize 

 the effects of ecosystems on global cycles of important elements, 

 such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, and conversely the effects 

 of global environmental changes on marine ecosystems. Of timely 

 interest are climate change and population dynamics of marine 

 organisms. In addition to climate change that may be accelerated 

 by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, overfishing, 

 eutrophication, introduced species, and other anthropogenic changes 

 affect marine populations, although impacts vary regionally. 



The complexity of biological systems and their variability in 

 both time and space pose practical problems for designing pro- 

 grams and setting research priorities. Potentially important ap- 

 proaches include both studies focused on regions or times of the 

 year with clearly distinguishable food-web structures and inten- 

 sive examination of areas where geochemical measurements have 

 identified inconsistencies or contradictions. There is also an ur- 

 gent need to initiate and strengthen long time-series studies of 

 the biology and chemistry of key oceanographic regimes. In addi- 

 tion, concerted effort must be applied to increasing understanding 

 of the basic ecology, physiology, and molecular biology of key 

 marine species. 



For the foreseeable future, biological oceanographers will need 

 ships to collect seawater, sediments, and organisms and to pre- 

 pare and process samples at sea. Thus oceanographic vessels will 

 remain the primary facility for advancing basic knowledge of ma- 

 rine ecosystems. However, the use of other technologies and ap- 

 proaches could lead to important breakthroughs. They include 

 satellite and aircraft remote sensing; numerical modeling; mo- 

 lecular biological techniques; optical, acoustical, and sample col- 

 lection instrumentation and in situ data acquisition systems, in- 

 cluding bottom landers; and remotely operated vehicles. 



Introduction 



Studying marine communities is difficult without an under- 

 standing of their associated physical, geological, and chemical en- 

 vironments. It is likely that biological oceanographers will strengthen 

 interdisciplinary collaboration in the i990s to include more at- 

 mospheric chemists, meteorologists, sedimentologists, paleontol- 



