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Security concerns and classified applications - The oceans are the operating 

 environn\ent for our national defense. In fact, it has been argued that the seas 

 of the world are our moats. Any research in oceanography is immediately 

 relevant to the operations of the US Navy and may have implications for 

 national security. As such there will always be an awareness of the 

 contribution of our research and education in oceanography to national 

 security concerns and vice versa. 



Management and ownership of resources - The oceanographic researcher depends 

 heavily on a major capital investment that has been made by industry and 

 agencies within the Federal government in terms of research platforms, 

 equipment, laboratories and general infrastructure. The management of these 

 resources, and their ownership is dispersed among public and private 

 entities. Optimal use and upgrade of these facilities requires a delicate 

 coordination of missions, plans and funding. 



Further, the human resources within the ocean sciences community are 

 heavily concentrated in a limited set of job sectors. Management of the 

 human resources will require a diversification of the job opportunities and 

 new educational initiatives to help prepare students for more alternatives in 

 employment. 



Communications - The field of oceanography is represented by approximately 

 50 different technical journals and no less than 15 professional organizatior^s. 

 While an isolatiorust approach to one's own research field may have sufficed 

 50 years ago, the irUierently interdisciplinary nature of today's oceanographic 

 issues dictates that the marine researchers and educators have an 

 extraordinarily broad network for commurucation. 



Public Awareness - Some recent dramatic demonstrations of lack of public 

 scientific literacy have emphasized the need to bring oceanographic research 

 results to the forefront of general visibility. The lack of attention paid to 

 marine issues in the media is most likely attributable to a lack of coordinated 

 publicity by the ocean reseeu-ch and education commxmities; it is not for lack 

 of exciting showpieces from the science and technology being performed in 

 the ocean. 



