40 



Oceanography— The Ten Years Ahead 



foreign oceanographic programs. Like ours they 

 are changing in both respects. Up-to-date figures 

 are not always available even when free access to 

 official information is granted, and in the case of 

 the USSR, the program of perhaps greatest size 

 and interest, this access is not free. Also, definitions 

 are not uniform. For example, foreign programs 

 show about three technicians for every scientist 

 where the U.S. shows only one. Perhaps a third 

 or more of the foreign technicians might be 

 classed equally well as scientists, effectively 

 doubling the numbers given in the sections which 

 follow. What is known, however, indicates that 

 the United States, the USSR, Japan, the United 

 Kingdom, and Canada, lead the other nations of 

 the world in the extent and quality of their 

 programs. 



It has been the declared intention of the 

 President and the Congress that the U.S. should 

 maintain world leadership in this field of science. 

 The following discussion should help illuminate 

 this country's present position in terms of size, 

 scope, and quality. In a field where so much 

 opportunity exists for new discoveries, there is 

 never room for complacency. 



A. USSR 



The USSR is reputed to have more than 60 - 70 

 ships available for oceanographic research though 

 undoubtedly many of these do double duty as 

 mother ships for fishing fleets or act as icebreakers 

 and as naval escorts or supply ships. Their fishing 

 fleet of over 3000 vessels, deployed to fishing 

 grounds all over the world, presumably contrib- 

 utes to the collection of oceanographic data also. 

 It is also likely that many of their merchant fleet, 

 now consisting of something over 1000 ships and 

 growing rapidly, take observations of near-surface 

 oceanographic conditions as well as reporting 

 meteorological conditions into the world synoptic 

 weather net. 



Their best known research ships are the 

 MIKHAIL LOMONOSOV, built in 1957 of about 

 5960 displacement tons with some 16 oceano- 

 graphic laboratories and space for about 75 scien- 

 tists on board; the VITIAZ, similar in size though 

 built in 1939; the S VERY AN K A, a research sub- 

 marine; and the 12,000-ton OB, built in 1953. 

 In addition to these floating laboratories, two other 

 large ships of about 4600 tons, the PETR 

 LEBEDEV and the SERGEY VAVILOV, were re- 



fitted in 1960 while the SEVASTOPOL, a 2500 

 tonncr, has been in the research fleet since 1951. 

 The ZARYA, a small sailing ship, is the world's 

 only nonmagnetic research vessel. The exact 

 size of their professional oceanographic scien- 

 tific staff is not known but is estimated at about 

 500 - 700 scientists and about 1600 technicians, 

 thus considerably smaller than that of the U. S. 

 Their work is of broad scope and generally high 

 quality. It is of interest to note that the Soviet 

 Interdepartmental Coordination Scientific Council 

 on the study of the oceans and seas is somewhat 

 similar in concept to the ICO. 



B.Japan 



The Japanese effort in oceanography is now 

 estimated to have passed that of Great Britain 

 and to rank behind only those of the U. S. and 

 the USSR. It has traditionally been concerned 

 with the problems of fisheries, shipping, and pro- 

 tection against marine catastrophes such as 

 tsunamis, storm surges, and typhoons. These 

 preoccupations, natural to an island nation with 

 a dense population, little arable land, and modest 

 mineral resources, have resulted in a strong em- 

 phasis on applied research and a program con- 

 ducted almost entirely within the governmental 

 meteorological, fisheries, and hydrographic agen- 

 cies. Though some 16 or so universities have 

 facilities for oceanographic and fisheries studies, 

 their role in Japanese oceanography has been 

 primarily educational. In addition to excellent 

 fisheries research, Japanese- oceanography has 

 long been considered to excel in air-sea inter- 

 action studies, tsunami prediction, sea water chem- 

 istry, and problems of the Kuroshio current 

 dynamics. 



Recent developments indicate a trend towards 

 more basic research and broader scope. A new 

 Oceanographic Institute devoted to basic research 

 is planned for Tokyo University, and two re- 

 search vessels of about 300 tons are to be built for 

 its use. Greater emphasis on physical, chemical, 

 and geological oceanography can be expected in 

 the future. 



This broadening interest is already manifest in 

 the recently initiated program of "Japanese Ex- 

 peditions to the Deep Sea," a continuing series, 

 four of which have already taken place. 



Japan's traditional willingness to participate in 

 international surveys and expeditions, as well as 



