16 i^ 



nications, tools, and physiology. They will 

 facilitate investigations of soil mechanics, 

 structural behavior at shelf depths, preven- 

 tion of fouling and corrosion over long and 

 short periods, alternate power sources, and 

 problems of transfer and research vehicles 

 mating with undersea structures. They will 

 help in the development of the technology of 

 undersea navigation, anchoring and mooring, 

 acoustics, free-flooding machinery and equip- 

 ment, and instrument development. Utiliza- 

 tion of sucli marine mammals as porpoises, 

 whales, and sea lions for tasks suitable to 

 their intelligence and abilities could be 

 further investigated. 



Many users would be able to lease the lab- 

 oratories to test the economic and technical 

 feasibility of new undersea developments in 

 bottom-based fishing systems, oil production, 

 pipeline emplacement, in-bottom mining, 

 dredging, overburden handling, pumping, 

 undersea transport and work vehicles, bot- 

 tom-located storage, plant harvesting, and 

 aquaculture. 



Scientific research should be integral to 

 all technology development, and there should 

 be facilities both for diving and nondiving 

 scientists to study current cycles and behav- 

 ior, nutrient cycles, pollution dispersion, sea- 

 sonal distribution of organisms, biology of 

 local species, area ecology, human and ani- 

 mal behavior, human group interactions, 

 geology, geophysics, and sediment composi- 

 tion and transport. 



Another element of the Continental Shelf 

 Laboratories National Project involves port- 

 able continental shelf laboratories which 

 should be developed either concurrently or 

 after construction of the fixed shelf labora- 

 tories. Portable laboratories are envisioned to 

 support from 5 to 75 men. Both normal at- 

 mospheric and ambient pressure chambers 

 would be provided. The laboratories would 



have many of the capabilities of the fixed sta- 

 tion, plus the ability to dcballast for towing 

 to another location. Portability would sup- 

 port resource exploration and development 

 anywhere on the -continental shelf and would 

 offer the advantage of quick-reaction investi- 

 gation in areas requiring intensive examina- 

 tion for any civil or military reason. 



Essentially, the portable laboratories would 

 extend the capability developed in the fixed 

 laboratory to different environments, gradu- 

 ally advancing toward the 2,000-foot goal. 



By providing the continental shelf lab- 

 oratories as a focus for many activities, the 

 state of knowledge and technology could be 

 advanced most rapidly. Strong industry par- 

 ticipation would ensure the continuous trans- 

 fer of new information and techniques to 

 commercial applications. 



Technology Transfer 



Industry's ability to assimilate new scien- 

 tific findings and technology will be critical 

 to the success of the research and development 

 programs proposed above and elsewhere in 

 this report to advance the Nation's ca|3abili- 

 ties at sea. The petroleum industry with its 

 own funds already has made very important 

 contributions to marine teclmology and is 

 generally capable of assimilating future de- 

 velopments as they occur. Industry is fully 

 alert to the potential of such Government- 

 sponsored development programs as desalina- 

 tion and gear improvement for the major 

 commercial fisheries. Yet firms lacking suffi- 

 cient in-house competence, especially small 

 businesses, seldom profit fully from Govern- 

 ment-sponsored technology unless there is an 

 accompanying and well-designed effort to 

 bring about its use. 



Considering the coupling of technology to 

 industrial use involves an important distinc- 

 tion among three categories of marine 

 industries : 



