135 



Chapter V. 



PRESENT ACTIVITIES IN OCEANOGRAPHY IN EUROPE 



I. I"'TRODUCTI0N 



In this chapter we wish merely to emphasize the contrasts be- 

 tween present day Oceanography in Europe and in America. No attempt 

 is made to present a detailed picture. 



Americi 

 of the pa, 



oceanographlc investigations, developing in scope, have heen active- 

 ly prosecuted without a break, from the time when the "Challenger" 

 expedition set the standard for such 'vork, down to the outbreak of 

 the ^''orld w'ar. And during the years when America's participation in 

 oceanographio exploration on the high seas-'- was confined to the 

 cruises of a single ship (the "Albatross") European countries were 

 sending out a succession of such exrediticns to many'soas, either 



1. ^.'^'e omit reference here to bath7,n'aetric surveys carried otit In. con - 

 nection with cable construction, or incidentally. 



strictl:'- oceanographlc in scope, or making oceanographic investiga- 

 tions incidental to other ob.iects. To illustrate tbls continuity of 

 investigation, it is onl- necessary to mention the expeditions of the 

 "Pola" (Italian) In 189'5-1898; of the "Pram" (Norwegian') 1893-1896: 

 "Ingolf" (Danish) 1895-1895; "Valdivia" (German) 1899-1900: "Siboga" 

 (Dutch) 1901-19; the several Antarctic expeditions of 1901-1904; of 

 the "Planet" (Germ.an) 1906-1907 and 1912-1915; of the "Thor" (Danish) 

 1908-1910; of the "yichael Sars" (Norwegian and British) 1910: of the 

 "Deutschland" (German) 1911: of the "Dana" (Danish) 1920-1922; of the 

 "Maude" (Norwegian) 1918-1925: of the "Meteor" (German) 1925-1927; 

 and of the "Discovery" (British) in 1927-1928. 



During this same period, not only were all the maritime nations 

 of Europe stimulated to intensive studies of their home waters by the 

 importance of fisheries in their economic lives, but there was an act- 

 ive development of marine biological laboratories around the coasts 

 of Europe, either under the auspices of the state universities or of 

 private scientists. 



Oceanographlc activities were, for the most part, suspended in 

 Europe during the war, but soon resumed thereafter. And continuing 

 interest in the problems of the sea has been made evident since th>^n, 

 not onl77 b^.^ the activities of the several research instittitions in 

 tbeir hom.e waters (most of which managed to survive the -vears of 

 stress), but also b^-^ renewed explorations of the oceans on a broader 

 scale. As instances of the latter we mav mention the recent vo7.'-a,se 

 of the "Tfeteor" in the South Atlantic, the cruises recently carried 

 out b7^ the "Discovery" in the Antarctic, and the fact that a success- 

 or to that famous ship is now under ccnstru.ction in England. 



