164 



Recommendations to accompany the Report of the 

 Sonimittee on Oceanography of the National Academy 

 of Science as submitted to the Academy, November 

 18, 1929, 



The outstanding feature of the oceanographic situation in 

 the United States of America is that we face about equally on 

 two great oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific, each of which 

 presents, in addition to the universal P^oolenso. the ocean 

 certain problems either peculiar to it or capable of more ready 

 attack within it. Neither can be reg^.rded as more important than 

 the other from the point of view of oceanographic research m 

 the development of oceanography in America, therefore, ^J^^i; 

 attention should be paid to the needs of research from the Eastern 

 and from the Uestern coasts. 



In the loreparation of the report herewith submitted to the 

 Academy it has been possible to obtain a reasonably complete ana 

 clear picture of the present status of oceanographic _ research 

 throughout the world, which would not be materially improved Dy 

 farther study. The question of the requirements for the best de- 

 velopment of oceanographic research in America, however, presents 

 such a complex of factors, including the utilization of educational 

 facilities in the universities, the creation of new agencies, and 

 the correlation of all existing agencies in America with one another 

 and witn those of other countries, that no approach to completeness 

 in the treatment of recommendations is now attempted. The loiiowing 

 recommendations therefore concern only steps now clearly seen to ce 

 necessary for the furtherance of oceanographic research in Axjerica. 

 They are presented with the understanding that the Committee desires 

 to make additional recommendations at a future time. 



On the Pacific coast the conditions and outlook for ocean- _ 

 ographio research are at present better than on the Atlantic, owing 

 to the activities of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of tne 

 University of California located at La Jolla. The expanaing needs 

 and well considered program of future work of this institution, 

 however, demand and should receive additional support at an f^rly 

 date. Oceanographic research on the Pacific coast is also aided 

 in an important way by the recent additions to the program of the 

 Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, located at Pacific 

 Grove. 



On the Atlantic coast the existing situation renders it 

 desirable to center attention on the development of such a type 

 of institution as would most fully meet the needs for oceanographic 

 work in that region. At the present time there is no mstituuion 

 on the Atlantic coast committed to comprehensive oceanographic^ 

 investigation, even though numerous agencies are concerned with 

 various°isolated aspects of the subject as parts of more immediate 

 programs. There is need, therefore, on the Atlantic coast, of a 

 new organization committed to oceanographic investigation as its 



