SURVEY ASPECTS OF THE OCEANOGRAPHIC 



PROGRAM 



Rear Admiral Charles Pierce 



United States Coast and Geodetic Survey 

 Washington, D. C. 



Since I retired on the first day of this month as Deputy 

 Director of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, my remarks re- 

 flect my opinions and are also based upon the reports of the Com- 

 mittee on Oceanography of the National Academy of Sciences and 

 the reports of the various panels of the Interagency Committee on 

 Oceanography. 



The greatly increased attention now focused on the marine 

 environment has been caused by several factors. Spectacular de- 

 velopments in submarine design and use have resulted in an urgent 

 requirement for knowledge of the water volume, its density, 

 structure, acoustic propagation conditions, subsurface currents, 

 bottom materials, as well as its physical dimensions -- depth, 

 shoreline configuration, and location. Competitive factors in mer- 

 chant shipping have also brought out deficiencies in our knowledge 

 of oceanic and coastal conditions. Optimum ship routing and transit 

 times require more extensive knowledge of water depths, coastal 

 currents, prevalence of limiting sea and swell, etc. Similarly, the 

 application of scientific principles to fisheries control and exploita- 

 tion has pointed up the necessity for detailed seasonal data on 

 water properties, biological productivity, water mass mixing pro- 

 cess, etc. We need today, and have for some years, maps, charts, 

 and pertinent data of the ocean basins comparable to what we now 

 have of the land areas. 



Ocean surveys must obtain data to show the shape of the sea 

 bottom, types of sediments, gravitational and magnetic fields, 

 distribution of temperature, density, and surface and subsurface 

 currents, and must execute such other investigations that will 

 least interfere with the primary mission of a ship underway. 

 Multiple -ship and buoy operations may provide synoptic 

 data on currents, temperature, waves, etc. The program requires 

 an extensive collection of data, samples, recording of observations. 



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