'Two-thirds of the earth's surface is covered by the waters of 

 the seas. The waters themselves greatly affect our lives -- they 

 play a major role in governing our climate; they provide inexpen- 

 sive transportation; from them we derive important quantities of 

 nourishment; they have traditionally provided protection against 

 military attack. Beneath the surface a myriad of wonders is 

 concealed. There are trenches, the floors of which are as much 

 as 7 miles below sea-level. Mountains which approach Mt. Everest 

 in height rise up from the ocean floor. Sediments in the ocean deeps 

 contain detailed records of earth history -- and, associated with it, 

 life history. The more than 300 million cubic miles of water con- 

 tain huge assemblages of living matter of fantastic variety. 



"As our technological civilization increases in complexity, as 

 human populations grow more and more rapidly, as problems of 

 military defense become increasingly difficult, as man pushes 

 forwara with his relentless quest for greater understanding of 

 himself, his origins and the universe in which he lives --as all 

 of these changes take place, detailed knowledge and understanding 

 of the oceans and their contents will assume ever greater impor- 

 tance. 



'Man's knowledge of the oceans is meager indeed when com- 

 pared with their importance to him. 



From "Oceanography 1960-1970" 



National Academy of Sciences -- 



National Research Council 



Vll 



