PREFACE 



The long arm of the oceanographer is his ship, his steel cable is his 

 sinew, and his instruments his fingers groping into an unknown that covers 

 three-quarters of this earth. It is not surprising, therefore, to find the sub- 

 ject of instruments to be a lively one in the oceanographic fraternity. These 

 explorers who look for more than they can see, listen for more than they can 

 hear, and reach for nnore than they can encompass, seldom meet without a dis- 

 cussion of instrument liniitations and needs and an exchange of experiences and 

 ideas. Nevertheless, the very distance that separates the oceanographic insti- 

 tutions of this country, alone inr^poses a barrier to effective communications and 

 the mutual exchange and critical review of new techniques and developments. 

 For this reason, the editors of this symposium, speaking for the staffs of their 

 institutions and, we are sure, for all the participants, wish to convey their ap- 

 preciation to the National Research Council and to the Office of Naval Research 

 for their sponsorship of the Symposium on Oceanographic Instrumentation. They 

 speak also in appreciation of the physical arrangennents which provided at the Inn 

 of Rancho Santa Fe an environment free from distractions and conducive to the 

 presentation and exchange of the ideas partly recorded in the following pages 

 and partly unrecorded in the informal discussions and conversations stimulated 

 by the group's contiguity. 



In assembling the several papers and discussions, the editors have at- 

 tempted to retain some of the flavor of the meeting. Many of the discussions 

 were submitted as discourse, where possible, and the give and take of the meet- 

 ing has been retained. Although this results in some unevenness of style among 

 the contributions, this irregularity is of lesser importance than the ingredient 

 from which it stems. Much information could not be presented by the authors 

 because of military classification. Some information has been added in the 

 form of footnotes when arising subsequent to the synaposium. Other later ma- 

 terial has been added as appendices where necessary for completeness. 



It is regrettable that so much time has been required to complete the task 

 of compiling, editing and publishing these proceedings. In part this has been 

 due to the distance that separates the editors and the many individual contribu- 

 tors, in part to the press of many activities, and in part to the necessity of 

 transmitting copies of papers to the authors and to the discussants and succes- 

 sively returning the copies incorporating corrections and comiments. Without 

 exception the contributors to this symposium have been prompt and cooperative. 

 Thus the editors must shoulder the greater part of the blame for the delay. 



The interim has not been without consolation, however, for it has seen 

 the foresight of the sponsors already vindicated in some measure by the fruition 

 of a number of the ideas delineated in the following pages. Nor has this period 

 of apparent inaction been one of continuous repose. The task of coalescing the 

 papers has not been trivial. There is ample evidence in these proceedings that 

 oceanographers are an ingenious breed of independent mind. In part this re- 

 sults from the necessity of their improvising to meet new problems aboard ship 

 during long periods at sea when facilities and opportunities for collaboration are 

 linmited. Even more, it stems from the fact that the sea recognizes none of 

 the bounds of the established disciplines, but rather demands from its students 

 a flexibility and diversity of method that characterize their work and are reflec- 



