MARINE SCIENCE 77 



Ave might seriously undertake the mining of manganese on the ocean 

 floor. A feasibility study has already demonstrated the possibilities 

 of mining this ore. 



In all the above-mentioned aspects of the oceanographic sui'vey, 

 the Navy has a particular interest. A future war very likely will be 

 three-dimensional. It will involve a range from the stratospliere 

 down to the ocean floor. It is necessary to know the medium as ac- 

 curately as possible and for this w^e have to produce the manpower 

 necessary to carry out the valuable collection and reduction of data. 



I have discussed mainly the application of this survey, but we 

 should not forget that by achieving a better description of the ocean, 

 we will learn more about the phenomena wdthin it and we will detect 

 new features which we have never imagined before. We will learn 

 to understand the ocean and we will receive new impulses for further 

 developments. 



Our techniques are already so advanced that an intense worldwide 

 survey is possible and a rough one can start immediately. In order 

 to avoid unnecessary duplications, a body or an agency should be 

 established which can guide the survey, make the necessary prepara- 

 tions, organize the reduction of data, improve the survey techniques in 

 order to save manpower and ships time, and finally, publish the data 

 as rapidly as possible. The agency carrying out the survey would be 

 the Hydrographic Office, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Fish and Wild- 

 life and related agencies. 



The research institution would participate mainly for quality con- 

 trol, data analysis, and development of new techniques. The survey 

 w^hich must be carried out can be divided accordmg to topics and the 

 distribution of space and time. The topics have to cover the following 

 investigations : 



(1) Bottom morphology and the sediment carpet. 



(2) Geophysics : geomagnetism, heat flow and gravity measure- 

 ments. 



(3) Productivity, plankton and fish distribution, and fish 

 migration. 



(4) Distribution of water properties such as temperature, salin- 

 ity, density, and sound velocity. 



The time element dictates that the survey be made in a specific fashion 

 in order to achieve the following results : 



( 1 ) Synoptic data. 



(2) The average conditions. 



( 3 ) Seasonal variations. 



(4) Secular variations. 



The main emphasis for the descriptive aspects should be given to the 

 gathering of data. Research work should be carried out on the im- 

 portant topics so that we may continue along the main objectives in an 

 economical fashion. 



According to the conclusion arrived at by a panel on this survey, 

 a total of 340 ship-years are needed to carry out an ocean survey. 

 It is expected that all nations interested in the ocean should partici- 

 pate and the panel found it appropriate that the United States con- 

 tribute up to 30 percent of the total survey which would amount 

 to about 100 ship-years. When we also count on the 11 survey 

 vessels that will be available at the end of the 10-year period, it 



