90 MARINE SCIENCE 



growing numbers of underfed people in the world. Given more study man can 

 economically harvest considerably more food from the seas than is now possible. 

 Considering the position of the United States in the community of nations, it 

 seems appropriate, even essential, that we lead the way in this respect. 



About a third of the energy of sunlight is used to evaporate sea water. This 

 evaporation and the subsequent condensation are the primary means by which 

 solar energy is absorbed in the atmosphere. There is good reason to believe that 

 changes in the location where interchange of matter and energy takes place 

 between sea and air affect persistent weather patterns. We know that the aver- 

 age weather conditions we call climate can change over a few decades, and we 

 suspect that changes in the storage of gases and heat in the oceans wall pro- 

 foundly influence the process. Studies of the mechanisms of interchange be- 

 tween the air-sea boundaries of regions where intense interchange occurs and 

 of the slow mixing between the ocean deeps and the surface which controls 

 storage of heat and gases are essential for further understanding, hence for 

 prediction and possibility of control. 



From the point of view of military operations there is no comparison between 

 the urgencies of the problems of the oceans and those of outer space. The sub- 

 marine armed with long-range missiles is probably the most potent weapon 

 system threatening our security today. It seems clear that the pressures of 

 establishing effective bases, and of protecting ourselves from attack, are relent- 

 lessly driving us into the oceans. 



The problems involved in military operations in the sea are enormous. We 

 will not be able to navigate under the oceans with adequate precision until our 

 knowledge is greatly expanded. Nor will we be able to detect submerged sub- 

 marines efliciently unless we learn far more about the ocean depths than we now 

 know. We will not be in a position to negotiate an adequate international sub- 

 marine control and monitoring system until we have the ability to make the 

 oceans transparent so that we can track all submarines in the oceans, both our 

 own and all others. To accomplish this, w'e must place greater national em- 

 phasis on research in the marine geophysical sciences, on surveys of the ocean 

 background against which tracking must be accomplished, and on the develop- 

 ment of effective devices to achieve such oceanwide surveillance. The Commit- 

 tee's recommendations constitute an essential first step in these directions. 



With these problems and prospects in mind, this Committee has attempted to 

 assess the steps which should be taken in order that the United States might 

 possess outstanding capabilities in the oeeanographic field, and in order that we 

 might obtain sufficient knowledge in time to avert a "crash" program — which 

 would be wasteful in terms both of money and valuable technical manpower. 



The cornerstone of our oeeanographic endeavors is basic research. We need 

 to understand waves and the interactions between the atmosphere and the oceans. 

 We need to know more about ocean currents and upwellings. More intensive 

 studies should be made of the properties of sea water and of processes of sedi- 

 mentation. We should systematically study the life forms in the oceans in three 

 dimensions. We should study the sea floor with instruments and we should 

 send men down to look at it in many localities. 



In view of the complexities of these problems the Committee has recom- 

 mended that the level of basic research in these fundamental areas be sub- 

 stantially increased during the next 10 years. This will require increases both 

 in manpower and in facilities. Of particular importance among the facilities are 

 ships, which are to the oceanographer what cyclotrons or reactors are to the 

 nuclear physicist. He simply cannot undertake adequate research without 

 them. 



Our oeeanographic research ships are inadequate for the job which must be 

 done. Most of the ships are old and outdated. Many are obsolete and should 

 be replaced by ships of modern design which will be more efficient to operate 

 and from which a greater variety of scientific observations can be made. In 

 addition, the number should be increased. 



The oceanographer also needs improved instruments if he is to penetrate the 

 water barrier and learn in detail about conditions at great depths. Thus far 

 oceanographers have not been able to take full advantage of recent technological 

 developments and, accordingly, the Committee has recommended the establish- 

 ment of a program of broad scope, aimed at developing and using new instru- 

 ments and devices for exploring the sea. Using new deep-diving vehicles, for 

 example, it is now possible for man to observe directly the ocean deeps. It 

 seems highly like that within the next 10 years men will descend through the 

 water nearly 7 miles to the deepest point on earth. 



