28 THE NAVY OCEAN SCIENCE PROGRAM 



able air by exchange with sea water, will require adequate 

 knowledge about the amounts and variability of these dissolved 

 gases. 



Direct measurements are being made of the alteration of 

 minerals, for example, the rate of solution of calcium carbonate 

 and of the hydration of volcanic glass in the deep sea. These 

 measurements are of interest in connection with studies of 

 formation of the characteristic minerals of the sea bottom 

 and the history of the sea. They also indicate some of the pro- 

 cesses to which man-made installations will be subject. 



The path of nuclides from fallout from nuclear events of recent 

 decades is being followed in the sea as a key to long-term mixing 

 downward from the surface. Certain nuclides accumulated by 

 organisms (strontium, cesium, silver) are being followed in the 

 marine biosphere to obtain an indication of the relationship of 

 this pathway to the total circulation. Along these lines, an 

 interesting investigation is pursuing the movement of lead 

 from automobile fuels through precipitation into the sea. 



Methane and other short-chain hydrocarbons and hydrogen 

 sulfide are found in high concentrations in some marine en- 

 vironments, such as deep Qords and the basin of the Black Sea, 

 where water circulation is restricted. These substances are 

 inimical to most forms of life, and if for any reason oxygen be- 

 comes available, hydrogen sulfide becomes converted by bacterial 

 action into corrosive sulfuric acid. Large volumes of ocean waters 

 at moderate depths in some areas of the open ocean are charac- 

 terized by a low oxygen content. It can be anticipated that there 

 are localities where there is no oxygen, and where hydrocarbons 

 or hydrogen sulfide might occur. Knowledge of such conditions 

 is important to long-term Navy requirements for erecting 

 structures on the sea floor. 



MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS 



The shape of the ocean floor and the physical and chemical 

 properties and geologic structure of the sediment and rock 

 down to several kilometers below it are the concerns of this 



