247 



Mr. Pollock. Perhaps the members of the committee already know, 

 Mr. Chairman, but I wonder. Dr. White, if you could tell me what 

 the Inter-Governmental Oceanographic Commission is and how it 

 functions ? 



Dr. White. The Inter-Governmental Oceanographic Commission 

 is a body of UNESCO, of the United Nations. It is that body which 

 has been designated internationally to provide for international co- 

 ordination of and collaboration in scientific investigations into the 

 oceans and the scientific aspects of resources. 



Mr. Pollock. Are there any member nations of the U.N. that are 

 not participating ? 



Dr. White. Yes ; there are about 55 members of the U.N. family of 

 nations who are presently members of the Commission. So a sizable 

 number are not participating. 



Mr. Pollock. Getting back to Alaska for a minute, on page 16 you 

 talked about the collaboration with the Geological Survey to map 

 areas necessary to obtain an inventory of heavy metals on the Bering 

 Sea Continental Shelf. When did that start ? 



Dr. White. With your permission, I would like to ask Admiral 

 Jones to answer that question. 



Admiral Jones. The heavy metals program will be starting next 

 year. We are putting about five and a half months of ship time into 

 a cooperative effort with the Department of Interior. 



We will run bathometric and other geophysical surveys, first at a 

 reconnaissance spacing, and then develop interesting areas that the 

 Geological Survey selects. This will provide them with the detailed 

 topography, corings of the ocean bottom, and other data needed by 

 the heavy metals program. 



Mr. Pollock. Can you tell me how you can determine in this pro- 

 gram your search for heavy metals as distinct from any others? 



Admiral Jones. The geophysical characteristics : gravitational de- 

 terminations and magnetic surveys assist the geologist in determining 

 the gravity and magnetic anomalies in the area ; this along with corings 

 in the ocean bottom provide samples of material for study. 



All of these data are used to prepare graphic displays for analysis 

 and detailed study by geologists, providing them with basic geophysi- 

 cal information for determination of heavy metals characteristics of 

 the area. 



Mr. Pollock. The Continental Shelf in that area actually extends 

 continuously between Alaska and over to Siberia. 



I don't think there is any area that is not part of the Continental 

 Shelf there. 



Admiral Jones. That is correct, except for the Aleutian basin in the 

 southern Bering Sea. 



Mr. Pollock. So would you be going to the 180th meridian, or what 

 is our international dateline? 



Admiral Jones. Our boundary within the area is not on the date- 

 line exactly (U.S.-Iiussian Convention 1867). It extends west of the 

 180th meridian, in the lower portion of the Bering Sea. 



Mr. Pollock. The international dateline in that part of the country 

 is not the 180th meridian. 



Admiral Jones. No, it is not the 180th meridian. The Geological Sur- 

 vey has blocked off a considerable area extending from Norton Sound. 



