249 



Mr. KoGERS. Is there any interchange of information between the 

 oil companies and you ? 



Admiral Jones. Yes, there is. Many times the oil companies have 

 requested and we liave furnished copies of the hydrographic surveys 

 we have made for nautical charting. 



Mr. KoGERS. Do you get good cooperation from the oil companies? 



Admiral Jones. Yes ; we do. 



Mr. Rogers. Are there any that do not cooperate? 



Admiral Jones. No ; I do not believe I can say that. However, the 

 oil companies obtain geophysical measurements, gravity anomalies, 

 et cetera, and do not always wish to furnish this information. 



Mr. Rogers. Because it would reveal their trade secret. 



Admiral Jones. Yes. 



Mr. Rogers. Is there any work going on which would be helpful to 

 the Corps of Engineers on wave action concerning the problem of 

 erosion? Do you have any work going on in this area? 



Dr. White. Our forecasts of storm surges, tides, and coastal currents 

 are very important in supporting their work. 



Mr. Rogers. But no research as such ? 



Dr. White. We have a small activity at Norfolk which deals with 

 some aspects of the interaction between the ocean and the land, the 

 problems of sedimentation, and ultimately for giving us information 

 on the rates of changes of the topography for mapping purposes. 



Mr. Rogers. In the survey of heavy metals, do you use any submersi- 

 bles, or is it done from surface ships ? 



Admiral Jones. No, sir ; we have no submersible capability. 



Mr. Rogers. None at all? 



Admiral Jones. None at all. 



Mr. Rogers. Are there any efforts to get any ? 



Dr. White. If I might answer that, we think that there are activi- 

 ties we would like to undertake where they would be valuable. Of 

 course, whether we obtain submersibles will have to be a judgment 

 in any particular budgetary situation as to whether that is more 

 important than other activities we are dealing with. 



Mr. Rogers. Is the Department planning to request this activity? 



Dr. White. There have been discussions in the Department. There 

 is no formal request for submersibles. 



Mr. Rogers, Would you let us know your feeling on that for the 

 record ? 



Dr. White. Yes. 



Mr. Rogers. And the use of these submersibles ? 



(The information f ollow^s : ) 



Sufficient research and/or development requirements presently exist to justify 

 the use of submersibles. Areas of interest include detailed mapping of bottom 

 topography, studies of mixing processes, investigations of hazards to naviga- 

 tion, support of underwater instrumentation activities and others. ESSA could 

 beneficially make use of submersibles to further its mission. 



Mr. Rogers. I think one of the areas that the Russians are now very 

 active in is an attempt at weather control. The new Director of the 

 Oceanology Institute in Moscow has a background in this area. I won- 

 der what work we are doing in weather control, or are we doing any 

 research in this area ? 



86-705 O— 68— pt. 1 17 



