(MIAS) to replace the abolished British Oceanographic Data Service 

 (BODS). MIAS is developing an oceanographic data base and recently 

 established a Wave and Current Advisory Service (WACAS). 



lOS is responsible for the Marine Scientific Equipment Service 

 (MSES) and the Standard Seawater Service (SSS). The latter, once a 

 responsibility of the International Council for the Exploration of 

 the Sea (ICES), was transferred to lOS in 1976. lOS has three sta- 

 tions identified as lOS-B (at Bideston), lOS-T (at Taunton), and 

 lOS-W (at Wormley). 



IMER was established in 1970 and inherited the Scottish Marine 

 Biological Association (SMBA) at Edinburgh and the Seal Research and 

 Fisheries Unit (SRFU) at Lowestoft. 



NERC is a participant in several interdepartmental and advisory 

 committees of interest including the Advisory Committee on Interna- 

 tional Oceanographic Affairs (ACIOA) , the Inter-Research Council 

 Committee on Pollution Research (IRCCOPR), and the Study Committee 

 on Ocean Data Stations (SCODS). 



The British Ministry of Defense includes the British Admiralty and 

 the British Hydrographic Department (HD). The former includes several 

 units of interest: the Admiralty Marine Engineering Establishment 

 (AMEE), the Admiralty Oil Laboratory (AOL), and the Admiralty Research 

 Laboratory (ARL). 



Fishery research is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agricul- 

 ture, Fisheries, and Food (MAFF). The Department of Energy (DOE) 

 sponsors an Advisory Group on Environmental Data for Offshore 

 Structures (AGEDOS) and the Marine Pollution Management Group (MPMG) 

 that coordinates activities and collects information about marine 

 pollution, and the Offshore Installations Technical Advisory Committee 

 (OFINTAC). The Meteorological Office (METO) is closely involved in 

 marine meteorology. 



There are a number of British national committees of interest: 

 the British National Committee on Antarctic Research (BNCAR), on Ocean 

 Engineering (BNCOE), and on Ocean Research (BNCOR). Other groups are 

 the Advisory Committee on Oil Pollution of the Sea (ACOPS); the Off- 

 shore Technology Board (OFTB) established in 1973; and the Ship and 

 Marine Technology Requirements Board (SMTRB), which was established 

 in 1972 replacing the Committee on Marine Technology (CMT) established 

 in 1968. 



Some of the groups sponsored by industry include the North Sea 

 Oceanographic Study Group (NSOSG) formed in 1972 by a consortium of 

 oil companies to provide more reliable information on environmental 

 conditions prevailing in the North Sea: the Construction Industry Re- 

 search and Information Association (CIRIA) which established an Under- 

 water Engineering Group (UEG) in 1968 to serve as a clearinghouse 

 for information on decompression and other technical matters; the 

 National Maritime Institute (NMI) established in 1976 and concerned 

 with obtaining and providing wave data to the offshore industry; 

 and the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) which 

 includes an Oceanographic Committee concerned with data and informa- 

 tion on oceanographic conditions affecting offshore operations. 



The Marine Biological Association (MBA) , an independent organiza- 

 tion established in 1884, initiated a Marine Pollution Documentation 

 and Information Center (MARPDIC) in 1970. The Scott Polar Research 

 Institute (SPRI), an independent organization established in 1925, 

 conducts research and promotes education in polar matters, particu- 

 larly in the Antarctic. 



Other British organizations include the British Maritime Law Asso- 

 ciation (BMLA), the British Ship Research Council (BSRC), the Estuar- 

 ine and Brackish-water Sciences Association (EBSA) , the General 



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