PLANNED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES 
The Geochemical Ocean Section survey will be made along 
north-south tracks through the oceans. The track follows, as far as 
is now known, the approximate trajectory of the bottom water current. 
The United States program will carry out the major survey work along 
this track in the Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctic and Indian Oceans. 
Additional programs now being planned by the German Federal Republic, 
Japan and other nations will add supplementary sections. (See section 
on International Coordination. ) 
The U. S. program calls for the occupation of oceanographic 
stations along main survey tracks as shown in Figure 4. Details will 
be worked out later for a proposed six-month cruise in the Indian 
Ocean. At each station vertical profiles of 50 samples, each measuring 
about 30 liters, will be taken while, at alternate stations, very large 
samples of 270 - 1000 liters will be taken at about 20 depths to measure 
trace constituents and low-concentration radioisotopes. Locations of 
the stations and nominal depths are shown in Table 1. The vertical 
Spacing of all samples will be guided by continuous recording, on sta- 
tion, of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Particulate matter 
will be collected at all depths and dissolved gases will be extracted 
from sea water for on-board analysis by gas chromatography. Much of the 
analytical work will be done on the ships during the expedition. Remain- 
ing work on water samples will be done in laboratories of participating 
geochemists throughout the country, and a "water library" of water sam- 
ples will be maintained for future work. Flow sheets typifying the 
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