1998 Year of the Ocean Marine Science, Technology, and Research 



INTRODUCTION- 



The history of leadership by the United States in the world community is deeply entwined 

 with the leadership role it has had in understanding the factors controlling the environment. The 

 envirormient is where people live and work, and is the source from which resources come to 

 create human habitats and economies. The environment is controlled by the world's ocean. This 

 paper will discuss the oceanographic science community in terms of its accomplishments, its 

 skills, and most particularly, the needs and investments that are required to maintain the role of 

 the United States as an international leader in the science of the ocean. 



Sixty percent of the states in this country have coastlines on the ocean or Great Lakes. 

 Half of the population lives within the coastal zone. One out of every six jobs in the United 

 States is marine-related. Yet less than 4 percent of the federal budget for basic research is spent 

 on ocean sciences. 



While the ocean sciences community in the United States is small')), the cadre of 

 professionals in this field represent a wide spectrum of skills, ranging from molecular biology to 

 fluid dynamics to cybernetics to organic chemistry. The strength of this community has been 

 based on two factors: (1) its recognition of national research imperatives, and (2) its capability to 

 work cooperatively on scientific problems. This Year of the Ocean observation provides an 

 opportunity to review some examples of well-coordinated efforts to transcend disciplinary and 

 institutional boundaries. 



Notwithstanding its past accomplishments , however, the United States faces a new set of 

 challenges in the next decade. These challenges will demand all of the existing resources and 

 capabilities of the ocean sciences community, and then some! Demands on society are being 

 made concerning economic development, quality of life, national security, and education. 

 Driving these demands are changes in global geopolitics, military requirements, technological 

 capabilities, economic competition, international demographics, and resource utilization. In 

 defining general goals pertaining to these demands and changes, and responding to the 

 opportunities presented by the International Year of the Ocean, the oceanographic community 

 must seek to prepare to address new challenges, as well as meet current and continuing needs. 

 That is to say, the community of ocean scientists is now poised to work toward meeting an even 

 larger set of societal needs. 



'Less than 2,500 American Ph.D. level oceanographers are employed in U.S. academia, government, and the private sector 

 (NSF, 1991). 



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