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



• Maintain superiority in undersea surveillance and antisubmarine warfare — ^by virtue 

 of knowledge gained from experiments in sound transmission through the ocean, 

 allowing detection at longer distances, and lower sound levels 



• Provide fundamental concepts related to the beginnings of life forms on earth, — ^via 

 the use of manned and unmarmed submersibles to study undersea volcanoes and their 

 concomitant life forms 



• Save hundreds of thousands of lives through forecasts of coastal hazards (including 

 tsunamis and hurricanes) — ^made possible through the exploitation of high 

 performance computing, allowing implementation of increasingly sophisticated, and 

 accurate, models for forecasting coastal dynamics 



• Establish a whole industry based upon commercially viable fish farms and 

 aquaculture facilities — ^through improvements in understanding of the physiology and 

 ecology of important species, such as salmon and mussels 



• Locate and build oil platforms to maximize production, and to survive the extremes of 

 the ocean environment — ^as a consequence of new concepts in anti-fouling, ocean 

 engineering, and seafloor mapping/characterization 



• Build sustainable fisheries which in 1996 alone contributed $21 billion to the U.S. 

 GDP — ^through science and research tools to manage the corrmiercial and recreational 

 fishing industries 



But where does the ocean sciences community go from here? The 7 percent investment of 

 the past led to outstanding products. Clearly, a stronger investment is needed for the broader set 

 of challenges facing the United States in the next millennium. 



In 1992, the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council (NRC), recognizing 

 the need to revisit the status, roles, and plans of the oceanographic community, convened several 

 meetings and prepared their assessment. Their report, entitled Oceanography in the Next Decade: 

 Building New Partnerships, has been a landmark event in the direction of this community. The 

 objectives of the study were to "document and discuss important trends in the human, physical, 

 and fiscal resources available to oceanographers, ...to present the best assessment of scientific 

 opportunities during the coming decade, ...and to provide a blueprint for more productive 

 partnerships" (NRC, 1992). 



The report of the National Research Council was particularly timely in that it dealt with 

 the redefinition of the oceanographic community in the context of society's changing needs. In 

 opening remarks launching the National Research Council's report its Chairman at the time. Dr. 

 Frank Press, cited the marked changes taking place in the post-Cold War period. These changes 

 seem to cry for new approaches to partnerships for the oceanographic scientific community. In 

 fact, as he pointed out, "concerns about the ocean as a medium for warfare as a threat to national 

 security are decreasing while environmental problems of the coastal zone and understanding how 

 the ocean controls climate are of increasing importance." Further, he stated that while "major 



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