1998 Year of the Ocean The Legendary Ocean — ^The Unexplored Frontier 



With the end of the Cold War, declassified technologies and resources developed for 

 military purposes have become available to civilians. Among these major resources are formerly 

 classified military oceanographic data, deep-sea submersibles, nuclear submarines, and the 

 Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (lUSS), a listening system developed for submarine 

 detection and location. The availability of these resources has had a significant impact on ocean 

 exploration. A cooperative agreement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Navy provides access for civilians to Navy deep 

 submersibles and ROVs, allowing exploration and research to 6,000 m below the surface. 

 Several scientific cruises to the Arctic Ocean using the Navy's nuclear-powered submarines have 

 been made since 1993. These missions have demonstrated the utility of such vessels for 

 oceanographic and geophysical studies of polar oceans. Another dual-use application known as 

 acoustic thermometry uses listening systems to measure whether the ocean is cooling or warming 

 by measuring the speed of sound transmission between two fixed points. Data such as this can 

 provide evidence concerning the status of global climate change. Other cooperative uses for U.S. 

 Navy vessels include mapping and seismic exploration of the ocean floor, tracking and study of 

 whales, retrieval of environmental information from remote instrumented buoys and 

 observatories, and enforcement of fishing regulations. 



Remote sensing technologies, such as satellites and radar, are relative newcomers to the 

 toolbox of the ocean explorer. They are capable of providing synoptic information over large 

 surface areas — information previously unobtainable from surface-based platforms such as ships 

 and buoys. Pictures from satellites orbiting the earth provide some of the most valuable — and 

 often, unexpected — information about the ocean. Recently, a satellite found what may be the 

 world's second largest lake beneath Antarctica's thick icecap. Data released within the past year 

 shows the Pacific Ocean may contain more than 50 percent more seamounts than previously 

 thought. This means that more than 25,000 undersea volcanos taller than 1 km are largely 

 unknown and remain uncharted because of sparse bathymetric coverage. (Seamounts are 

 submarine volcanos that can provide information about geological history. Because they often 

 support highly diverse and abundant marine life, they may also provide significant new fishing 

 grounds.) Finally, satellite images can be used to follow pollution discharged from rivers into the 

 sea, locate coral reefs and provide information on their health, measure heat flow from the sea 

 surface, and study the effects of wind and tides on the transportation of sediments. A myriad of 

 possible applications abound. 



THE WEALTH AND WONDER OF THE OCEANS 



Oceans continue to arouse some of our most noble and basic instincts. In just a few short 

 decades, research has opened doors to ocean exploration and exploitation that our ancestors 

 could only have imagined. The seas have much to offer of economic importance. Some resources 

 like fisheries and mineral resources are well recognized today. Others offer promise for the 

 fiiture. 



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