The Working Group was organized into three 
panels, representing commercial and operational 
users of oceanographic data, research users, and 
those responsible for implementing the system. 
The Need for 
Ocean-Color Data 
The value-added industry needs ocean-color 
data to support all of the above applications in 
providing interpreted data products to its clients. 
The Research Panel documented a number 
of important research goals that could be 
reached only through continued availability of 
ocean-color data. These goals are to: 
The Commercial and Operational Users' Panel 
identified two principal user groups. The first 
comprises the 36,000 - 37,000 ocean-going ves- 
sels engaged worldwide in fishing and marine 
transportation and U.S. Navy vessels. The sec- 
ond, smaller user group comprises the value- 
added and offshore oil and gas exploration and 
development industries. 
Ships at sea need the ocean-color data to: 
© Specify quantitatively the ocean's role in the 
global carbon cycle and other major biogeo- 
chemical cycles, 
© Determine the magnitude and variability of an- 
nual primary production by marine phytoplank- 
ton on a global scale, 
® Understand the fate of fluvial nutrients and 
their possible effect on carbon budgets, 
® | ocate fish populations, thereby improving 
catch efficiency, and to 
© Elucidate the coupling mechanism between 
upwelling and large-scale patterns in ocean 
® Optimize ship routes, thereby reducing costs. basins, 
@ Answer questions concerning the large-scale 
distribution and timing of spring blooms in the 
global ocean, 
Oil and gas exploration and development in- 
dustries need the data to: 
© Acquire a better understanding of the pro- 
® Provide an accurate and detailed understana- 
ing of the oceanographic environment for off- 
shore platform design, reducing the risks atten- 
dant to underdesign, 
© Determine "weather windows" when offshore 
operations, such as shipping supplies, pipelay- 
ing, and platform installation, can be conduct- 
ed most safely and efficiently, and to 
® Provide timely information on strong current jets 
and eddies, since these can cause a loss of 
drilling time due to increased loads on the arill- 
ing riser. 
cesses associated with mixing along the edge 
of eddies, coastal currents, western boundary 
currents, etc., and to 
® Acquire global data on marine optical proper- 
ties. 
