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carried out on ships. For instance, the Earth Resources Technology 

 Satellites (ERTS) has photographed a dump of waste acids in the 

 New York Bight. 



Equally important, satellite sensors provide new tools for studying 

 basic processes that transport, dilute and eventually disperse pollu- 

 tants in the ocean. For example, we know little about the processes 

 by which polluted waters of the Continental Shelf are carried out into 

 the deep ocean to be diluted and dispei-sed. 



With better knowledge of these processes, we can more effectively 

 use the ocean to dilute certain types of relatively harmless w^astes. We 

 can also more effectively cope with pollutants released by accidents. 

 In short, satellites give us a whole new vantage point from which to 

 tackle pollution problems. 



Environmental data buoys provide another means of more effectively 

 coping with marine pollution. Data buoys are now providing the Na- 

 tional Weather Service with observations of weather at sea to im- 

 prove forecasts in the Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and off the 

 Carolina coast. 



Obviously, better weather forecasts and warnings of hazardous con- 

 ditions help to increase safety of ship and plane operations and signifi- 

 cantly reduce spills due to weather-related accidents. And better in- 

 formation about weather at sea and oceanographic conditions will 

 help to provide predictions of movements of pollutants — such as oil 

 slicks — to assist cleanup efforts at sea and on the beaches when they 

 come ashore. 



Work is also underway to adapt sensors for use on data buoys so 

 that they may in the future be used to measure critical ocean proper- 

 ties and provide an indication of ocean pollution. 



One example : The proposed development of the Alaskan oil fields 

 and the proposed building of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System 

 (TAPS) has resulted in the study of all of these teclmiques to assist 

 the marine operations necessary to carry Alaskan oil to U.S. Pacific 

 ports. 



Information gained from satellites will also be made more available 

 in the Alaskan region to assist ship operations, spot pollution prob- 

 lems, and provide data needed for planning and conduct of cleanup 

 operations. 



But it isn't enough to have data or information or baseline assess- 

 ments. We must have suitable institutional arrangements that permit 

 us to effectively use our resources pro))erly, drawing when possible on 

 the lessons learned by other nations. Nations must also be able to pool 

 their resources to cope with problems that cross national boundaries 

 or become too large for a single nation to handle. 



One international program is already imderway which promises to 

 assist in our efforts to monitor marine pollution. The IGOSS program 

 (Integrated Global Ocean Station System) has already been collecting 

 information about ocean temperatures from ships of many nations and 

 relaying the data to national centers where the information is used 

 to improve weather and ocean forecasts. 



Similar programs are now planned for a marine pollution pilot proj- 

 ect under IGOSS. The expected date for the beginning of that pro- 

 gram is now set for something like June 1974. Under that program, 

 ships will report sightings of oil slicks and flotable debris at sea to 

 provide a measure of the severity of ocean pollution problems. 



