Tropical Atlantic 



The area bounded by latitudes 20°N, 20°S and the coasts 

 of South America and Africa covers over 7,000,000 square miles - 

 more than twice the area of the continental United States. 

 Although a number of physical, chemical,, biological and fishery 

 observations have been made and samples collected in tropical 

 Atlantic waters since the turn of the century, the total 

 available data are insufficient to describe the area adequately. 

 In fact,, between 1900 and i960 fewer than 2,200 oceanographic 

 stations had been made in the area. Prior' to the present 

 investigations there was an average of only one station per 

 250,000 square miles for the month of June (all years together), 

 and one station per 18,000 square miles for February. So large 

 was the task of collecting sufficient data to study the seasonal 

 variations in tropical Atlantic waters that no one nation could 

 hope to undertake this task in one year, except by assigning 

 all, or most of its available marine scientists and research 

 vessels. To carry out oceanographic studies on a quasi- 

 synoptic basis international cooperation is therefore essential. 



Toward this end the International Cooperative Investigations 

 of the Tropical Atlantic were undertaken during 1963. Coordinated 

 by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the objective 

 of the ICITA is the detailed investigation of the marine 

 environment of the Tropical Atlantic on a semi-synoptic basis 

 to assure more efficient exploitation of its abundant fisheries 



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