FOREWORD 



A common interest in the seas is helping unite the 

 nations of the world. This international unity in oceanography 

 is expressed through cooperative research projects , through 

 exchange of data,, and most dramatically through jointly con- 

 ducted expeditions. At the basis of this unity is the 

 conviction that nations which plan together, work together., 

 and share together the fruits of their common efforts , must 

 inevitably become better neighbors. 



It is this maritime togetherness which the Inter- 

 governmental Oceanographic Commission seeks to promote by 

 means of international cooperative programs. Two of the largest 

 and most successful are the International Indian Ocean Expedition 

 (IIOE) and the International Cooperative Investigations of the 

 Tropical Atlantic (ICITA). Both programs have already made 

 significant contributions to our knowledge of these two large 

 but relatively unexplored bodies of water. In addition to 

 stimulating basic science, the thirty nations participating in 

 these investigations expect their cooperative efforts to lead 

 to more productive exploitation of the living and mineral 

 resources of the world ocean. This work also promises to 

 increase our understanding of air/sea relationships and thus 

 improve our ability. to forecast and predict weather conditions. 



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