SCIENCE AND THE SEA 



(b) An underway water sampler with the capability of collecting 

 water samples from preselected depths to 2,000 feet, the quantity of 

 which will be sufficient for quantitative and qualitative analyses of 

 alkalinity, disolved gases, nutrients, and trace elements, namely, 

 oxygen, nitrogen, reactive phosphate, total phosphate, reactive 

 silicate, nitrate, and magnesium sulphate, within state-of-the-art 

 precision. 



(c) A high-speed plankton sampler with the capability of col- 

 lecting plankton samples at preselected depths to 2,000 feet, and 

 indicate the total volume of water sampled. 



(d) A towed echo sounder with an accurate depth recorder of 

 high resolution. 



(e) Other sensors to record wind direction, wind speed, baro- 

 metric pressure, air temperature, and solar radiation. 



The immense unit cost of the transportable oceanographic 

 system may, due to the ever present budgetary consideration, limit 

 the number of units available for the synoptic network. The fol- 

 lowing is a rough estimate of what the van concept may cost: 



Van $10,000 



Equipment $150,000 



Personnel $10,000 (year) 



Ship Services $8,000 (10 crossings/ year) 



Such a high cost of establishing a single data base may tend to 

 defeat the original purpose of the ships-of-opportunity program, for 

 low operating costs is cited as being one of its more attractive 

 features. If it hinders a maximum expansion of the synoptic net- 

 work, so necessary to military and commercial operations, it will have 

 fallen short of its main objective. 



Accordingly, project officials are not abandoning the concept of 

 using inexpensive, foolproof instruments aboard ships-of-opportunity. 

 utilizing ship's personnel to obtain and transmit the data. For the 

 very near future, available instrumentation will restrict observations 

 primarily to temperature versus depth observations. As simple 

 equipment to acquire data concerning other parameters is developed, 

 the program could be modified to include it. 



CONCLUSION 



The forementioned projects, all experiments in the physical 

 utilization of ships-of-opportunity, have proven that an undeterminate 

 potential for marine data acquisition exists in that mode. Participants 

 in each of the projects undertaken to date are generally agreed that 

 we have only begun to explore that potential. Certainly, a number 

 of problems have yet to be solved before total utilization becomes a 

 reality. Most of the problems are apparently technical ones which 

 undoubtedly will be resolved as the need arises. The important thing 

 is that project officials are convinced that a useful system will 

 evolve. If it does, the ships-of-opportunity concept will bring to- 

 gether, in a unique fashion, military, academic, and commercial 

 organizations seeking a common objective — the advancement of our 

 Nation's welfare through the improvement of our knowledge of the 

 oceans. 



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