Summary of Findings and Recommendations 



I. THE NEED 



New requirements for real time monitoring of 

 the ocean and atmosphere, and predicting their 

 changes, make it vital to the National interest that 

 we take firm steps toward the establishment of a 

 comprehensive global oceanographic monitoring 

 and prediction system, in concert with other 

 nations. The potential benefits to all marine 

 activities, as well as land-based activities, are 

 substantial— in improved warning of ocean and 

 weather hazards to life and property, support to 

 marine transportation and resource development, 

 and enhancement of National security. 



—The air, sea, and land are inseparable parts of a 

 single geophysical system. The observation, com- 

 munication, and data processing systems— and 

 their supporting technologies— for the atmosphere 

 and the oceans have many features in common. 

 Winds generate sea surface waves and drive the 

 ocean's currents. Hurricanes are generated at sea 

 and draw their energy from the sea. To predict 

 these phenomena we must understand the earth- 

 ocean-atmosphere interactions. 



—Sensors aboard one platform can collect data in 

 both the air and the sea; communications systems 

 can be shared. A viable oceanographic monitoring 

 and prediction system must be planned within a 

 comprehensive environmental system which in- 

 cludes the atmosphere and certain aspects of the 

 solid earth. 



Recommendation : 



The Nation's oceanographic monitoring and pre- 

 diction activities should be integrated with the 

 existing National weather system (as well as 

 certain aspects of the solid earth) to provide a 

 single comprehensive system, which the panel has 

 identified as the National Environmental Monitor- 

 ing and Prediction System (NEMPS). 



Provisions should be made for: 



—Immediate improvements in the present system 

 through the increased use of equipment which is 



already available and which can be deployed at 

 modest cost. 



—Development of new technology to improve data 

 acquisition, communications, and processing on a 

 global basis, with systems studies proceeding in 

 parallel. 



—Research to remove present scientific limitations 

 on our ability to predict the state of the ocean, its 

 biota, and the atmosphere. 



—A single civil system to meet common needs for 

 environmental observations and forecasts of all 

 agencies and users. 



—Specialized systems to meet needs of the Depart- 

 ment of Defense and other agencies, planned and 

 coordinated with the common system. 



The panel proposes that the Nation establish as 

 a target the full implementation of a modernized 

 and expanded global environmental monitoring 

 and prediction system by 1980. 



—The first half of the next decade should be 

 devoted to immediate improvements in the system 

 which could be introduced at low cost with 

 existing technology, and to the development of 

 new technology which will be necessary to realize 

 the full range of possibilities. 



—By 1975 the Nation should be in position to 

 relate the potential improvement due to deploy- 

 ment of new technology to associated costs. 



-By 1980 the next-generation system should be in 

 place to provide adequate data coverage and serv- 

 ices to meet the National needs. 



II. NEAR-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN THE 

 MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION 

 SYSTEM 



Most oceanographic and marine weather predic- 

 tion programs rely on data communications, 

 processing, and dissemination provided by systems 

 operated primarily by the Department of Defense 

 (Navy and Air Force), Department of Commerce 



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