502 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XV, October 1961 
any particular factor in the environment may 
ultimately be established only by experimental 
work either in the field or in the laboratory. In 
some regions where the algal flora is well known 
taxonomically the descriptive aspect can and 
has been undertaken and the time has come 
when further progress in such an area can only 
be expected by undertaking experimental field 
and laboratory studies. In some regions, even 
where the flora may be well known, inadequate 
physical and chemical data militate against fur- 
ther progress and even the advancement of 
tenable hypotheses. Only when such hypotheses 
are put forward, based on a correlation of the 
observational data, can one anticipate and justify 
embarking on an experimental field and lab- 
oratory approach in an attempt to solve prob- 
lems relative to the distribution of marine algae. 
This is the approach that is outlined here in 
studies on marine organisms and, particularly 
on the marine algae, being carried out on the 
coast of British Columbia, some aspects of which 
will be considered here in detail. As a step in 
the direction of increasing our knowledge of 
the entities which comprise the tools of the 
algal ecologist and of completing this descrip- 
tive phase of the study of the marine benthonic 
algae, an annotated check list has been com- 
pleted for the coast of British Columbia and 
northern Washington (Scagel, 1957). Based on 
this list, further studies are now in progress to 
augment the existing data on the marine flora 
of British Columbia, not only on distributions 
but also on life histories, growth, reproduction, 
and seasonal aspects. These fundamental studies 
are basic to all other aspects of ecological re- 
search, especially when an attempt is made to 
use specific organisms as indicators of ocean- 
ographic conditions. 
Not only does this descriptive phase require 
an adequate consideration of the taxonomic as- 
pects, but also a complete description of the 
other factors in the environment is needed. With 
increased activity recently and currently in gen- 
eral oceanographic studies of the North Pacific 
by a number of organizations on the Pacific 
MONTHS 
Fig. 11. Monthly salinities at Pine Island for the period 1942-52. 
