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Oceanography and Society
The ocean dominates Earth's surface and greatly affects daily
life. It regulates Earth's climate, plays a critical role in the hydrological
cycle, sustains a large portion of Earth's biodiversity, supplies food
and mineral resources, constitutes an important medium of national defense,
provides an inexpensive means of transportation, is the final destination
of many waste products, is a major location of human recreation, and inspires
our aesthetic nature.
Today's sense of urgency about ocean studies is precipitated by human
impacts on oceanic systems and the need for a better understanding of the
ocean's role in controlling global chemical, hydrological, and climate
processes. The nation is faced with pressing marine research problems whose
timely solution will require increased cooperation between federal agencies
and academic scientists. Many of these problems arise from the need to
accommodate multiple uses of the ocean and from the ever-increasing concentration
of the U.S. population near our coasts. Oceanographic research is important
to many of the nation's social concerns, including the following:
Global Change
The ocean is key to regulating both natural and human-induced changes in
the planet. The role of ocean circulation and the coupling of the ocean
and atmosphere are basic to understanding Earth's changing climate. Regional
events such as El Niño and ocean margin and equatorial upwelling
influence climate on both seasonal and longer time scales. Earth's population
is now large enough to alter the chemical composition of the ocean and
atmosphere and to impact the biological composition of Earth.
Biodiversity
The ocean comprises a large portion of Earth's biosphere. It hosts a vast
diversity of flora and fauna that are critical to Earth's biogeochemical
cycles and that serve as an important source of food and pharmaceuticals.
In addition to the exciting discoveries of previously unknown biota near
hydrothermal vents, many deep-ocean organisms have evolved under relatively
stable conditions. Their unique physiologies and biochemistries have not
yet been explored adequately, and methods for sampling the more fragile
of these species have been developed only in the past decade. Human influence
on marine biota has increased dramatically, threatening the stability of
coastal ecosystems. Some species have been overharvested; others have been
transported inadvertently to areas where they are not indigenous, sometimes
resulting in eleterious effects on native species. Still other species
are being cultivated commercially, and aquaculture facilities along coastlines
are becoming commonplace in some countries. A better understanding of the
ecology of marine organisms is urgently needed to prevent irreversible
damage to this living resource.
Environmental Quality
Waste disposed of in coastal areas has reached the open ocean, with broad
ramifications for living resources. This problem is compounded because
many marine species harvested for commercial and recreational purposes
spend a portion of their lives in coastal waters and estuaries. Thus, local
pollution can have far-reaching effects.
Economic Competitiveness
Economic prosperity in a global marketplace depends increasingly on technical
and scientific applications. There is concern about the ability of the
United States to compete with Europe and Asia. Basic and applied research
in the marine sciences and engineering is necessary to achieve and maintain
a competitive position in a host of fields, including marine biotechnology,
aquaculture, hydrocarbon and mineral exploration and production, maritime
transportation, fisheries, treatment and disposal of waste, and freshwater
extraction.
National Security
Unprecedented world political changes are redefining national defense interests
and altering research and development priorities. Knowledge of the ocean,
especially the acoustic properties of marginal seas and coastal areas,
is critical to national defense. Experience gained in 1991 during the war
in the Persian Gulf highlights the need for better information related
to oceanic and coastal processes and to maritime operations and transportation.
Energy
The ocean's energy resources are essential to the national economy and
national security. After a decade of relative neglect, energy issues are
reemerging. With oil supplies continually threatened by instability in
the Middle East and with increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide viewed as
a possible trigger of global warming, there is a need to look carefully
at a full range of energy sources, from oil and gas in our Exclusive Economic
Zone to wave and tidal power and ocean thermal energy conversion. Better
knowledge of the ocean and seabed is necessary to exploit responsibly the
ocean's untapped petroleum and natural gas resources.
Coastal Hazards
This nation must improve its prediction and response to coastal hazards,
both natural and human induced. Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew, two of the
strongest hurricanes of the century, devastated parts of the U.S. East
Coast. Their impact reinforced the need for better predictive capabilities
and a better understanding of coastal storm surges, flooding, erosion,
and winds. The exploration for, and production of, petroleum and the transportation
of petroleum and chemical products pose risks to the environment when spillage
occurs. The movement, effects, and ultimate fates of spilled products must
be understood for effective public response. The available information
is woefully inadequate, particularly for fragile ecosystems such as coral
reefs.
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Policy decisions concerning these and many other marine research issues
require a comprehensive understanding of the science and engineering of
the ocean. Federal, state, and local policies should be based on the best
available knowledge of how ocean systems work-their biology, chemistry,
geology, and physics. Research results must be communicated effectively
to policy makers, with gaps and uncertainties stated clearly and fairly.
Also, basic understanding must continue to improve.
These excerpts are from Oceanography in the Next Decade, Building
New Partnerships, a report of the Ocean Sciences Board of the National
Academy of Sciences, 1992. |