CI 55, H
Federal Plan for
Marine Environmental
Prediction
FISCAL YEAR 1974
FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL
PREDICTION
3fe£
FEDERAL COORDINATOR
Clayton E. Jensen
INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE FOR MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION
M. Grant Gross, Chairman
Robert C. Junghans
Department of Commerce
Cdr. Jack E. Geary
Department of Defense
Joseph E. Upson
Department of the Interior
Henry S. Andersen
Department of State
Capt. Rudolph E. Lenczyk
Department of Transportation
William 0. Forster
Atomic Energy Commission
Willis B. Foster
Environmental Protection Agency
Morris Tepper
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Albert P. Crary
National Science Foundation
David K. Young
Smithsonian Institution
Col. James L. Trayers (Observer)
Council on Environmental Quality
Harold S. Bassett (Observer)
Office of Management and Budget
F. Gilman Blake (Observer)
Office of Science and Technology
Cdr. William R. Curtis, Secretary
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402— Price $0.70
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Frederick B. Dent, Secretary
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Robert M. White, Administrator
FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL
PREDICTION
INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE FOR
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL
PREDICTION
FEDERAL PLAN FOR
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL
PREDICTION
FISCAL YEAR 1974
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WASHINGTON, D. C.
July 1973
PREFACE
This Federal Plan is published to provide the executive
and legislative branches with a summary of Marine Environ-
mental Prediction (MAREP) services and of research and devel-
opment programs to improve those services. It will be used
within the Federal Government to coordinate and plan MAREP
services and research and is available outside the Government
to identify means for utilizing the MAREP services and research
activities. Coordinating the Government MAREP activities and
preparing and maintaining the Federal Plan are performed
by the Interagency Committee for Marine Environmental Pre-
diction.
This Plan covers basic programs for fiscal year 1973 and
increases in fiscal year 1974 for all participating Federal agen-
cies. DATA for FY 1974 are those included in the President's
FY 1974 budget submission to Congress.
In the first section, new thrusts for safety at sea and
protection of the marine environment are highlighted. For
example, a National Program for a Continuing Environmental
Monitoring System for the Marine Leg of the Trans-Alaska
Pipeline System (TAPS) is defined, and progress in international
oceanographic cooperation is outlined. The second section
summarizes agency expenditures supporting MAREP. The
third describes the Basic MAREP Service, a program for fund-
amental observations and forecasts applicable to a wide variety
of users. In the fourth section, Specialized MAREP Services
for maritime navigation, water pollution assessment, living
marine resources, ocean engineering, and national security
are described. The final section covers research and develop-
ment to improve MAREP services.
Clayton E. Jensen
Federal Coordinator for
Marine Environmental Prediction
CONTENTS
Page
Overview 1
Summary of fiscal data 6
Basic Marine Environmental Prediction Service 9
Introduction 9
Description 9
Plans for improvement 10
Specialized Marine Environmental Prediction Services 12
Specialized MAREP Service for Maritime Navigation • • • • 12
Introduction 12
Description 12
Plans for improvement 13
Specialized MAREP Service for Water Pollution
Assessment 13
Introduction 13
Description 14
Plans for improvement 17
Specialized MAREP Service for Living Marine
Resources 18
Introduction 18
Description 18
Plans for improvement 19
Specialized MAREP Service for Ocean Engineering 21
Specialized MAREP Service for National Security 21
Research relevant to Marine Environmental Prediction 24
Introduction 24
Improvement of MAREP functions 24
Data acquisition 24
Information processing and dissemination 26
Understanding basic marine processes 27
Physical processes 97
Biological and chemical processes 3Q
Geographic areas of special interest 31
Coastal zone 31
Chesapeake Bay 34
Great Lakes 34
The Arctic 36
The Antarctic 38
ill
Overview
Although man has made increased use of the
oceans for transportation, food, recreation, and secu-
rity, many of the natural dangers and mysteries of
the ocean remain. Indeed, little more than the sur-
face of this vast frontier has been studied. Recently
it has become apparent that one of the most pressing
questions is the effect that man himself has on his
environment. The answers to current questions
about the hydrosphere in general require analysis or
interpretations of much data over large areas.
The marine environment is being subjected to
man's influences on an ever-increasing scale. Because
of the lack of knowledge of the consequences, there
is a need for marine environmental monitoring and
prediction information to insure the efficient and
beneficial uses of the oceans for transportation, recre-
ation, food, and minerals for the Nation.
If the Nation is to effectively utilize, control, and
manage the marine environment, it must satisfy the
urgent and economically important needs for scien-
tific information on the marine environment and its
physical, chemical, and biological constituents. As the
Senate Commerce Committee observed, ". . . Realiza-
tion of the full potential of the oceans will require a
long-term program of exploration, observation, and
study on a worldwide basis." l
The goals of Federal marine environmental moni-
toring, taking advantage of the technological capac-
ity of private industry and the cooperation of other
nations, are threefold:
1. To provide an integrated program for marine
prediction and information services, including timely
warnings of hazardous environmental conditions,
both natural and manmade, for the protection of life
and property and for efficiency of maritime opera-
tions on the high seas, in coastal waters, and on the
Great Lakes.
2. To develop and maintain an integrated envi-
ronmental monitoring system that will effectively sat-
1 U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Commerce,
Ocean Exploration, 90th Congress, 2nd sess., July 26, 1968.
5 Rept. 1476, p. 3.
isfy the needs for physical, chemical, and certain
biological and geological data from oceanic and
coastal regions to support service-oriented programs
and to facilitate control of environmental pollution.
3. To support assessments and predictions of the
distribution and abundance of those living marine
resources of principal importance to the United
States.
Thus Marine Environmental Prediction (MAREP)
is defined here as the monitoring, assessing, and
forecasting of the physical, chemical, biological,
and hydrodynamic states of the ocean and its inter-
action with the overlying atmosphere and adja-
cent terrestrial boundaries. The marine environment
is broadly interpreted to include the open oceans
and seas, the Great Lakes, and all air, sea, and land
interactions in coastal regions that include marine-
related variables.
Several instruments of legislation enacted by the
92nd Congress have significant impact on Federal
planning for MAREP. The Marine Protection, Re-
search, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 prohibits the
dumping of most materials in the ocean unless a per-
mit is granted by the Environmental Protection
Agency or the Army Corps of Engineers. Title II of
that measure mandates to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration a program of compre-
hensive research and monitoring on ocean dumping.
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amend-
ments of 1972 require the establishment and equip-
ping of a water quality surveillance network not
only for the Nation's fresh water resources but also
for the coastal zone and oceans. This bill also re-
quires permits for marine waste disposal. The Fed-
eral Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 will en-
courage long-term planning and management of
invaluable and irreplaceable coastal resources. Sound
marine environmental predictions programs and
plans must be a definite part of the implementation
of the above-mentioned legislation.
To meet the responsibility for MAREP in the
oceanic environment, including the marine atrnos-
phere, the Interagency Committee for Marine Envi-
ronmental Prediction (ICMAREP) is developing
programs for oceanic monitoring, assessment, and
prediction. The need for such programs was empha-
sized in 1969 by the Commission on Marine Science,
Engineering and Resources (Stratton Commission)
which noted, "The Nation must have a comprehen-
sive system for monitoring and predicting the state
of the oceans and atmosphere." Hence, the goal of
the ICMAREP programs is a framework for coordi-
nated national effort, public and private, and leader-
ship in maximizing these assessment and predictive
services to all users.
The national program is to provide the following
oceanic services:
• Warnings and forecasts of natural oceanic haz-
ards
• Environmental data needed for marine re-
sources management
• Assessments of oceanic pollution
• Environmental information for national secu-
rity and coastal zone management
Thus the oceanic monitoring, assessment, and
prediction concept has been designed to coordinate
the capabilities and resources of Federal agencies
and, where feasible, those of local governments, uni-
versities, and private industry toward meeting the
Nation's needs for ocean-related environmental serv-
ices. Better information and predictions of the
ocean's physical, chemical, and biological conditions
will provide support for more effective management
of marine resources, including fisheries, ocean dump-
ing, recreational boating, surfing, offshore develop-
ment, and commercial shipping.
Facilities of several Federal agencies and the pri-
vate sector will be involved. Success of the program
depends also on cooperation extended by commercial
ship operators for gathering marine observations. In
addition to those of NOAA, resources of Federal
agencies include ships, aircraft, communications sta-
tions of the Coast Guard, selected facilities of the
Department of Defense, and EPA laboratories.
As an example, the Nation's energy situation
draws more attention to the need for environmental
impact statements, oceanic monitoring, assessment,
and prediction services to support offshore and engi-
neering development, safe tanker transits, and
efficient harbor and terminal operations. Increased
shipping of energy-producing materials, such as oil
and gas, is expected, and additional sources will be
sought to meet steadily growing national needs.
Improved environmental monitoring and predic-
tion must be available for more effective implemen-
tation of the National Contingency Plan for Oil and
Hazardous Substances Pollution. Detection and re-
porting of pollutants by Government ships and
ships-of-opportunity will be supplemented by aircraft
and satellite observations. Special small-area wind
and wave forecasts would be required by the Na-
tional Response Teams in event of an oil spill, and
the local current pattern would be needed to predict
the dispersion of the pollutant.
Set-vices supporting the Trans-Alaska Pipeline —
Services for the TransAlaska Pipeline System
(TAPS) will form the first regional implementation
of an oceanic monitoring, assessment, and prediction
concept. Environmental support for TAPS is intended
to assist in transporting the oil over the ocean route by
assuring safer navigation and better cargo protection
from the marine environment. From the pipeline's
southern terminus at Port Valdez, on Prince William
Sound, tankers will transport oil across the Gulf of
Alaska to west coast ports. Considering the environ-
mental concerns, the Secretary of the Interior out-
lined several steps to be taken in implementing
TAPS, including the following:
"A continuing environmental monitoring system
will be required during the lifetime of oil move-
ment in American coastal waters."
The Federal Task Force on Alaskan Oil Develop-
ment has designated the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as lead agency
for development of a marine environmental services
program that would respond to the expressed need
for "a continuing environmental monitoring system"
to support operations on the marine leg of TAPS.
These services will be provided by implementing the
oceanic monitoring, assessment, and prediction con-
cept in the northeastern Pacific Ocean area. Other
Federal agencies involved in monitoring and regula-
tory functions include the Department of Transporta-
tion (Coast Guard) and the Environmental Protection
Agency. Various supporting functions may also be
provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration, Smithsonian Institution, and the De-
partment of State.
The types of environmental support needed for
the marine leg of TAPS include weather advisories,
predictions, and warnings of day-to-day hazardous
conditions; all of which relate to safety of lives, pro-
tection of equipment and cargo, harbor control deci-
sions, and efficiency of ship and harbor operations.
Such services for TAPS include information on:
— Tides, tidal currents, and anomalous currents
in harbors and restricted waterways used by tankers
and other ships
— Tsunamis and other anomalous water levels in
harbors, anchorages, and critical navigational chan-
nels
— Harbor ice conditions
— Fog and other restrictions to visibility in har-
bors, waterways, and on the high sea routes
— Wind, sea, and swell including combined
sea/swell heights, periods, and direction
— Wind-driven currents
— Water quality trend analyses
— Air, sea surface, and subsurface thermal struc-
ture
— Ice accretion on ships
— Other special services on a case-by-case basis
To support the assessment, prediction, and warn-
ing services for TAPS, the monitoring functions must
include seismic, oceanographic (including water
quality) , and atmospheric measurements of the im-
mediate and adjacent environmental regime. Services
should involve where practicable and useful a variety
of platforms including ships, buoys, satellites, aircraft,
and coastal stations. Existing monitoring systems are
largely surface oriented. Atmospheric measurements
will be augmented along with limited oceanographic
measurements at the earliest date practicable.
Monitoring functions are prescribed by the infor
mation needs of the users for predictions and warn-
ings based on the analyses of operational models. Re-
search programs directed to the causes and effects of
environmental change are used to improve these
services. In this regard, regional projects, such as
those under NOAA's Marine Ecosystem Analysis
(MESA) program and the North Pacific Experiment
(NORPAX) sponsored by NSF and ONR, are im-
portant. MESA is a prototype study which is being
implemented in the New York Bight to better under-
stand the fate and distribution of marine contami-
nents. NORPAX will study sea-air interaction for an
area of the North Pacific Ocean to improve our un-
derstanding of oceanic effects of long-term trends of
U.S. climate.
Ongoing Federal activities — The extent of Federal
responsibility for MAREP products, services, research,
and technology reflects response to a wide range of
current and potential user needs. The Departments
ol Commerce, Defense, Interior, and Transportation,
together with the Enviromental Protection Agency
(EPA) , the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) , the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF) ,
and the Smithsonian Institution either conduct or
fund work related to MAREP. The Interagency
Committee for Marine Environmental Prediction,
formed in 1970 to coordinate planning of MAREP
services, to prevent overlapping of products and serv-
ices, and to promote advanced MAREP services and
relevant research, is composed of the nine Federal
agencies mentioned above plus the Department of
State. ICMAREP lias the following subcommittees
and task groups to address diverse problems and to
assist in preparing plans dealing with specific aspects
of MAREP.
• The Subcommittee on Marine Baselines and
Monitoring has initiated a plan for a multiphased
and dynamic marine environmental quality program,
with the initial phase devoted to the identification of
national and Federal needs and description of avail-
able capabilities. The goal of the Plan is to establish
environmental baselines and to measure the parame-
ters needed to continually assess the nature, extent,
and rate of environmental change in coastal, estua-
rine, and selected ocean areas.
• The Subcommittee for the Integrated Global
Ocean Station System (IGOSS) links the national ay
pects of MAREP with the international marine pro-
grams. IGOSS is a United Nations program under
the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
(IOC) and in many ways an international counter-
part of MAREP. Through the Subcommittee for
IGOSS, information on Federal programs and tech-
niques is coordinated to provide national inputs to
the international program. The present IGOSS pilot
project for collection, exchange, and evaluation of
bathythermograph data is an example. Details for a
pilot project to monitor marine pollution are under
development.
• The Subgroup on Buoys was established in 1970
to coordinate environmental data buoy programs for
Federal agencies. Present capabilities and plans for
the future will be outlined in the Federal Plan for
Environmental Data Buoys now under preparation.
International actix/ities — The recognition that en-
vironmental problems can no longer be solved solely
by nations on their own has led to steadily increasing
international cooperation in marine environmental
activities. With brief historical notes, this section will
mention the progress by the United States in interna-
tional oceanographic cooperation since last year's
Federal Plan for MAREP was published.
In 1969 the Joint Group of Experts on the Scien-
tific Aspects of Marine Pollution (GESAMP) was
established by specialized agencies of the United Na-
tions. GESAMP was charged with advising on the
scientific and technical aspects of marine pollution
and developing proposals for cooperative programs
of pollution monitoring and abatement.
At its Seventh Session, during October-November
1972, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commis-
sion (IOC) declared itself to be the appropriate
body within the UN system for planning and coordi-
nating a program of marine pollution monitoring.
At the same session the Commission agreed to de-
velop the Global Investigation of Pollution in the
Marine Environment (GIPME) as one of the major
projects of the International Decade of Ocean Explo-
ration (IDOE) . The scientific advisory bodies to the
Commission recommended that programs within
GIPME consider the feasibility of a study of river in-
puts to ocean systems, encourage and coordinate na-
tional and regional programs for baseline studies of
marine pollution, and give high priority to the crea-
tion of cooperating laboratories for determining the
concentrations and effects of chemical pollutants in
sea water and marine organisms and sediments.
At its Seventh Session the IOC also endorsed the
establishment of an international marine pollution
monitoring program within the framework of the In-
tegrated Global Ocean Station System (IGOSS) . The
IGOSS program, for which planning was begun in
1967, is intended to provide a variety of operational
products resulting from observation, assessment, and
prediction of the marine environment. In early 1972
an IGOSS pilot project for the collection, exchange,
and evaluation of bathythermograph data was insti-
tuted. IGOSS is being developed in close conjunc-
tion with the World Weather Watch of the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) . The Global
Telecommunications System of the World Weather
Watch is the principal means for international oper-
ational data exchange for the project.
The United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment at Stockholm, June 1972, encouraged
and provided guidelines for action by governments
and international organizations to protect and im-
prove the human environment. The Conference's
recommendations concerning the marine environ-
ment were that:
1. Governments "support national research and
monitoring efforts that contribute to agreed in-
ternational programs for research and monitor-
ing in the marine environment, in particular
GIPME and IGOSS."
2. IOC and WMO, in cooperation with other in-
terested intergovernmental bodies, promote the
monitoring of marine pollution, preferably
within the framework of IGOSS, as well as the
development of methods for montoring high-
priority marine pollutants in the water, sedi-
ments, and organisms.
3. IOC insure that provisions are made for inter-
national exchange and dissemination of data
on baselines and marine pollution and that
attention is paid to the special needs of devel-
oping countries.
4. Governments take early action to control sig-
nificant sources of marine pollution.
5. The convention on ocean dumping proposed
by the United States be negotiated and opened
for signature before the end of 1972.
At its first session in June 1972, the Joint
IOC/WMO Planning Group for IGOSS, acting on
the recommendations of the Seventh Session of the
IOC, the UN Conference on the Human Environ-
ment, and the Executive Committee of the WMO,
began preparing for the IGOSS pilot project on ma-
rine pollution monitoring. The Joint Planning
Group emphasized that a global marine pollution
monitoring system should evolve through the pro-
gressive combination of national programs into re-
gional programs and regional programs into an in-
ternational effort. Because national programs
constitute the basic units of a global program, na-
tions that do not have monitoring programs were en-
couraged to develop them. Moreover, the Joint Plan-
ning Group recommended an inventory of existing
national monitoring programs and that nations that
develop monitoring programs in the future be en-
couraged to use the experience gained through the
inventory. The Planning Group envisioned the sta-
tions of a global marine pollution monitoring system
as falling into two basic categories — impact stations
and reference stations. Impact stations will be lo-
cated in areas where the introduction of pollutants is
considerable or likely to be particularly harmful to
living resources. Reference stations will be located
where human influence is minimal in order to follow
large-scale changes, particularly those resulting from
the transport of pollutants over great distances by
both the sea and the atmosphere.
In July 1972 the Executive Council of the IOC es-
tablished the International Coordination Group
(ICG) for GIPME, specifying that each member of
the ICG is to be a scientist actively involved in ma-
rine pollution research or monitoring programs. The
ICG is charged with preparing a comprehensive plan
for implementation of GIPME.
A United States initiative for an ocean dumping
convention resulted in the Convention on the Pre-
vention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes
and Other Matter. The Convention was developed at
the Intergovernmental Conference on the Prevention
of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and
Other Matter held in London during October-
November 1972 and opened for signature on Decem-
ber 29. The Convention regulates the dumping of
wastes at sea from vessels, aircraft, platforms, and
other manmade structures when the wastes are not
derived from the normal operations of such craft.
The Convention recognizes the importance of inter-
national cooperation in monitoring and scientific re-
search and invites advice on scientific or technical
aspects of the Convention from appropriate scientific
bodies.
Cooperation in other areas of marine environmen-
tal prediction and monitoring has also been ad-
vanced by various bilateral arrangements. At the first
meeting of the U.S.-Soviet Joint Committee on Coop-
eration in the Field of Environmental Protection,
held in Moscow, September 18-21, 1972, agreement
was reached on several projects involving the marine
environment. The Joint Committee was established
by the U.S./U.S.S.R. Agreement on Cooperation in
the Field of Environmental Protection, signed in
Moscow on May 23, 1972, by President Nixon and
Chairman N. V. Podgorny of the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet. Included in this agreement are that:
I. The United States and the Soviet Union will
designate lakes and estuaries for joint projects
on water pollution. Lake Baikal in the Soviet
Union, Lake Tahoe, and one of the Great
Lakes will be studied. Both nations will also
exchange information on the chemical aspects
of marine pollution and the effects of pollu-
tants on marine organisms.
2. Both nations will exchange tsunami informa-
tion and will consider the possible integration
of the tsunami warning systems operated by the
U.S. in the area of Hawaii and by the U.S.S.R.
in the area of Kurile-Kamchatka.
In addition to the recently signed bilateral agree-
ment with the U.S.S.R., the U.S. lias a long-standing
agreement with Japan on natural resources. The
United States-Japanese Cooperative Program in Na-
tional Resources Development includes a panel on
Marine Environmental Observation and Forecasting.
A Joint United States-Japanese meeting of the panel
was held in Washington, D.C., on November 20-21,
1972, and discussed cooperation in marine monitor-
ing and prediction services and research and devel-
opment. Also, exchanges between the United States
and France are in progress in the areas of buoy tech-
nology and instrumentation standards. The Arctic
Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDEX) , involving
the U.S. and Canada, will be the first step in the in-
ternational Polar Experiment (POLEX) .
Summary of Fiscal Data
The following tables summarize fiscal information
for programs of the Federal Government associated
with Marine Environmental Prediction (MAREP) as
proposed in the President's fiscal year 1974 budget.
The funds shown are those used to provide services
and to support relevant research that has both long-
term and short-term objectives for improving serv-
ices. Information on observations made from land
and marine stations for the unique purpose of col-
lecting data for the Basic Meteorological Service is
not included in this Plan, but is reported in the an-
nual Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and
Supporting Research. The Marine Meteorological
Service, discussed as a Specialized Meteorological
Service in the above Plan, is included as an integral
part of this Plan for MAREP; appropriate sections
contain funding information for and descriptions of
the Marine Meteorological Service.
The fiscal information for operations in MAREP
and for relevant research is presented by agency and
by service in tables 1 and 2. Data for FY 1973 pro-
grams and for planned activities in FY 1974 are in-
cluded as proposed in the President's budget. The
total Federal expenditure in MAREP planned for
FY 1974 is 5206,337,000 with an increase of
§13,237,000 over FY 1973. Most Federal agencies
plan activities at level funding or with modest in-
creases.
In the operations area, total MAREP costs for FY
1974 are expected to be $96,260,000, a net increase
of $9,653,000 over FY 1973. The largest planned in-
creases are those of the Department of Commerce.
The planned expenditures for FY 1974 research
and development programs relevant to MAREP serv-
ices total $110,077,000, showing an increase of
$3,584,000 over FY 1973.
The major Department of Commerce FY 1973-74
increases are accounted for by expanded efforts in
Table 1. — Federal funding for Marine Environmental Prediction, by agency
[Thousands of dollars]
Agency
Commerce
Defense
Interior
Transportation
AEC
EPA
NASA
NSF
Smithsonian
Total
Operations
Research
Total
FY 73
FY 74
Difference
FY 73
FY 74
Difference
FY 73
FY 74
Difference
39,457
45,170
+5,713
50,321
53,741
+3,420
89,778
98,911
+9,133
27,432
30,652
+3,220
18,988
20, 134
+1,146
46,420
50,786
+4,366
1,250
1,250
1,887
1,917
+ 30
3,137
3,167
+ 30
10,783
11,102
+ 319
3,687
3,960
+ 273
14,470
15,062
+ 592
4,846
5,523
+ 677
4;846
5,523
+ 677
6,323
6,724
+ 401
4,431
4,833
+ 402
10,754
11,557
+ 803
4,001
2,875
-1,126
4,001
2,875
-1,126
16,575
15,337
-1,238
16,575
15,337
-1,238
1,362
1,362
1,757
1,757
3,119
3,119
86,607
96,260
+9,653
106,493
110,077
+3,584
193,100
206,337
+13,237
Table 2. — Federal funding for Marine Environmental Prediction, by service
[Thousands of dollars]
Operations
Research
Total
Service
Basic
Maritime navigation
Water pollution assessment.
Living marine resources...
Ocean engineering
National security
Total
FY 73
FY 74 Difference
FY 73
FY 74 Difference
FY 73
FY 74 Difference
47,511
53,672
+6,161
58,415
60,538
+2,123
105,926
114,210
+8,284
6,142
5,749
- 393
816
1,210
+ 394
6,958
6,959
+ 1
8,125
11,968
+3,843
13,250
12,938
- 312
21,375
24,906
+3,531
6,589
6,722
+ 133
17,993
17,797
- 196
24,582
24,519
- 63
1,427
1,530
+ 103
1,427
1,530
+ 103
18,240
18,149
- 91
14, 592
16,064
+1,472
32,832
34,213
+1,381
86,607 96,260 +9,653 106,493 110,077 +3,584 193,100 206,337 +13,237
Basic Environmental Satellite operations and sup-
port. Of the increase of $9,133,000, over half of this
is attributable to satellite work. Other main increases
include a $3,000,000 addition for GARP Atlantic
Tropical Experiment (GATE) and $450,000 for
Basic Observations and Communications. In addi-
tion, several new programs have been added to
MAREP. With increases totaling $530,000 from FY
1973 to FY 1974 major new subactivities included
are the Environmental Impact Analysis, MESA and
Ocean Dumping, and River and Flood Forecast and
Warning Services.
The major programs of the Federal agencies which
contribute to the several MAREP services listed in
table 2, are discussed, together with planned improve-
ments, in succeeding sections of the Plan.
Table 3 shows the FY 1973 interagency transfers of
funds for research related to marine environmental
prediction.
Table 3. Interagency fund transfers for
Marine Environmental Prediction,1
fiscal year 1973
(Thousands of dollars]
Transferred from
Transferred to
Funds
NASA
NSF
Commerce
Commerce
300
325
1 Research only.
Table 4. — Agency operational costs for Marine Environmental Prediction, by function
[Thousands of dollars]
Data Communi- Data Information General
acquisition cations processing dissemination agency support Total
Agency FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74 FY73 FY74 FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74
Commerce 16,437 19,877 635 673 10,639 11,245 4,872 6,114 6,874 7,261 39,457 45,170
Defense 8,692 10,024 2,558 2,615 4,839 6,476 3,293 3,414 8,050 8,123 27,432 30,652
Interior '1,125 '1,125 125 125 1,250 1,250
Transportation 8,871 8,759 155 163 750 750 345 662 10,783
EPA 6,323 6,724 6,323 6,724
Smithsonian 2 869 2 869 293 293 200 200 1,362 1,362
Total 35,994 40; 654 3,348 3,451 16,228 18,471 15,126 17,187 15,911 16,497 86,607 96,260
1 Includes communications, data processing, and information dissemination.
2 Includes data processing.
The MAREP products and services are generated section under the description of the Basic MAREP
through the operations of a system made up of four Service; however, a summary of fiscal information ar-
interlocking functions plus a support function. As ranged according to functions is also given in tables
treated in this Plan, these five functions are data ac- 4 and 5. Tables showing agency support of the Basic
quisition, communications, data processing, informa- and Specialized Services and Relevant Research are in-
tion dissemination, and general agency support. eluded in succeeding sections.
These functions are further explained in the next
Table 5. — Agency manpower in Marine Environmental Prediction, by function
[Man-years]
Data Communi- Data Information General
Agency acquisition cations processing dissemination agency support Total
FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74 FY 73 FY 74
Commerce 328 345 12 12 310 328 170 228 219 236 1,039 1,149
Defense 315 313 192 189 321 316 215 211 549 535 1,592 1,564
Interior l115 '115 10 10 125 125
Transportation 1,027 975 10 10 68 68 9 9 56 56 1,170 1,118
EPA 30 30 30 30
Smithsonian 2 63 2 63 12 12 7 7 82 82
Total U48 1,811 214 211 669 712 436 490~ 841 844 4^031 4,068
1 Includes communications, data processing, and information dissemination.
2 Includes data processing.
Basic Marine Environmental
Prediction Service
Introduction
The Basic MAREP Service provides fundamental
observations and forecasts used by the general pub-
lic, Government agencies, specialized user groups,
and other segments of the economy. The Basic Serv-
ice also provides many of the observations, analyses
and forecasts, and communications needed to provide
Specialized MAREP Services. Furthermore, it is rec-
ognized that certain meteorological observations,
analysis and forecast centers, and their communica-
tion links, provided primarily for the Basic Meteorol-
ogical Service, furnish invaluable support to the
Basic and Specialized MAREP Services.2
The principal observation and communication net-
works, analysis and forecast activities, and related
Federal activities which support the Basic MAREP
Service are:
• Oceanographic and related meteorological obser-
vations using naval vessels, research ships, ships of
opportunity, data buoys, and reconnaissance and
patrol aircraft, fixed platforms, and vessels en-
gaged in Standard Monitoring Sections, and other
operations.
• Satellite programs for the remote sensing of the
marine environment, with eventual extension to
the collection and transmission of data from on-
site platforms.
• Tropical region reconnaissance.
• Flights over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to
collect sea surface temperature and bathythermo-
graph (BT) data from which mean monthly sea
surface temperature charts and Gulf Stream
charts are produced.
~ A full description of the Basic and Specialized Mete-
orological Services and Supporting Research is published
annually by the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological
Services and Supporting Research. The Basic and Special-
ized Meteorological Services and facilities will be refer-
enced incidentally in this Plan as interface with MAREP
services, except in the case of the Marine Meteorological
Service and tropical cyclone warnings which are integral
parts of MAREP services.
• Cooperative tropical reconnaissance, analyses,
and storm and hurricane warnings.
• The Pacific Tsunami Warning System.
• Special procedures activated by the National
East Coast Winter Storm Operations Plan which
depend upon cooperative reconnaissance and sur-
face observation, analysis, and warning capabili-
ties.
• Tide and tidal current prediction and Great
Lakes water level monitoring services.
• Marine data collection, and relay by high-speed
circuits and teletypewriter systems.
• Processing, analysis, and forecast centers for ma-
rine services.
• Dissemination of marine forecasts and warnings
by means of continuous very high frequency/
frequency modulation (VHF/FM) radio broad-
casts.
• Storage and retrieval of marine data and publi-
cation of marine atlases.
• Monitoring of streamflow and water quality in
estuaries and the Great Lakes.
• Hydraulic, hydrologic, and sedimentation study
and flood management services.
• Establishment of techniques and secondary refer-
ence standards for the assessment of oceano-
graphic instrument performance and for infor-
mation on performance and on instrument
development programs.
• Aircraft flights conducted over the Arctic Basin
and adjacent areas to obtain quasisynoptic sea ice
observations and related environmental data.
• Optimum track ship routing for defense-related
activities.
Description
MAREP has been defined as the monitoring, as-
sessing, and forecasting of the physical, selected bio-
logical, chemical, and hydrodyiiamic states of the
ocean and its interaction with the overlying atmos-
phere and adjacent terrestrial boundaries. It is there-
fore treated as a total system, made up of four
closely related functions: Data acquisition, communi-
cations, data processing, and information dissemina-
tion.
The processing and prediction function depends
upon data acquisition involving sensing, measuring,
or otherwise determining or describing the state of
the ocean and its overlying atmosphere. Included are
parameter measurements, data collection, recording,
and processing; interfaces with communications sys-
tems; and deployment and maintenance of observa-
tional platforms. Observational platforms include
shore stations, vessels, aircraft, fixed platforms, buoys,
and satellites. Government vessels include naval, sur-
vey, research, and ocean station vessels, and coopera-
tive merchant ships. Reconnaissance patrol and com-
mercial aircraft provide marine data. Satellites are
designed to provide remote sensing, and some to
relay information from on-site measuring instru-
ments.
Timeliness of MAREP operational services de-
pends on minimum delay in transmitting raw data
to processing centers, processed data between centers,
and predictions, warnings, and other information to
the user. Federal communication radio and landline
networks are supplemented by commercial networks.
This communication function includes message com-
position and formatting, handling, relaying, and re-
ceipt of data as well as the maintenance tasks di-
rectly related to communication systems.
An attendant category, general agency support,
involves activities which agencies must perform such
as training, maintenance of equipment and facilities,
internal support, and management above the operat-
ing level so that the total system can be operated to
provide MAREP services effectively and efficiently.
Detailed descriptions of the Basic MAREP Service
are presented in Federal Plan for Marine Environ-
mental Prediction for Fiscal Year 1973, issued in
March 1972.
Plans for Improvement
Increases in FY 1974 are programmed for expan-
sion of the Basic MAREP Service by providing re>-
placement equipment, taking certain personnel ac-
tions, modifying and improving support and
facilities, and improving the Service itself.
Following are areas in which significant improve-
ments are planned:
• NASA will spend $6,000,000 early in FY 74 to
launch the first Geostationary Operational Envi-
ronmental Satellite (GOES) for NESS to provide
near-continuous pictures and infrared images over
North American and adjacent oceans (fig. 1) .
Figure 1. — The GOES system will provide pictures and
infrared imagery of North America and the
adjacent oceans.
GOES is expected to significantly improve ac-
curacy and completeness of sea surface tempera-
ture data obtained from satellite and will assist
development of techniques for measuring sea
state. GOES will be equipped to collect data from
remote observational platforms including data
buoys, tide stations, tsunami surveillance instru-
ments, and ships at sea. The data will be trans-
mitted to a data acquisition station at Wallops
Island, Va., for further dissemination as required.
The radio package to be mounted on the platform
for communicating data to the satellite has been
developed and is now in production.
Satellite Field Service Stations are being estab-
lished in conjunction with Weather Service
Forecast Offices at San Francisco, Kansas City,
Miami, and Washington to provide operational
satellite data and services (primarily from GOES)
directly to field users.
NOAA will maintain an Environmental Data
Index (ENDEX) to provide a searchable, fully
documented, marine environmental data index or
inventory of data holdings as a direct adjunct to
holding the actual data. Used in a referral mode,
ENDEX will bridge the gap between data collec-
tion and publication or archiving at a cost of
$65,000.
NOAA will convert the Great Lakes Special
Project Office at NODC into a permanent office
to provide a focus for limnological, climatologi-
cal, marine geophysical-environmental data serv-
ices for the Great Lakes Basin at a cost of
$35,000.
• DOD will conduct a series of oceanic surveys by
ships of opportunity between Halifax, Canada,
and Bermuda, using expendable bathythermo-
graphs taken from periodic cruises to describe
characteristics variability and movements of ther-
mal features in this area.
• Purchase of a variety of oceanographic instru-
ments costing $133,000 that are required to equip
follow-on Navy reconnaissance aircraft.
• Development of stage-discharge relations in out-
flow rivers and determination of effects on levels
and outflow of the Great Lakes by the Corps of
Engineers, requiring $64,000 in new funds.
• Improvement in technical services to State and
local governments by the Corps of Engineers,
costing an additional $60,000.
• Expansion of the environmental data collection
program of the Corps of Engineers to improve
baseline data for engineering analysis in plan-
ning, design, construction, operation, and mainte-
nance of projects through use of remote-sensing
techniques.
The principal decrease in FY 1974 funding for
MAREP services has resulted from the disestablish-
ment of Ocean Station Vessel Program (maintaining
only Ocean Weather Station HOTEL) and subse-
quent decommissioning of vessels by the Coast Guard
between October and April.
11
Specialized Marine Environmental
Prediction Service
As noted in the preceding chapter, the Basic
MAREP Service provides support for Specialized
MAREP Services which include those for maritime
navigation, water pollution assessment, living marine
resources, ocean engineering, and national security.
Specialized MAREP Services will be described in this
chapter along with planned improvements in their
operational programs. Research designed to improve
MAREP services will be identified in the final sec-
tion of this Plan.
SPECIALIZED MAREP SERVICE FOR
MARITIME NAVIGATION
Introduction
Because of their applicability to a variety of users
and their support of other Specialized MAREP Serv-
ices, many Federal operations are considered integral
parts of the Basic MAREP Service, yet they are par-
ticularly significant to maritime navigation. All ma-
rine forecasts, advisories, and warnings produced
under the Marine Meteorological Service are impor-
tant for ship operators. The shipping industry, fish-
ing fleets, and recreational boatmen use these prod-
ucts as applicable to protect life, increase ship's
safety, and to minimize damage to vessels and cargo
by altering ship tracks for optimum transit between
ports. Elements of the Basic MAREP Service useful
to maritime navigation include sea-and-swell fore-
casts, storm surge and seiche forecasts, tropical and
extratropical storm forecasts, and studies of sedimen-
tation in channels and harbors. Also of primary im-
portance are marine atlases, sailing directions, tide
and tidal current prediction tables, and other special
publications. Conversely, nautical charts, navigational
tables, periodic navigational publications, and elec-
tronic navigation materials are not considered part
of these MAREP Services and are not included in
this Plan.
Description
Programs of the Departments of Commerce, De-
fense, and Transportation which uniquely serve the
specialized requirements of a MAREP Service for
Maritime Navigation include ice forecasts and warn-
ings and ship routing and channel maintenance serv-
ices. Agency funding of the MAREP Service for Mar-
itime Navigation is shown in table 6.
The Department of Defense observes and forecasts
sea ice by assigning Naval Weather Service ice
observers on ice reconnaissance flights and through
BIRDSEYE flights. Ice reconnaissance missions are
coordinated and scheduled by Fleet Weather Facility,
Table 6. — Funding of Marine Environmental Prediction Service for maritime navigation,
by agency,
Total .
[Thousands of dollars]
Operations
Agency
FY 73
FY 74
Commerce
1,678
1,678
Defense
2,893
2,957
Transportation
1,571
1,114
NASA
6,142
5,749
Research
FY 73
187
170
459
1IF
FY 74
245
215
750
1,210
Total
FY 73
6,958
FY 74
1,678 1,678
3,080 3,202
1,741 1,329
459 750
6,959
12
Suitland (FLEWEAFAC Suitland) , and BIRDSEYE
flights coordinated by the Naval Oceanographic
Office (NAVOCEANO) . In addition, ice observers
fly aboard other Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force
aircraft, recording ice conditions on a not-to-intcrfere
basis. FLEWEAFAC Suitland provides operational
sea ice forecasts to operating units of the Navy, Coast
Guard, and research agencies involved in Arctic and
Antarctic operations. Sea ice forecasts include routing
recommendations while forces operate in or near ice
packs. FLEWEAFAC Suitland also transmits weekly
messages describing ice conditions around the entire
Arctic on a yearly basis and for the Antarctic from
October through March; charts of these ice condi-
tions are also mailed to requesting agencies. Numeri-
cal ice drift vector procedure, developed in-house to
forecast ice drift by combining wind and ocean cur-
rents, is utilized by FLEWEAFAC Suitland in the
production of ice forecasts.
NAVOCEANO prepares experimental short-range
and long-range (15- and 30-day) ice forecasts in sup-
port of ship operations conducted by Defense, Coast
Guard, and other Federal agencies. These forecasts
include data on initial formation, growth, movement,
and decay of sea ice in selected Arctic and Antarctic
Ocean areas.
A seasonal ice outlook, describing the ice condi-
tions expected throughout the shipping season, is
also prepared for selected areas. NAVOCEANO is
also preparing a series of ice forecasting manuals for
the Arctic and Antarctic regions and developing
computer programs for predicting ice thickness. An
experimental ocean frontal analysis chart, covering
the Gulf Stream, slope water, and Continental shelf
area in the northwest North Atlantic, is also pre-
pared and transmitted to Fleet Weather Central
Norfolk by NAVOCEANO for use in fleet products.
The Fleet Numerical Weather Central (FNWC)
at Monterey and Fleet Weather Central Norfolk op-
erate the U.S. Navy Optimum Track Ship Routing
(OTSR) program. The OTSR program offers a high
probability of one or a combination of the follow-
ing: (1) Reduced time en route, (2) best weather
en route, and (3) bypassing storm areas where dam-
age to ship or cargo may be expected. This service is
available to naval ships, to Military Sea Transporta-
tion Service ships, and to vessels under contract to
the Government. The Navy OTSR program pro-
vided routing services for approximately 1,950 voy-
ages during calendar year 1972. Major processing ac-
tivities provide over 3,000 separate oceanographic
prediction products daily to meet existing require-
ments.
The Coast Guard operates the International Ice
Patrol, established by the maritime nations of the
Inter Governmental Maritime Consultative Organiza-
tion (IMCO) , to advise ships of icebergs in the
northwestern North Atlantic Ocean. Aircraft recon-
naissance and shipboard oceanographic observations
support a program of reporting icebergs that enter
the shipping lane near the Grand Banks of New-
foundland and of predicting their drift.
As part of a multiagency effort to extend the
Great Lakes navigation season further into the win-
ter, NASA and the Coast Guard will fly Side-Looking
Airborne Radar (SLAR) over all critical areas in the
Great Lakes. From the SLAR imagery (fig. 2) ice
forecasts will be made available to shipping.
The Department of Commerce, through its Na-
tional Weather Service (NWS) , cooperates with De-
fense and Transportation in monitoring and predict-
ing ice coverage and movement in the Great Lakes
as well as in die Arctic Ocean off the North Slope,
in Cook Inlet, and in other Alaskan waters. The
NWS provides data and analyses that support ship
routing services to civilian merchant ships. NESS
provides facsimile ice warning services for the Alas-
kan waters based on data from a satellite Very High
Resolution Radiometer. Data from this radiometer are
also used to assist NWS in other areas of analysis.
Plans for Improvement
In the Department of Defense the Army plans to
improve, over the next few years, services necessary
to extend the navigation season in the Great Lakes
and St. Lawrence Seaway. This program should also
result in improved predictions for snow, ice, and ice
fog around the Lakes. An interagency group has
been established under the lead of the Army Corps
of Engineers to develop plans to demonstrate the
feasibility of extending the navigation season. The
Corps also intends to determine which deep-water
ports will permit the use of deep-draft bulk carriers.
These studies will include consideration of require-
ments lor expanded environmental prediction sen-
ices. Prediction services will also benefit from con-
tinuing Navy support begun in FY 1973 from
development and improvement of satellite position-
ing systems. NAVOCEANO will continue develop-
ment of an automated ice-data archive, permitting
rapid access to ice information for the Arctic and the
Antarctic as obtained from ship, shore station, and
aircraft.
SPECIALIZED MAREP SERVICE FOR
WATER POLLUTION ASSESSMENT
Introduction
Water pollution is of great concern, particularly in
estuaries, the coastal zone, and the Great Lakes
13
!. — Ice cover on Lake Erie Feb. 22, 1973, as re-
corded through cloud cover on Side-Looking
Airborne Radar (SLAR) by NASA Lewis
as part of a multiagency effort to extend
the Great Lakes shipping season.
where man's activities have had significant — often
drastic — impact on environmental quality. These wa-
ters, already seriously affected, face further environ-
mental degradation without some form of manage-
ment, based on adequate monitoring and prediction
services in response to recent legislation to control
ocean dumping, to minimize water pollution, and to
manage the coastal zone (table 7) .
Description
Prior to the recent legislation "Federal Water Pol-
lution Control Act Amendments of 1972" (PL 92-500)
and the "Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctu-
aries Act of 1972" (PL 92-532) , these waters faced
considerable potential degradation. Implementation
of this legislation by criteria development and regula-
tions and support through enforcement, research, and
monitoring programs by many of the Federal environ-
mental agencies will produce the prescribed environ-
mental management system leading to reduction of
pollution in the marine environment.
A continuing program for collecting new informa-
tion, identifying research needs, and support of re-
search and monitoring efforts of EPA and other
agencies will be initiated on a small scale during FY
73 and expanded in the future as resources allow.
There must be a continuing investigation of the ef-
fects of pollution on the marine environment to de-
velop the techniques and knowledge necessary to ad-
equately protect it.
The President of the United States under
Table 7. — Funding of Marine Environmental Prediction Service for water pollution
assessment, by agency
[Thousands of dollars]
Operations
Research
Total
Agency
Commerce
Defense
Transportation
AEC
EPA
NASA
Total
FY 73
FY 74
FY 73
FY 74
1,158
644
6,323
8,125
1,408
3,000
836
6,724
11,968
4,416
3,977
63
63
4,431
300
13,250
4,541
3,199
63
63
4,833
239
12,938
FY 73
FY 74
5,574
5,949
3,977
6,199
707
899
63
63
10,754
11,557
300
239
21,375
24,906
14
^&?&$
Reorganization Plan No. 3 delegated to the Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) the responsibility
to obtain the maximum protection of the environ-
ment. During FY 74, EPA will maintain the basic
strategy of:
1. Implementation of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act Amendment of 1972 (PL 92-500) .
2. Implementation of the Marine Protection, Re-
search, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (PL 92-
532).
3. Provide strong support to State and local pollu-
tion control programs.
4. Obtain immediate improvement through
emphasis on enforcement.
Programs having a bearing on Marine Environ-
mental Prediction under these strategies initiated in
FY 1973, to be expanded in future years as funds
allow, include action to:
1. Equip and maintain a water quality surveillance
system to monitor the quality of the navigable
waters, ground waters, and the waters of the
coastal zone and the oceans in cooperation with
the States, their political subdivisions, and other
Federal agencies.
2. Conduct comprehensive estuarine studies.
3. Conduct research for the prevention, control,
and elimination of oil and hazardous sub-
stances pollution.
4. Conduct research with respect to the quality of
the waters of the Great Lakes.
5. Establish a continuing program of regulation
for ocean disposal under criteria which shall be
developed to insure that the marine environ-
ment will not be degraded.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration and EPA participate jointly in many areas of
marine environmental quality monitoring. The Na-
tional Marine Fisheries Service monitors pesticide
residues in marine organisms at 190 coastal and
oceanic stations. This monitoring procedure is used
to establish baselines and trends as well as avert
problems in areas where pesticides are accumulating.
The National Ocean Survey studies circulation in
several coastal areas, measures tidal currents and
tides in many estuaries and coastal locations, and
collects data on the physical and chemical character-
istics of the fresh water in the Great Lakes. The En-
vironmental Research Laboratories of NOAA have
several relevant projects underway: projects to pre-
dict the impact of marine mining operations and in-
vestigations to provide data helpful in describing
advective and diffusive regimes that will be pertinent
in determining the fate of various pollutants.
NOAA's Marine Ecosystems Analysis (MESA) proj-
ect is scheduling a full-scale field project in the New
York Bight to describe in a systematic way the signif-
icant features of marine environmental interrela-
tionships.
A part of the Geological Survey water quality pro-
gram is carried on specifically in cooperation with
EPA to provide background data on water pollution.
In this activity USGS maintains about 55 stations on
streams near the heads of estuaries. Samples taken at
these stations are analyzed generally for trace metals,
coliform and fecal coliform bacteria, pH, tempera-
ture, and ion concentration. Turbidity, nutrients,
dissolved oxygen, and biochemical oxygen demands
are also observed at a few sites. For example, deter-
minations of pesticide concentration are made bian-
nually at many stations in Puerto Rico.
Selected U.S. Coast Guard vessels and land sta-
tions, equipped with salinity-temperature-depth
(STD) sensors and sampling devices, are used in a
variety of in-house and cooperative programs for the
analysis of properties of coastal waters.
In FY 1973 the Coast Guard expanded its monitor-
ing activities begun during FY 1972 in support of
the MAREP service for water pollution assessment.
Highlights of Coast Guard activities in this area
were procurement of airborne sensor systems capable
of all-weather day/night detection of oil spills, estab-
lishment of mobile pollution monitoring teams to
make periodic checks on selected harbor and estuar-
ine areas, and continued engineering development of
fixed-platform remote monitors. Further growth is ex-
pected during FY 1974.
15
In response to Executive Order 11057, a Navy-wide
program has been established for prevention, control,
and abatement of air and water pollution ashore and
afloat as well as the development of methods for pre-
dicting and enhancing environmental quality.
Whereas a majority of the present Navy programs
are oriented toward developing and installing equip-
ment to eliminate pollutants at their source, several
programs are directly linked to environmental measr
urement and are being pursued both independently
and in concert with other Federal agencies. An envi-
ronmental data base program has been established to
assess the extent to which the environment is af-
fected by Navy ships, aircraft, and shore installations.
Data acquired under this project will also be used to
evaluate the effectiveness of pollution abatement ef-
forts.
In early FY 1973 the Navy established the Ecology
Spot Report on a trial basis. These reports will be
initiated with the observation of pollution on the
high seas and when any other unusual events in the
categories of earth sciences, astrophysics, or biological
science might be observed. The reports are for-
warded to the Coast Guard, EPA, NOAA, and
Smithsonian as well as Navy activities.
The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollu-
tion Contingency Plan has been developed in com-
pliance with the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act, as amended. The Plan includes all U.S. naviga-
ble waters, their tributaries, and adjoining shorelines.
Coverage of the Plan includes inland rivers, the
Great Lakes, coastal territorial waters, and the high
seas where there exists a threat to U.S. waters, shore-
face, or shelf bottom (fig. 3) .
Objectives of the Plan are to minimize damage
from oil and hazardous substance discharges and to
contain, disperse, and remove them. The Plan also
promotes the coordination and direction of Federal,
State, and local response systems and encourages the
development of local government and private capa-
bilities to handle such pollution spills. Federal agen-
Figure 3. — Oil slick left by a sinking tanker 300 miles
east of Norfolk, Va. Photographed by
NOAA aircraft for EPA.
16
cies' responsibilities established by Statute, Executive
Order, or Presidential Directive and which define the
Federal response to a pollution spill are:
• The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
is responsible for preparation, publication, revision,
and amendment of the Plan in accordance with Ex-
ecutive Order 11548. The CEQ will receive the ad-
vice of the National Response Team (NRT) and in-
sure that disagreements among NRT members are
settled expeditiously.
• The Department of Commerce supports the
NRT, the Regional Response Team (RRT) , and
the On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) with respect to
marine environmental data; living marine resources;
current and predicted meteorologic, hydrologic, and
oceanographic conditions for the high seas, coastal,
and inland waters; design, construction, and opera-
tion of merchant ships; and maps and charts, includ-
ing those for tides and currents of coastal and terri-
torial waters and of the Great Lakes.
• The Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare is responsible for providing expert advice
and assistance relative to those spills or potentials
for spill that constitute or may constitute a threat to
Public health and safety.
• The Department of Defense, consistent with its
operational requirements, may provide assistance in
critical pollutant spills, in the maintenance of navi-
gation channels, and in the salvage and removal of
navigation obstructions.
• The Department of Interior provides expertise
in oil drilling, production, handling, and pipeline
transportation. Also, Interior has access to and. super-
vision over continuously manned facilities which can
be used for the command, control, and surveillance
of spills from operations conducted under the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act. Additionally, Interior
will provide, through its Regional Coordinators,
technical expertise to OSC and RRT with respect to
land, fish and wildlife, and other resources for which
it is responsible. The Department also administers
American Samoa and the U.S. Trust Territory in the
Pacific.
• The Department of Transportation provides
expertise regarding all modes of movement for oil
and hazardous substances. Through the Coast Guard,
a Department representative serves as vice chairman
of NRT. Transportation is also knowledgeable in
the domestic and international fields of port safety
and security, marine law enforcement, navigation,
and in the construction, manning, and safety of ves-
sels and marine facilities. Additionally,, the Coast
Guard maintains continuously manned facilities that
are capable of command, control, and surveillance
for spills in U.S. navigable waters or on the high
seas. The Coast Guard is responsible for the chair-
manship of RRT for coastal regions and for the de-
velopment, implementation, and revision of regional
plans for those areas in which it is responsible for
furnishing or providing for OSCs.
During FY 1973 the National Strike Force, a cadre
of personnel trained and equipped to respond to dis-
charges of oil and other hazardous polluting sub-
stances, was organized into three teams in Atlantic,
Pacific, and Gulf locations. Each team is an operat-
ing unit of the Coast Guard with a commissioned of-
ficer in command.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
chairs the NRT. In this capacity EPA will assure
that the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pol-
lution Contingency Plan is effectively and efficiently
implemented with optimum coordination among
Federal agencies and may recommend changes in the
Plan to CEQ. The EPA is responsible for the chair-
manship of RRT in inland waters and for the devel-
opment, revisions, and implementation of regional
plans for those areas in which it is responsible for
furnishing or providing for OSCs. In coastal waters
where the Department of Transportation is responsi-
ble for chairing RRT, EPA will guide and coordi-
nate regarding pollutants control and protection of
the environment. Through the Office of Water Pro-
grams, EPA will provide technical expertise to NRT
and RRTs relative to environmental pollution con-
trol techniques, including assessment of damages and
environmental restoration.
• The Department of Justice is to supply legal
advice to deal with complicated judicial questions
arising from spills and from Federal agency re-
sponses.
• The Department of State provides assistance
and coordination whenever a pollution spill transects
international boundaries or involves foreign flag ves-
sels.
Plans for Improvement
The Navy intends to play a significant role in FY
1974 in prevention, control, and abatement of air
and water pollution ashore and afloat as well as in
developing methods for enhancement of environ-
mental quality. Some of the environmental protec-
tion problems confronting the Navy can be solved by
construction projects such as installation of incinera-
tors and sewage treatment facilities or modification
of existing facilities. In many instances, however, the
solution requires research and development to com-
ply with the requirements of new or expected legisla-
tion.
Because of the diversity of seagoing operations
supported by extensive shore facilities, the Navy has
17
categorized its attack on pollution into the following
six areas: (1) Ship waste, (2) oil pollution abate-
ment, (3) ordnance pollution abatement, (4) air-
craft pollution abatement, (5) pollution abatement
ashore, and (6) establishment of an environmental
protection data base. The area of particular rele-
vance to MAREP is the data base effort. This proj-
ect was undertaken by the Navy to gather data show-
ing the effect on environment of naval ships,
aircraft, and facilities. It is intended to uniformly as-
sess the impact of abatement measures as well as
other environmentally significant actions. The Navy
plans to initiate its operational phase of collecting
data on effluents at the end of FY 1973.
During FY 1973 the Coast Guard began utilizing
surface-current measuring probes to monitor oil spills
and predict their drift. This effort will continue into
FY 1974 and will include both surface and air-
deployed probes.
SPECIALIZED MAREP SERVICE FOR
LIVING MARINE RESOURCES
Introduction
Federal responsibility for providing a MAREP
service for living marine resources to those who uti-
lize them or are responsible for their management
and conservation rests with NOAA's National Ma-
rine Fisheries Service (NMFS) . Primary responsibil-
ity for the Great Lakes rests with the Fish and Wild-
life Service of the Department of the Interior. In
addition the products and warnings of other
MAREP services applying to fisheries interests are in-
cluded in this category. This information, particu-
larly important for protection of lives and property
at sea, also helps fishermen select areas of concentra-
tion and where weather conditions, sea state, and
temperature are favorable for operations. Agency al-
locations of funds for living marine resources services
are indicated in table 8.
Description
Predictions in fisheries may be categorized as
either tactical or strategic. Tactical predictions deal
with day-to-day and week-to-week changes in loca-
tions of fish concentrations, particularly in response
to environmental conditions. These predictions are
principally valuable to fishermen and fishery scien-
tists while they are working at sea. NWS is responsi-
ble for that portion of the tactical predictions con-
taining the meteorological and physical
oceanographic conditions. Tactical forecasts for fisher-
ies are exemplified by Fishery Advisory Bulletins
broadcast by radio daily to the albacore fleet in the
eastern Pacific Ocean by the NMFS Southwest Fish-
eries Center at La Jolla, Calif.
Strategic predictions are designed to be valid for a
longer term and deal with (1) abundances of year
classes and populations of fishery species and (2)
major changes in environmental conditions that in-
fluence species abundances and distributions. Abund-
ance forecasts are based upon analyses of catch effort
and age composition data from fisheries and survey
cruises, from which estimates are made of the num-
ber of larval, juvenile, and adult fish and shellfish.
These strategic predictions are of fundamental im-
portance to management and conservation of fishery
resources. They also provide a background for
NMFS participation in environmental decisionmak-
ing by water resources planning and development
agencies.
Strategic predictions by NMFS, some in coopera-
tion with international commissions and various
States, are made on the abundances of shrimp in the
Gulf of Mexico, of several groundfish species and
menhaden off the U.S. east and gulf coasts, of red
and pink salmon and halibut in the Pacific North-
west fisheries area, of sardines off Baja California,
and of skipjack tuna in Hawaiian waters.
Information concerning sea surface temperature is
of direct use to fisermen and fishery biologists and is
Table 8. — Funding of Marine Environmental Prediction for living marine resources, by agency
[Thousands of dollars)
Operations Research Total
Agency
FY 73 FY 74 Difference FY 73 FY 74 Difference FY 73 FY 74 Difference
Commerce
Interior
Transportation.
NASA
Total
5,855 5,855
17,215 17,215
325 325
734
867 +133
453
257 -196
23,070 23,070
325 325
734 867 +133
453 257 -196
6,589 6,722 +133 17,993 17,797 -196 24,582 24,519 -63
18
provided to users routinely on both the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts. Sea surface temperature charts of the
eastern Pacific are compiled twice monthly from in-
formation supplied by the -U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast
Guard, and the fishing fleet. These charts, now in
their ninth year of publication, are distributed to as-
sist fishermen in selecting optimum fishing areas. The
U.S. Coast Guard also conducts monthly flights over
the Continental Shelf area off the Atlantic coast to
record data on surface swimming animals as well as
sea surface temperatures. Charts of these data are
prepared and mailed monthly to fishermen, various
institutions, and other users.
To meet the needs for strategic resource predic-
tions, NMFS initiated the Marine Resources Moni-
toring, Assessment, and Prediction (MARMAP) Pro-
gram. The overall objectives of MARMAP are to:
• Develop techniques for obtaining accurate
measures of the abundance and geographic distribu-
tion of living marine resources available to the
United States.
• Assess the productive capacity of these resources
on a sustained yield basis and develop models for
predicting future yields.
• Monitor seasonal and annual fluctuations in the
distribution and abundance of various life stages of
pelagic and demersal fishery resources and relate
them to environmental factors and utilization by
man.
To achieve these MARMAP objectives requires:
• Developing a national system for acquisition,
compilation, analysis, and dissemination of informa-
tion on the resource populations and their environ-
ment.
• Collecting and analyzing data from fisheries on
catch effort, age composition, and migration of the
stocks to produce stock assessments and fishery evalu-
ations.
• Obtaining environmental data necessary to for-
mulate models of large-scale relations between physi-
cal environmental factors and biological
communities, with emphasis on distribution and
abundance of the resource species.
• Conducting surveys of major biological commu-
nities of living marine resources in sufficient geo-
graphical and temporal detail for assessment and
prediction purposes.
The MARMAP initiative involves three kinds of
resource surveys — ichthyoplankton, groundfish, and
pelagic fish — and a continuing analysis of the effects
of harvesting on exploited populations. Information is
obtained on catch effort, mortality, fecundity,
growth, migration, etc., to monitor the conditions of
utilized stocks. The best management decisions are
made from clear demonstration of effects of fishing
on the resource, the maximum amount of fishing
that will sustain the stocks, and the loss or gain of
resource production based on proposed management
measures.
The surveys differ principally in sampling methods
and data analysis techniques and provide independ-
ent assessments of resources whether fished or not.
These surveys are performed aboard ships of the
NOAA fleet, together with those of the Coast Guard,
cooperating States, laboratories, and private organiza-
tions. Supplemental data will be obtained from
buoys, satellites, and ships of opportunity.
In FY 1973 an initial MARMAP survey for ichthy-
oplankton was conducted in the waters from Cape
Cod to the Caribbean. The principal objectives of
the survey were twofold: (1) to test the MARMAP
data acquisition, reduction, and analysis system dur-
ing a multiship operation, and (2) determine the ef-
fects of the Gulf Stream system on the distribution
of fish eggs and larvae of important gamefish (tuna,
marlin, sailfish, bluefish, jacks) and commercial spe-
cies (herring, cod, flounder, mackerel, and others) .
Participating vessels included the ALBATROSS IV
from the Northeast Fisheries Center and the DELA-
WARE 11 from the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Center. In addition to the expected plankton and
larval fishes, significant amounts of plastic and tar
contaminants were collected in nets towed at the sur-
face. Concentrations of plastics were found in the
waters of the Mid-Atlantic Bight from Long Island
to Cape Hatteras. The tar balls occurred most fre-
quently in offshore waters; greatest concentrations
were in the western boundary of the Sargasso Sea
about 200 miles east of the Bahamas. The accompa-
nying charts show the MARMAP survey-vessel tran-
sects and the areas from which tar and plastics were
collected.
Figures 4 and 5 show tar and plastic contamina-
tion of the Atlantic encountered during the MAR-
MAP resource survey in FY 1973.
Plans for Improvement
Activities of MARMAP in FY 1974 with existing
funds include:
• Bringing together and integrating fisheries data
and analyses from all relevant sources. Analytical
work is detailed under research in physical oceanog-
raphy in the section "Research Relevant to Marine
Environmental Prediction."
• Acquiring equipment for environmental proc-
essing and analysis groups.
• Entering into cooperative contracts with Fed-
eral, State, and private institutions for processing,
analysis, and production of formatted output of liv-
ing resources and environmental data obtained dur-
19
ing MARMAP operations.
• Conducting tests to demonstrate the feasibility
of various types of sampling gear to provide Survey
II capability, including acceptance or rejection of
multiple-gear type for development.
• Conducting tests to demonstrate the feasibility
of various sensors to provide the means of remote
underwater assessment of benthic and demersal sport
and comercial species (Surveys II & III) , including
acceptance or rejection of some sensors for full-scale
development.
• Continuing resource and environment survey
operations in cooperation with other countries, prin-
cipally of the northeast and southwest coasts of the
United States.
• Conducting tests to demonstrate the feasibility
of various direct-sampling and remote-sampling meth-
ods for surveys of pelagic fish (Survey III) .
Figure 4. — Concentrations of tar found during fiscal
year 1973 MARMAP resource surveys.
Figure 5. — Concentrations of plastic particles found
during fiscal year 1973 MARMAP resource
surveys.
20
Activities by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and
Wildlife of the Department of the Interior are de-
scribed in "Research Relevant to Marine Environ-
mental Prediction" under research in biological
oceanography.
SPECIALIZED MAREP SERVICE FOR
OCEAN ENGINEERING
The Navy's ocean engineering program includes
such efforts as site surveying for ocean bottom con-
struction; research and development in areas like
concrete for underwater construction and manned
and unmanned submersible design, construction, and
operation; design and development of oceanographic
data collection instruments; design, development,
and installation of near-shore and underwater facili-
ties.
MAREP services are needed to provide forecasts of
environmental factors that affect ocean engineering
operations. These environmental factors include
wind, wave, current, tide, biological condition, bot-
tom property, and littoral drift in the coastal zone
and sea, swell, wind, current, water clarity, bottom
character, chemical composition, and biological con-
ditions and activity outside the coastal zone. Most of
the general services provided in support of ocean en-
gineering are covered under "Specialized MAREP
Service for National Security." In addition, requests
to support highly specialized operating problems and
hardware are frequently responded to on a one-time
basis by NAVOCEANO, by the Navy Coastal Systems
Laboratory, or by the Naval Weather Service Com-
mand.
SPECIALIZED MAREP SERVICE FOR
NATIONAL SECURITY
Defense activities involving a need for specialized
marine environmental knowledge include search, res-
cue, and salvage; antisubmarine warfare (ASW) ; am-
phibious operations; mine warfare; polar operations;
and ocean and coastal engineering. In addition, rou-
tine fleet operations require a large volume of
marine information and predictions not otherwise
obtainable in the Basic MAREP Service.
Examples of marine environmental parameters, in
addition to weather conditions, predicted for special
defense matters include sea, surf, and swell; sea sur-
face temperature; thermocline depth; subsurface
thermal structure; subsurface current vectors; special
factors related to underwater sound; sea ice cover;
optimum conditions for ship routing; and biological
factors such as false targets, deep scattering layer,
and organisms producing reverberation.
Much of the Defense effort in MAREP is applied
in support of various ASW systems. This support is
essential because the propagation of underwater
sound is central to most aspects of ASW, and the be-
havior of sound in sea water is strongly influenced
by marine environmental factors. With more under-
standing of the ocean's complexity and variability, it
is evident that the controlling environmental condi-
tions must be monitored and projected into the fu-
ture on a broad basis for ASW.
The MAREP service for national security is the
only Specialized MAREP Service containing all ele-
ments of the basic MAREP system: Data acquisition
platforms, data collection and communications, data
processing functions, and product dissemination
media. In some cases the MAREP service for na-
tional security of the Department of Defense comple-
ments and provides essential support for the Basic
MAREP Service. As an example, hundreds of ship
observations and scores of aircraft observations are
made available to the Basic MAREP Service on a
daily basis. Most Defense MAREP activities, how-
ever, support unique defense needs of the Nation. In
meeting these needs, DOD has developed programs
in the following MAREP areas:
Ice forecasting
Hurricane and typhoon reconnaissance
Ship routing
Surf forecasting
Typhoon and hurricane evasion
Sea surface temperature fields
Sea conditions (wave, height)
Meteorological forecasts over worldwide ocean
areas
Subsurface ocean water properties
Acoustic conditions
Biological effects on acoustics
Ocean floor characteristics and beach conditions
The U.S. Navy operates a full-service, wide-ranged
Federal MAREP system for defense needs. The core
of this system is the Fleet Numerical Weather Cen-
tral (FNWC) located in Monterey, Calif. Products
from the main computer processing component of
FNWC are disseminated by the Naval Environmen-
tal Data Network (NEDN) through interconnected
digital computers and on-line communications equip-
ment (fig. 6) . The FNWC processes, disseminates,
and displays meteorological and oceanographic analy-
ses and forecasts on a hemispheric basis to meet De-
fense needs. Through FNWC, real-time products are
continually updated and tailored to meet fleet and
other requirements of Defense. The FNWC products
(table 9) are distributed through NEDN to Fleet
Weather Centrals and Facilities strategically located
around the world. FNWC is the master center for
collecting and processing worldwide data inputs of
meteorological and oceanographic parameters. Re-
21
FWC GUAM
FWC
PEARL HARBOR
•NOTE
^= DATA SOURCE AND SYSTEM
INTERFACE WITH USAF AUTOMATED
WEATHER NETWORK (AWN)
IT
CARSWELL AFB*
FNWC MONTEREY
> i
AFGWC*
OFFUTT AFB
FWF SUITLAND
FWC NORFOLK
FWC ROTA
sponsibilities for providing fleet support throughout
the oceanic regions of the world are shared by Fleet
Weather Centrals at Guam, Pearl Harbor, Norfolk,
and Rota (Spain) . Computers at these Centrals re-
ceive processed data from FNWC and write environ-
mental support products tailored to naval forces at
sea and ashore. The Centrals use the broad-scale
products from FNWC and, where available and ap-
plicable, the products from the National Meteorolog-
ical Center (NMC) of NOAA to prepare detailed
analyses, forecasts, and warnings for their areas of re-
sponsibility. The Fleet Weather Central products are
disseminated to naval operating forces, smaller naval
environmental units, and other components of the
Department of Defense through the Naval Commu-
nications System.
Typical FNWC fleet support services are:
Numerical weather and oceanographic analysis and
forecast charts for fleet facsimile broadcast.
Edited data summaries for channel 8 of the fleet
multi-channel broadcast.
Ballistic wind and density forecasts for strategic sup-
port.
Sound-propagation loss forecasts for ASW operations.
Wave forecasts for replenishment planning, long-
haul OTSR, and high-seas warnings.
Radiological fallout forecasts for naval operating
areas.
Drift computations for vessels and aircraft in distress.
Swell forecasts for surf prediction.
Tide predictions for amphibious and logistic opera-
tions and storm-surge warnings.
More than 60 weather offices at shore stations and
aboard larger ships provide MAREP services for
Figure 6. — Naval Environmental Data Network (high-
speed 2,400 baud circuitry).
naval operations. The focus for environmental sup-
port is at the operating level. The primary objective
of this support is meteorological and oceanographic
information and advice to operational commanders.
Briefings generally are conducted in person, but they
may also be provided by telephone or closed-circuit
television.
Oceanographic observations are transmitted to
FNWC for hemispheric analyses. Data are also for-
warded to NAVOCEANO, San Diego State College,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, U.S. Coast
Guard, NMFS and National Oceanographic Data
Center (NODC) of NOAA, Canadian Forces, British
Royal Navy, and other countries for forecasting pur-
poses, research support, and archiving. The FNWC
performs hemispheric-scale oceanographic analysis
every 12 hours, using a complex forecasting model
based on theoretical considerations, climatology, and
empirical equations. These analyses and forecasts are
made available to Naval Weather Service Command
(NWSC) activities that are engaged in immediate
fleet support. Oceanographic products are distributed
to users by various communication systems, such as
fleet broadcasts, radio teletypewriter, facsimile, digital
data links, and nonelectronic means.
The NAVOCEANO prepares experimental oceano-
graphic forecasts in support of complex or special-
ized operations where an operational technique has
not been developed. These forecasts, tailored to spe-
cific applications, include information concerning
waves, currents, thermal structure, and ice. In addi-
tion to specialized forecasting activities, NAVO-
CEANO prepares oceanographic charts, publications,
atlases, and related materials required by fleet and
Defense planners.
22
Table 9. — Marine Environmental Prediction products of the Naval Weather
Title Products
General weather forecast
Synoptic analysis/forecast.
Waves— direction, period, and height
Swell— direction, period, and height
Combined sea— direction, period, and height
Surface currents
Surface weather factors (e.g., wind, temperature, fog, and precipitation)
Cloud coverage
Oceanic fronts
Oceanic dispersion
Air-ocean heat exchange
Gale, hurricane, and storm warnings
Optimum Track Ship Routing (OTSR) and weather advisories (WEAX) Individual forecast.
Search and rescue drift forecast do
Marine Climatic Atlas Book (series)
Ocean-Area Observations do
Sea surface temperature Synoptic analysis
Mixed layer depth Synoptic analysis/forecast.
Below layer gradient do
Upper sound channels
Probability of transients (thermal gradients)
Bathythermograph and sound-velocity profiles
Acoustic Sensor Range Prediction (ASRAP) system
Ship-Helicopter Acoustic Range Prediction System (SHARPS)
Detailed propagation loss
...do
...do
...do
ndividual forecast
...do
...do
ASW Oceanographic Environmental Service (NAVAIR 50-IG-24) Booklet
Oceanographic Outlooks Booklet (series)
Southern Ice Limit— Eastern Arctic (AXAC1) Synoptic analysis/forecast.
Southern Ice Limit— Western Arctic (AXAC2) do
Short-range ice forecast Individual forecast
Northern ice limit— Antarctic Synoptic analysis
Service Command
Cycle
12 hourly.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
As requested.
Do.
12 hourly.
As requested.
Do.
As available.
Do.
12 hourly.
Daily.
Do.
On request.
Do.
Do.
Daily.
Do.
On request'.
As available.
Quarterly.
Weekly.
Do.
On request.
Weekly (mid-Oct. to mid-Feb.).
23
Research Relevant to Marine
Environmental Prediction
INTRODUCTION
Federally supported research and development that
will contribute to future improvements in MAREP
services are presented in this chapter.
Federal funds spent in FY 1973 and planned for
expenditure in FY 1974 in various MAREP research
programs are summarized in table 1 in the section
"Summary of Fiscal Data." Federal funds allocated
for research in support of MAREP functions in FY
1973-74 are shown in table 10.
Major research by Federal agencies to improve
MAREP services is described in the following para-
graphs, and discussed under three categories: Re-
search for the improvement of functions which con-
stitute a MAREP system; research necessary for the
understanding of the basic marine processes; and re-
search in geographic areas of special interest.
IMPROVEMENT OF MAREP FUNCTIONS
Research programs directed specifically toward im-
provement of the functions necessary for MAREP
are described under "Data Acquisition" and "Infor-
mation Processing and Dissemination."
Data Acquisition
The NOAA Data Buoy Office (NDBO) , funded at
$8,500,000 for FY 74, is one of the largest single re-
search and development programs in support of
MAREP. NDBO, established originally under the
direction of the U.S. Coast Guard, is now a part of
NOAA's Basic Marine Observation program. The
office has a three-fold role: As a center for environ-
mental data buoy technology it conducts the applied
research and development necessary to define and
upgrade reliable buoy components and systems; con-
Table 10. — Funding of research relevant to Marine Environmental Prediction, by function
[Thousands of dollars]
Understanding Data Communi- Data Information Agency support
Agency basic processes acquisition cations processing dissemination of research Total
FY 73 Fy74 FY~73 Fy74 FY 73 FY~74 FY~73 FY74 FY 73 f774 FY~73 Fy74 FY73 FY74
Commerce 35,933 36,140 11,786 14,999 2,162 2,162 440 440 50,321 53,741
Defense 7,781 8,848 8,033 7,705 587 612 854 1,091 1,633 1,777 100 100 18,988 20,133
Interior ll,731 '1,758 156 159 1,887 1,917
Transportation 1,475 1,584 1,844 1,980 368 396 3,687 3,960
AEC '4,846 » 5, 523 4,846 5,523
EPA '4,431 '4,833 4,431 4,833
NASA 4,001 2,875 4,001 2,875
NSF '16,575 '15,337 16,575 15,337
Smithsonian '1,757 '1,757 1,757 1,757
Total 74,529 75,780 25,664 27,559 587 612 3T0I6 37253 2T073 2T2I7 624 655 106,493 110,077
1 Other functions included in this amount.
24
ducts the test and evaluation necessary to assess pres-
ent and future data buoy systems; and serves as a na-
tional and international source of buoy technology
information.
Additionally, the office functions as a center of en-
vironmental data buoy applications. In this capacity
it provides or arranges for procurement, emplace-
ment, and maintenance of data buoy systems in sup-
port of scientific and operational programs, and ad-
vises on environmental data buoys and buoy system
applications.
The National Oceanographic Instrumentation Cen-
ter (NOIC) of National Ocean Survey (NOS) pro-
vides for periodic calibration of instruments and
serves as a focal point for information on oceano-
graphic instrumentation technology.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is
developing specialized equipment in support of
MARMAP data acquisition: (1) The Remote Un-
derwater Fish Assessment System (RUFAS) , an in-
strument towed from aboard ship to detect subsur-
face fish and shellfish concentrations; (2) remote
sensors for use on ships, aircraft, and satellites to de-
tect concentrations of fish and shellfish; and (3) an
undulating, continuous plankton recorder with asso-
ciated environmental sensors and data recording sys-
tems.
RUFAS II is designed to improve the detection
range and operational depth of the present RUFAS
I, and tests are planned tor other hydroacoustic sys-
tems for assessing fish stocks. The combination of
RUFAS II and advanced systems will provide a capa-
bility to assess midwater and bottom-dwelling fish
stocks by remote sensing.
At the fishery centers of NMFS numerous technol-
ogy development projects are being carried out to
advance data acquisition methods in the MARMAP
surveys.
Other research and development projects sup-
ported by NOAA to improve MAREP data acquisi-
tion include the development of a low-cost drifting
buoy location system, initiation of studies to deter-
mine wave characteristics from high-frequency back-
scattering, continued tsunami research, and improved
instrumentation.
In data acquisition, the U.S. Navy plans to de-
velop a modularized system for collecting salinity,
temperature, bathymetry, and subbottom profiles and
has initiated at its Naval Research Laboratory
(NRL) in Washington a new effort to use remote-
sensing techniques for military applications. This in-
volves the use of aircraft or satellite microwave, in-
frared, and radar sensors to measure sea surface
temperature, salinity, sea state, transparency, nu-
trients, radioisotopes, trace elements, currents, inter-
nal waves, and air-sea interactions. Automated meteo-
rological sensors arc being developed for shipboard
and aircraft use.
Increased operational requirements in the Arctic
have prompted the U.S. Navy to continue an ice sur-
veillance program to collect data on the distribution
of various ice features and conditions. Project BIRDS-
EYE uses airborne visual and instrument techniques
to provide ice observations. Two of the remote sen-
sors in use are infrared scanners and laser altimeters.
The infrared scanner provides strip maps of the ice
surface, permitting die delineation of various stages
of ice development and often providing needed in-
formation on ice thickness. The laser altimeter per-
mits accurate profiling of the ice surface, providing
data on the frequency and size of ice features such as
ice ridges and water openings. Recent experiments
with Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) systems,
which provide image maps with good surface feature
resolution, indicate a high potential for remote sen-
sors.
The Spacecraft Oceanography (SPOC) Program of
NOAA contributes to improvement of MAREP serv-
ices. Relevant research projects include experiments
involving acquisition and analysis of remote-sensor
and correlative-surface data for sea surface tempera-
ture, ocean color, sea ice, sea roughness, near-surface
wind conditions, coastal and ocean currents, sedi-
ment tracing, and shallow underwater features.
NASA funds research projects which will advance
the assessment and prediction of living marine re-
sources through development of capabilities for data
acquisition from space. These research projects in-
volve application of remote-sensing techniques (in-
cluding low-light-level television, graphic imagery,
spectrophotometry and spectroradiometry, and micro-
wave radiometry) for the observation of biological
and physical phenomena, such as chlorophyll concen-
tration, bioluminescence, fluorescence from fish scales
and oil slicks, water color, upwelling surface temper-
ature, and other indicators of surface currents. NASA
also supports projects related to improvements in the
Specialized MAREP Service for Water Pollution As-
sessment by emphasizing remote sensing of river
effluents, water quality, and sediment transport.
From the successful launch of NASA's Earth Re-
sources Technology Satellite (ERTS 1) on July 23,
1972. multispectral imagery of the coastal zones was
obtained with a ground resolution of 70 meters. This
spacecraft-derived imagery has been found valuable
in providing useful data on coastal processes and
oceanic and estuarine phenomena. In FY 1974.
NASA will continue research on remote sensing,
using NASA, Navy, and NOAA aircraft (fig. 7) and
ground truth observations from ships. Data analysis
25
74°20'N
MULTI-YEAR
ICE >
132°W
Figure 7. — Passive microwave image of Arctic sea ice
(X = 1.55 cm). (Taken by NASA CV-990
aircraft, March 16, 1971; cloudy day.)
131°W
I- 270° K
266
[
262
258
254
250
246
242
[-238
234
«- 230
I
226
222
218
214
210
206
202
198
l 194
- 190
techniques for information from the ERTS 1, SKY-
LAB, and Earth Orbiting Satellite (EOS) spacecraft
will also be broadened.
An expanded NOAA/Environmental Research Lab-
oratory (ERL) program in satellite oceanography
will include analysis of data from ERTS 1, GEOS 3,
and SKYLAB; ground-truth data acquisition for
GEOS 3; assessment of the usefulness of altimeter
and scatterometer data to the study of surface cur-
rents, wind waves, and tides; and studies of data
from ERTS 1 on ocean color and sea surface temper-
atures.
The Coast Guard has pioneered in the use of
SLAR in Arctic regions. Tests began with iceberg de-
tection, identification, and tracking experiments for
the International Ice Patrol. In 1973 the Coast
Guard is refining these techniques of iceberg recon-
naissance and consolidating them in an International
Ice Patrol SLAR Manual.
In connection with its research program on explo-
sion-generated water waves, the AEC is developing
sensor, recording, and readout systems to measure
and to document such waves.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
contracted for studies on specifications of an oil spill
surveillance system that involves the real-time detec-
tion, alarm monitoring, and recording of oil spills
and is contracting for marine environmental research
to gain knowledge for processing ocean dumping
permits. EPA and NOAA are cooperating to ascer-
tain the necessary information for determining crite-
ria for issuing ocean dumping permits.
Information Processing and Dissemination
Within National Weather Service (NWS) of
NOAA, a program is underway for the development
of automated techniques to produce forecasts of the
marine environment in open oceanic areas, coastal
areas, and the Great Lakes.
Work has continued on the development of an im-
26
proved method of wind forecasting for application to
wave forecasting over oceanic areas. For the Great
Lakes, a wave climatology was compiled. In coastal
areas the numerical model for the Special Program
to List Amplitudes of Surges from Hurricanes
(SPLASH) has been developed for forecasting the
hurricane storm surges along the U.S. gulf and east
coasts: SPLASH is in experimental use at the Na-
tional Hurricane Center (NHC) . Equations have
been derived for forecasting extratropical storm
surges at 10 east coast cities.
A wave-forecasting technique for the Great Lakes
will be developed and implemented. The hurricane
storm-surge forecasting model at NHC will be fur-
ther improved. Contract studies of a breaker-forecast-
ing technique and investigation of hazardous-wave
conditions over bars at the Columbia River entrance
will be completed. In FY 1974, efforts will continue
to improve those techniques developed earlier. In ad-
dition, the scope of techniques development will be
expanded to include sea surface temperature, vertical
temperature structure, and ice forecasting.
Support at a somewhat reduced level is expected
for analysis of data from the International Field
Year of the Great Lakes (IFYGL), and support will
continue at approximately the FY 1973 level for
studies of mixing and diffusion processes and for the-
oretical and numerical modeling. Additional numeri-
cal modeling and analysis will be done by the
IFYGL Staff.
Fundamental studies of ocean dynamics and de-
scription of the chemical processes are funded by
NSF through the Oceanographic Section of the Divi-
sion of Environmental Sciences (DES) . A goal for
FY 1974 is to develop insights into the processes in-
volved in water movements on the Continental Shelf.
Several oceanographic investigations are also planned
for the GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment
(GATE) .
Both the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences
Sections in DES fund individual studies of a funda-
mental nature. Many of these individual projects
deal with microscale problems including transport of
various materials across the air-sea interface. The
Global Atmospheric Research Program in DES also
funds individual research concerned with the global
climatic implications of air-sea interaction. Large in-
tegrated projects with air-sea interaction are also im-
portant in GARP and some International Decade of
Ocean Exploration (IDOE) projects.
The major programs in environmental forecasting
sponsored by IDOE, NSF, are cooperative with other
Federal agencies, principally ONR and NOAA. In
some cases, they involve foreign laboratories and sci-
entists. Two major programs now underway are the
North Pacific Experiment (NORPAX) and the
Mid-Ocean Dynamics Experiment (MODE). The
objective of NORPAX is to provide in the North
Pacific Ocean a scientific basis for improving long-
range environmental forecasting. In FY 1974 the first
data station array should be completed. Equipment
will be selected for study of large-scale air-sea inter-
action in order to improve our understanding of the
influence of the North Pacific Ocean anomalies on
weather patterns over North America. The objective
of MODE is to understand medium-scale dynamic
processes and their roles in ocean circulation and
global climates. The MODE experiment will take
place between the U.S. and Bermuda as indicated in
figure 8. The first operational phase of MODE com-
menced in FY 1973. Upon its completion in FY
1974, the major analytical studies of MODE data
will be initiated.
UNDERSTANDING BASIC MARINE
PROCESSES
Research is necessary for understanding basic ma-
rine processes and for improving and expanding
MAREP services. A summary of the base programs is
included here with emphasis on major program
changes. Some multiyear Federal research of little
change from that reported in the FY 1973 Federal
Plan for Marine Environmental Prediction is not
included.
Physical Processes
Understanding physical processes in the ocean and
marine atmosphere is essential to MAREP. The Fed-
eral effort in this area is in four major categories:
Large-scale research programs; structure and motion
of the ocean; remote sensing; and coastal processes.
These categories are not mutually exclusive, but
have been selected because of their use in the Fed-
eral agency program structure.
Six large-scale oceanic research programs (discussed
below) support MAREP and are in different stages
of progress, i.e., planning, field operations, data anal-
ysis, etc. For the most part, each program involves
two or more Federal agencies.
• NORPAX (Nortli Pacific Experiment) is an
NSF-Navy sponsored program to investigate large-
scale air-sea interactions in the North Pacific. It is
expected to last almost 10 years and is intended to
describe the effects of ocean anomalies on global at-
mospheric circulation and the atmosphere's effect on
the Pacific Ocean thermal and circulation structure.
• GATE (GARP Atlantic Tropica] Experiment) is
a multiagency international experiment to investi-
gate the generation and structure of tropical disturb-
27
m 2o°
80° 75° 70° 65'
Figure 8. — The MODE region superimposed on a physiographic diagram of the North Atlantic
Ocean. The region within 200 km from the center of the array will contain 20 instru-
mented moorings and 20 drifting floats. The British will conduct a special intense survey
in the region within 100 km from the center.
ances and the Atlantic equatorial current system.
DOC (NOAA) has been assigned U.S. lead agency;
other participants include DOT, AEC, NASA, DOD,
and NSF. Field operations are scheduled for summer
1974.
• MODE (Mid-Ocean Dynamics Experiment) is
an NSF-sponsored program designed to obtain a bet-
ter understanding of middle-scale dynamic processes
such as geostrophic eddies and to elucidate their role
in ocean circulation and in the global climate. Par-
ticipation includes various university institutions and
Federal laboratories funded by NSF as well as the
Navy.
• AIDJEX: The objective of AIDJEX (Arctic Ice
28
LEGEND:
■ MAIN CAMP
• SATELLITE CAMP
x DATA BUOY
Figure 9.— 1972 AIDJEX array.
Dynamics Joint Experiment) (fig. 9) is to study the
larger scale response of sea ice to its environment in
order to understand the interaction between ice
cover and the global environment and to solve
problems like the passage of ships in ice-covered sea5.
The main experiment is to consist of ice deforma-
tion studies based upon environmental measurements
from four stations forming a 100 km square enclosing
a central station. An array of unmanned buoys will
be deployed in a 400-km grid outside of the square.
Ranging targets will be placed about the central sta-
tion, whereas tracking targets will be placed across
shear zones. Extensive ground observations will be
supplemented by remote sensing. Pilot studies of
AIDJEX are underway with the main experiment
planned for 1975. Simultaneously with the evolution
of AIDJEX, U.S.S.R. has been developing a Polar
Experiment (POLEX) which has similar but wider
objectives, particularly with respect to the role of the
polar regions in large-scale global processes. Coordi-
nation of AIDJEX with the first (Arctic) phase of
POLEX as part of CARP is underway.
• BOMEX (Barbados Oceanographic and Meteo-
rological Experiment) was an air-sea interaction ex-
perimeni designed to investigate tropica] circulation
and the turbulent boundary layer. The lead was as-
signed to DOC! (NOAA) with participation by al-
most all [CMAREP agencies during the field opera-
tions in 1969. Data analysis will be completed during
FY 1973-7 1.
• MARMAP (Marine Resources Monitoring,
Assessment and Prediction) is a NOAA program di-
rected toward understanding biocnvironmental rela-
tions for living marine resources of importance to
the Nation. Physical processes being investigated in
MARMAP are changes in location and properties of
water masses; location, strength, and divergence of
currents and surface gyres; and wind stress transport
as prime force causing upwelling.
Most agencies concerned with MAREP have pro-
grams relating to understanding the structure and
motion of the oceanic environment. The Navy pro-
gram is directed at oceanic effects on naval opera-
tions. For example, density anomalies influence long-
range acoustical surveillance systems and thereby
affect antisubmarine warfare and surface and subsur-
face motions affect safe operations of submarines and
ships. NOAA programs in basic research on the
structure and motion of the ocean are carried out by
the Environmental Research Laboratories. Research
is directed at increased understanding of physical,
chemical, and dynamic properties and processes of
the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and adjoining es-
tuaries; at sea-air interaction and at the understand-
ing of significant features in Pacific Ocean dynamics,
including near-surface circulation in response to
time-dependent wind stress.
DOT (Coast Guard) programs related to un-
derstanding the structure and motion of the ocean
are directed toward support of the International Ice
Patrol and Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.
These efforts include studies on water-mass exchange
and on currents affecting the presence and distribu-
tion of icebergs and sea ice in Baffin Bay and in the
Grand Banks Area. Additional Coast Guard research
is directed at responses of boat hulls, rafts, and life-
saving devices to wind, waves, and currents.
A major effort incorporating data from many of
these Federal research programs on structure and
motion of the oceans is by NOAA's Geophysical
Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) GFDL is devel-
oping a comprehensive theory and model for the
total ocean circulation.
Several components within NOAA are involved in
remote sensing programs which contribute to
MAREP. The Spacecraft Oceanography (SPOC)
Group and the Environmental Sciences Group
(ESG) <>1 the National Environmental Satellite Sen-
ice (NESS) conduit in-home and outside research in
29
several areas of marine remote sensing. The SPOC
Group works with NASA to develop and test new
sensors and data processing and analysis techniques
for sea ice, ocean color, ocean dynamics, and coastal
marine measurements and observations. The ESG
Group also conducts outside research but emphasizes
in-house display, analysis, and interpretation of exist-
ing satellite data. The Earth Resources Technology
Satellite (ERTS 1) multiband imagery is being evalu-
ated for coastal oceanography, hydrology, and sea ice
applications. NESS is involved in research to utilize
the Scanning Radiometer (SR) and the Very High
Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) data from the
NOAA 2 satellite for global sea surface temperature
mapping and for charting of thermal features of
the oceans. NESS has supported academic, industrial,
and Government marine science and engineering.
Special efforts are being made to shift the emphasis
of research in remote sensing toward applications of
marine remote sensors to existing NOAA programs
such as the Marine Ecosystem Analysis (MESA) pro-
gram and the Marine Resources Monitoring, Assess-
ment, and Prediction (MARMAP) program.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of
NOAA maintains a remote sensing program in coop-
eration with NASA at the Mississippi Test Facility
(MTF) . In-house and outside marine remote sensing
research is supported for fisheries applications.
The Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological
Laboratory (AOML) is the principal focal point for
applications of remote sensing to ocean dynamics
(sea roughness, sea level, sea slopes, and marine geo-
desy) . AOML is involved in ERTS and ' SKYLAB
data analysis for ocean dynamics and ocean color ap-
plications.
The Federal research program related to MAREP
in tsunami runup and wave shoaling has the partici-
pation of NOAA and AEC. NOAA is investigating
the generation, propagation, and runup mechanisms
of tsunamis, including the open ocean measurements
of tsunamis. To complement this program, AEC is
developing the capability to document, evaluate, and
understand explosion-generated water waves resulting
from nuclear detonations at or near the surface of
the ocean. This effort includes theoretical studies on
shoaling, phenomenology of such waves, and investi-
gations required to predict and document the effects
of a water wave resulting from seismic activity
caused by nuclear explosion.
Biological and Chemical Processes
Three basic Federal thrusts in biological and
chemical processes relating to MAREP services are
underway in DOD, DOT, DOC, NSF, AEC and, the
Smithsonian Institution. They can be described as
basic biological investigations, ecosystem studies, and
pollution and baseline studies.
Basic biological investigations related to MAREP
are conducted through the ONR oceanic biology
program with emphasis on understanding the role of
biological processes in naval operations. The primary
objectives are to enhance the Navy's capability to
predict, evade, or control those biological systems
alien to military interests and to adopt the desirable
biological attributes. Complementary biological inves-
tigations and research are also conducted through
various elements of the Smithsonian Institution. As
examples, the National Museum of Natural History
maintains the largest collection of biological speci-
mens available for scientific research, and the Smith-
sonian Oceanographic Sorting Center (fig. 10) pro-
vides basic sorting of organisms, community analyses,
and specimen and data mangement for the research
community. NSF supports basic biological studies
8ipd
rasas '
Figure 10. — A portion of the Smithsonian Oceanographic
Sorting Center specimen storage area.
30
leading to an improved understanding of marine or-
ganisms and their relation to nutrition. This pro-
gram aims for comprehensive systems analysis and
computer-assisted modeling by 1975. AEC and NMFS
are cooperating to investigate the effects of thermal
effluents on the biota. NMFS is also conducting a va-
riety of research toward understanding the basic re-
quirements of species in commercial and recreation
fisheries and identifying the impact of overfishing on
the stock.
A large part of the biological research in support
of MAREP is being conducted in the area of ecosys-
tems and ecological understanding. This work is di-
rected toward the ability to predict and assess
changes in various parts of the marine environment
both from manmade and natural causes. One good
example of this type of large-scale multidisciplinary
research is the cooperative ecological study of the
Chesapeake Bay, supported by the Corps of Engi-
neers, NSF, Smithsonian Institution, and various uni-
versities. The research involves an extensive review
of the social, legal, and environmental conditions of
the Bay so that a plan can be developed for proper
resource management. NOAA , is also conducting a
variety of ecological studies primarily through NMFS
and the Marine Ecosystem Analysis (MESA) Project.
These studies are to determine the effects of natural
and manmade changes in the estuarine and marine
environment, including the amount and rate of accu-
mulation of stable pollutants, e.g., polychloro-
biphenyls, pesticides, and heavy metals. Three major
areas will be studied over the next few years. The
MESA project will concentrate heavily on the New
York Bight, where for years there has been massive
dumping of sludge, chemical wastes, and munitions.
The NMFS studies are concentrating on the Gulf of
Mexico with emphasis on the impact of water re-
sources demands, i.e., irrigation, dredging, and fill
operations. Studies in the Pacific Northwest and
TAPS area will focus on impacts of oil spillage, min-
ing effluents, lumbering, and pulpmill wastes.
The Federal MAREP research concerned with pol-
lution and baseline studies is centered on concentra-
tions of oil, trace elements, radioelements, and other
toxic contaminants. The Coast Guard has devoted
top priority to oil pollution baseline studies and to
developing analytical capability for monitoring. Em-
phasis has been placed on shipboard analysis, but
studies include laboratory capability for investigating
natural oil seeps as well as the shipboard data collec-
tion from the Coast Guard fleet. Part of the baseline
study is directed at construction of a harbor oil pol-
lution index. AEC has directed its research toward
determining the influence and movement of radioele-
ments through the marine environment and monitor-
ing of radiation through the food chain to man.
NfOAA is studying the cycling of trace elements in the
estuarine and marine environment with emphasis on
toxic contaminants and conducts quality control of
marine fishery products with the objective of protect-
ing the fishing industry and the consumer. Toward
this objective the program goals include: to deline-
ate and monitor the nature and extent of contami-
nants in fish and shellfish; to determine the feasibil-
ity of removing contaminants from fishery products;
and to define the patterns of consumption of fishery
products.
GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
The coastal zone, Great Lakes, and the polar re-
gions require special approaches due to complexity
of coastal processes and other phenomena such as the
behavior of ice and the extreme conditions in high-
latitude ocean areas. Interest in areas like the Great
Lakes develops because of their importance to the
national economy or unusual research opportunities.
I'hese geographic areas are included to provide a
perspective that differs from the conventional classifi-
cation by discipline, agency, or MAREP special serv-
ice.
Coastal Zone
The coastal zone transition area between the sea
and the land is a region of enormous variability. It
is the most dynamic environment on earth. Coastal
zone research combines studies of physical oceanogra-
phy, hydrology, political science, geology, geography,
meteorology, biology, and engineering and also treats
civil engineering, conservation, and scientific prob-
lems related to the estuarine areas.
Navy coastal research programs are mainly con-
cerned with dynamics of coastal zone processes in
order to improve the accuracy of predictions needed
by Navy and Marine Corps units. Requirements for
this knowledge and forecasting capability derive
from various shallow-water naval activities related to
riverine and mine warfare, amphibious assaults,
antisubmarine warfare, charting, search and salvage,
communications, and construction. The locus of
coastal zone research is on the energy sources and
response mechanisms of the shore and on sediment
and coastal water circulation systems'. Of special in-
terest (because of the potential operational prob-
lems) are deltaic and estuarine processes, including
mixing of salt and fresh water, tidal behavior, cur-
rent generation, changes in bottom conditions, and
propagation and modification of waves. Acquisition
and prediction of navigational information are espe-
cially important. The understanding of the relation
31
between meteorological conditions and sea state, fog,
winds, and surf in the coastal zone is no less impor-
tant than information obtained directly from this re-
search.
Refinement of techniques for data acquisition is
sought through a Navy program of research on re-
mote sensing. Experiments, field tests, and theoretical
studies deal with assuring the Navy of, by indirect
measurement, accurate, meaningful data on near-
shore water depths, surf and wave conditions, river
mouth and tidal inlet configurations, water tempera-
ture and salinity, current pattern and velocity, beach
slopes and trafficability, and other important coastal
zone properties.
Search, salvage, and recovery form an integral part
of naval activities. Usually they are in the coastal
zone and require special technical data and substan-
tial environmental information. Environmental pre-
dictions supplemented with direct or remotely sensed
data are required for selecting search strategies and
equipment, and assisting the probability of success.
Like other users of the coastal zone, the Navy rec-
ognizes its responsibility to maintain the quality of
the ocean environment. Baseline studies provide a
measure of the present ocean environmental quality.
Hydrodynamic models demonstrate effects of pro-
posed changes, such as added pollutants or dredging.
Research relevant to MAREP is supported also
by the Army Corps of Engineers through its Civil
Works Program. Areas of investigation include coastal
ecology, aquatic plant control, environmental data
collection, wind waves, shore processes, and dynamics
of flow through inlet and estuarine regions. In FY
1972 the Corps instituted a research program on
spoil disposal, which constitutes a major problem in
the maintenance of navigable waters. The Corps
serves as lead agency for an interagency committee
studying the Louisiana coast and for another com-
mittee developing a comprehensive resource study of
Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay study includes
design and development of a physical model to be
located in Maryland. In addition, the Corps is con-
ducting environmental studies on the Chesapeake
and Delaware Canal, San Francisco Bay, and Trinity
Bay, utilizing physical models to evaluate the impact
of sedimentation and other changes on each eco-
system.
The Coast Guard, through its Office of Research
and Development, conducts experiments to measure
advection and diffusion of floating and suspended
pollutants in U.S. coastal waters. Processes to be
studied include Ekman circulation, Langmuir circula-
tion, and thermohaline instability. In addition, water
movement information will be provided for several
major harbors in support of Harbor Pollution Con-
tingency Plans. The leeway and diffusion of various
types of oil under varying wind and sea conditions
will be studied to improve the Coast Guard's predic-
tion of movement and fate of oil spilled at sea.
NSF, through its Environmental Systems and Re-
search Division, sponsors programs on MAREP re-
search in coastal and estuarine areas, and the
Regional Environmental System Program of its Divi-
sion of Environmental Systems and Resources • is
aimed at better prediction of the consequences of re-
gional growth and better understanding of alterna-
tive methods of resource development and strategies
of waste management. Studies are being carried out
in coastal zones such as the Chesapeake Bay and Del-
aware Bay. Coastal upwelling areas bringing up
colder, nutrient-rich water are estimated to produce
50 percent of the world's fish supply (fig. 11). Deter-
minations are also being made of the effects of se-
lected toxic trace contaminants on animal and plant
communities.
The objective of the Living Resources Program in
the International Decade of Ocean Exploration
(IDOE) is to improve understanding of biological
processes so that living marine resources can be more
intelligently utilized. The major experiment under
this program is the Coastal Upwelling Experiment
(CUE) . Field work is complete in selected areas off
the west coast of the United States. In FY 1974 a
field program, JOINT I, as sponsored by the IDOE's
Living Resources Program (fig. 12), is scheduled to
take place off the west coast of Africa. In this multi-
institutional experiment, physical and biological
oceanographic studies are combined to develop pre-
dictive mathematical models of an upwelling system.
Because upwelling brings nutrients to the ocean sur-
face, upwelling regions are rich fishing areas. The
Living Resources program was funded at $1,260,000 in
FY 1973, with an expected increase of $490,000 in
FY 1974.
The Department of Commerce plans continued
research in estuaries and the coastal zone for FY
1974. Research proje.cts, conducted by NOS, NMFS,
and ERL of NOAA, include work on estuarine flush-
ing and on physical processes along coasts and in
estuaries, and their effects on living resources.
A major new initiative of NOAA is the Marine
Ecosystem Analysis (MESA) program. A NOAA plan
for MESA has been developed to provide a con-
certed effort in key coastal areas by Federal and
State agencies and the academic community to
develop information necessary for the rational man-
agement of the coastal zone. The objectives of the
MESA plan are:
• To describe, understand, and monitor the phys-
32
PREVAILING
WINDS
COUNTER
CURRENT
EKMAN DRIFT
SURFACE JET
UNDER CURRENT
EASTERN BOUNDARY
CURRENT
MAIN UPWELLING
SECONDARY
UPWELLING
Figure 11. — Model of a coastal upwelling area.
Figure 12. — For JOINT I aircraft, ships, and buoys will provide data on the biological and physical aspects
of coastal upwelling off the West Coast of Africa in 1974.
h . „
ical, chemical, and biological processes of marine
environments.
• To provide information and expertise required
for effective management of marine areas and
rational use of associated resources.
• To analyze the impact of natural phenomena
and manmade alterations on marine ecosystems.
The MESA program draws on most of the ele-
ments in NOAA to form an effective and coordi-
nated approach to the understanding of marine envi-
ronmental processes. The program will provide
comprehensive sampling and measurement of circula-
tion patterns, tides, estuarine flushing, water-mass
exchanges, physical and chemical properties, and sed-
iments as they relate to the understanding, mainte-
nance, and enhancement of the marine environment.
MESA will focus on selected marine areas needing
immediate attention because they have already been
seriously damaged or are threatened by projected
developments. The New York Bight has been
selected as the first study area. The regional project
in New York Bight will be accomplished in four
phases:
1. Systems analysis and design to determine the
origin and fate of pollutants will be completed
by FY 1975.
2. Early warning systems will be established in FY
1974-75.
3. Models for predicting modification of the envi-
ronment will be completed during FY 1974-76.
4. Activities will be undertaken to stimulate
regional and State participation and assump-
tion of responsibility for programs in their
areas of jurisdiction (FY 1973-76) .
NOS is using empirical techniques in the develop-
ment of estuarine circulation models. Predictions of
flushing times for Penobscot Bay of Maine have been
provided since 1968 based on simple numerical tech-
niques. An analytical study is underway on the
examination of explicit tidal effects in the estuarine
mixing process in order to gain insight into the
meaning and magnitude of the coefficients of turbu-
lent diffusion. The basic work of coding the mathe-
matical equations for a simple numerical model is
complete, with work continuing to bring the model
to final form.
The Office of Sea Grant within NOAA is support-
ing at academic institutions a number of MAREP-re-
lated projects that involve research in the coastal
zone and estuarine regions on both coasts of the
United States, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in Alas-
kan and Hawaiian waters.
Through the U.S. Geological Survey, the Depart-
ment of the Interior sponsors research relevant to
MAREP including estuarine hydraulics, changes in
water quality, sediment transport and deposition,
thermal dispersion and its effects, use of remote-sen-
sing techniques, salt water intrusion and under-
ground encroachment, tidal discharges, relation of
streamflow to salinity, and effects and distributions
of wastes introduced into coastal water bodies. Field
studies are underway in Tampa Bay, Fla., in cooper-
ation with the Tampa Port Authority, and in San
Francisco Bay. The broad objectives of these studies
are to understand and describe the circulation pat-
terns of the water and relate them to sediment distri-
bution and the transport of dissolved constituents
including nutrients and trace metals.
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay Center for Environmental
Studies, Smithsonian Institution, initiated a long-
term ecosystem study of the Rhode River estuary
involving scientists from the National Museum of
Natural History, the Radiation Biology Laboratory,
and various institutions. The goals of this research
program, partially funded by NSF, are to identify
the role of environmental factors in the ecosystem
and to determine the effects of environmental fluctua-
tions on ecosystem stability. These investigations will
help identify those parameters most sensitive to
changes in environmental conditions and will im-
prove our understanding of the caus|al relationships
in such systems, which is required for successful en-
vironmental prediction. Research projects include
ground-truth evaluation of remote sensing and other
aerial photographic techniques.
Great Lakes
The NOS Lake Survey Center of NOAA conducts
studies of water motion, water characteristics, water
quantity, hydrology, and ice and snow in the Great
Lakes region. The primary objective of this research
is to determine the present conditions of the Lakes
and to define and quantify interrelations among the
natural processes in the water masses and at the air-
water and water-sediment interfaces. Understanding
of these relations forms the basis for forecasting
trends and for determining effects of manmade
changes. Research consists of field surveys, data proc-
essing, analysis, model formulations, and information
dissemination through publication of reports and
papers.
The Lake Survey Center carries out research stud-
ies on waves, tides, surges, seiches, currents, energy
exchange at the air-water interface, and flows in the
Great Lakes and associated channels. From these
studies mathematical models and statistical relation-
ships are derived. These models are then used to
predict changes in these natural processes as they
34
affect management and maintenance of beaches,
layout and maintenance of navigational channels,
and design of harbors and locks. The output from
this program takes the form of research papers and
reports, wave frequency charts, water level atlases,
and predictions of harbor currents and abnormal
water level disturbances. Also, the Lake Survey
Center collects, analyzes, and interprets data pertain-
ing to the physical and chemical characteristics of
water in the Great Lakes in order to determine their
present condition. These studies involve monitoring
radioactive contamination, temperature, and other
parameters; defining those water properties which
could be used as water quality indexes; designing
and installing monitoring stations; and monitoring
water quality variations and identifying their causes.
The energy and chemical budgets are determined
to identify the dynamic properties of the Lakes and
to help explain evaporation and water balance, lake
currents, and ice formation and decay.
Better understandings of time-space distributions
and interrelationships of these physical and chemical
properties and their variations result in better fore-
casts for multiple-use management of Great Lakes
waters. Baseline data furnish information needed in
evaluating engineering development projects and are
basic inputs to mathematical models simulating the
natural environment. The principal outputs from
these studies are research papers, reports of tabulated
data, and charts depicting seasonal distributions of
water characteristics.
The limnologic systems research is aimed at devel-
opment of process-response models to simulate the
complex interrelationships between the individual
processes within the Great Lakes and their immedi-
ate environment. These models will provide the basis
for optimum utilization of water resources, stress and
disaster predictions, and statistical analyses of
random events.
A hydrologic response model has been developed
for Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. The model
parameters include overlake precipitation, tributary
inflows, lake evaporation, flow diversions, connect-
ing-channel discharge equations, and lake regulation
plans. At present this model is being used to prepare
6-month forecasts of lake levels and 15-day forecasts
of navigation depths at critical locations. The model
will be expanded to include Lakes Superior and
Ontario.
The International Field Year for the Great Lakes
(IFYGL) is a joint United States-Canadian study of
Lake Ontario and is part of the International
Hydrological Decade. NOAA has been designated
the U.S. lead agency for IFYGL. Also participating
are the Departments of Defense, Interior, and Trans-
portation, and EPA and NSF. NSF is contributing to
IFYGL through support of university scientists and
use of aircraft from the National Center for Atmos-
pheric Research which is making special flights over
Lake Ontario during the Field Year. EPA is respon-
sible for project planning, field surveys and monitor-
ing programs, model development, and data manage-
ment, analysis, and interpretation in connection with
the chemical and biological program. EPA grants
initiated in FY 1973 supported specific projects in
biomass and chemical monitoring, nutrients cycling,
data analysis, and model verification.
The goal of IFYGL is to determine best use of
available fresh water supply for domestic consump-
tion, industrial usage, navigation, power, and recrea-
tion. The primary objective of IFYGL is to investi-
gate problems associated with hydrology,
meteorology, physical limnology, and geology of a
large lake. Many of the agency research projects will
be conducted by university investigators under con-
tract. The intensive, coordinated data collection pro-
gram of IFYGL was completed on March 13, 1973,
and data analysis will continue after that date. The
types of studies are outlined below.
Hydrological studies:
— Terrestrial water balance
— Atmospheric water balance
— Evaporation synthesis
— Lake levels
— Tributary levels
— Water level simulation
Limnological studies:
— Lake heat budget
— Flow-transport synthesis
— Atmospheric boundary layer
— Lake biological and chemical processes
— Coastal circulation
— Tributary streamflow and diffusion
— Material balance, lake and selected tributaries
— Lake circulation and diffusion
— Lake biological and chemical status
— Fish populations
— Coastal biological and chemical status and proc-
esses
— Tributary biological and chemical status and proc-
esses
— Simulation of biological and chemical processes
Special studies:
— Surface waves
— Coastal levels, surges and seiches
— Lake ice processes
— Lake-effect storms.
35
In the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of
Sports Fisheries and Wildlife conducts a research
program on fish population assessment and character-
istics of the Great Lakes. Objectives of this research
are:
• To determine changes in fish stock in various
areas of each lake, particularly changes in abund-
ance, size, composition, and age: and to monitor fish
stocks annually in different parts of each lake.
• To study seasonal, annual, and long-term
changes in major fish-producing environments of the
Great Lakes through continued and intensive sam-
pling of physical, chemical, and biological condi-
tions.
The Corps of Engineers is lead agency for exten-
sion of the navigation season on the Great Lakes. In
this capacity it has formed an interagency committee
composed of representatives of the Federal and State
agencies having an interest in this program. Part of
the effort will involve marine prediction services and
developing technology for control of icing.
In the Great Lakes, the Coast Guard is conducting
research connected with extending the navigation
season. These experiments deal with ice navigation,
icebreaker design, ice formation, and ice reconnais-
sance. Individual projects include:
• Instrumenting icebreakers with strain gages to
measure ice forces on ships' hulls.
• Measuring physical properties of lake ice,
including ice strength, thickness, temperature, snow
cover, snow friction and windrow formation.
• Developing a follow-the-wire navigation system
for ships entering narrow ice-infested channels. This
technique incorporates an energized electrical cable
on the lake bottom and associated sensing apparatus
on the vessel.
The Arctic
For many years the Navy has emphasized research
in the Arctic as one of the world's great unexplored
regions and as a strategically important area. Recent
oil discoveries on the Alaskan North Slope have
increased the need to understand and predict this
climatically hostile environment.
Arctic ocean science shares the basic objectives
common to naval and national interests around the
world. The Navy's main objective is to acquire a
comprehensive body of scientific and engineering
knowledge essential to naval operations in the Arctic
Ocean and its approaches.
The Navy-owned contractor-operated Naval Arctic
Research Laboratory (NARL) is located at Barrow,
Alaska. Since its inception in 1941, NARL has been
the only U.S. laboratory devoted full-time to support
of Arctic research. Its position on the shores of the
Arctic Ocean at the northernmost limit of the
United States presents unique opportunities to attain
Arctic research objectives.
From NARL the Navy operates several field sta-
tions, including some on an ice island. Research at
these stations includes measurement programs in geo-
physics (gravity, magnetics, underwater acoustics,
seismology) , micrometeorology, physical and chemical
oceanography, sediment studies and heat flow meas-
urements, ice physics, and ice drift. These programs
have been supplemented by airborne studies of pack
ice distribution and dynamics.
An ice surveillance program collects data concern-
ing the distribution of various ice features and con-
ditions. The project BIRDSEYE uses airborne visual
instrumentation to provide intelligence on large-scale
behavior. Among the sensors are infrared scanners
and laser altimeters.
A special case of polar air-sea interaction arises
where there is ice cover, either permanently or inter-
mittently. Energy exchange among sea, ice, and the
atmosphere is under investigation to determine
meteorological and climatological periodicities and to
provide data necessary for reliable predictions and
forecasts.
These and other Arctic programs have contributed
to knowledge of Arctic basin geology and crustal
structure; rates of ice formation; dissipation, defor-
mation, and drift; and underwater acoustics. These
investigations have produced many practical applica-
tions, including improved survival techniques, air-
craft landings on ice, use of ice for camp construc-
tion, over-ice vehicular movements, icebreaking, ice
forecasting, ice penetration by submarines, and bathy-
metric charts of the Arctic Ocean.
The Department of the Interior's Geological
Survey will continue its participation in the Arctic
Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) through
planning, analyzing, and interpreting the results of
imagery obtained from NASA, Navy, and Coast
Guard aircraft on Arctic overflights and imagery
from TIROS satellites. Future work will also deal
with passive microwave images obtained from
Nimbus satellites and other sources of data* notably
SKYLAB. The particular purpose of these studies is
to understand the large-scale behavior of sea ice and
the relation of the Arctic ice cover to continental cli-
mates.
36
The Antarctic
The U.S. Antarctic Research Program, sponsored
by NSF, is directed toward advancement of interna-
tional scientific cooperation and greater understand-
ing of the Antarctic environment and related phe-
nomena. The biological programs are designed to
increase knowledge of the Antarctic marine ecosys-
tems for the potential development of living marine
resources. Physical oceanographic studies are also
made by oceanographic institutions with the objec-
tive of understanding the influence of the heat
budget of Antarctic waters on world climates. In FY
1974, plans will be made for an inter-institutional
study to learn more of the pollution dynamics in the
southern ocean and the Antarctic sea-ice zone. (See
fig. 13).
ft U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1 973 — 5^*2-650/56
38
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