VOL. IX NO. 2 DECEMBER 1962 EDITOR: JAN HAHN Published periodically and distributed to the Associates of the Woods Hole Oceano- graphic Institution and others interested in Oceanography HENRY B. BIGELOW Founder Chairman NOEL B. McLEAN Chairman, Board of Trustees PAUL M. FYE President and Director COLUMBUS O'D ISELIN H. B. Bigeloiv Oceanographer BOSTWICK H. KETCHUM Associate Director of Biology and Chemistry The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution • Woods Hole, Massachusetts VOL. IX, No. 2, December 1962 Eubalaena glacialis Right Whale Noordkaper N. O - - that is not a hippopotamus on the front cover but a Right Whale, here shown disappearing again. Photographed by the editor within a few hundred yards off Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard. Right Whales have come to the Cape Cod area in increasing numbers in recent years. See page 3. Editorial VOL. IX, No. 2, December 1962 people like dogs, some like cats and some despise both. We may admire the noble lion, but less so the tiger -- yet, he is prettier. Few people like snakes; we do not mind the giraffe and are amused by monkeys, excepting the gorilla and the baboon. Birds are generally nice — some of our best friends watch them - - but the vulture is not admirable; while the stork, a noble bird, is the world's worst enemy as he has no sense of balance and overpopulates. What then are completely lovable animals? The Whales. Everyone seems to love whales, particularly so in recent years since the smaller types have been exhibited in captivity. With only one exception — when a dead whale has come to beach in front of one's cottage - - the whale appears to be universally admired. Thus, with Mr. Schevill's phonograph record" as an excuse, we have devoted a large part of this issue to our collection of whale photographs which otherwise would remain largely unseen. -••'Schevill, William E. and Watkins, William A., 1962. "Whale and Porpoise Voices." A phono- graph record. 24 pp., 35 text figs., Phonograph disk. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass. Spotted porpoises, Stenella plagiodon, swimming under the bow of the R.V. 'Atlantis'. Their "music" is shown to the right above. "Whale and Porpoise Voices", a phonograph record at 33 1/3 R. P. M., has just been released by the Institution. 12 kcps 10 8 6 4 0.2 0.4 TIME- SECONDS 0.6 BY W. E. SCHEVILL y . HY study the vocal sounds made by whales? For a curiosity-powered, or "pure", scientist this is not too difficult a question to answer: "Because they are neither well-known nor understood, — and happen to have caught my attention". (As so often happens, some aspects of this study impinge on the practical sphere of applied or dollar-driven science, but here we are talking only of the fun of it; — this is not a touch.) During World War II many people on both sides listened to underwater sounds for military reasons. Not only the wanted sounds (those made by enemy ships), but a bewilder- ing variety of others were- heard. Most of these were ascribed to animals living in the sea, usually as "fish noises", and at first only a few were more closely attributed. Some were ascribed to whales, in part correctly, but without identification of the kind of whale; most military listeners were not biologists, and in any case the traditional naval sonar room is woefully deficient in windows. Included in my post-war plans was a project to try and find out just who was talking, and in 1948 we succeeded in identifying certain very characteristic sounds as the calls of a particular species, Delphinapterus leucas (beluga or white whale). Since then, with the support of both the Navy and the National Science Foundation, we have listened and recorded as opportunity offered, accumulating many reels of magnetic tape; the present phonograph record is made up of selections of these. Whales - The military introduction to the subject was important because it pro- vided expensive listening equipment without which biologists would not have heard much. Sound is very poorly transmitted between water and air, so that only the loudest underwater sounds are audible in air. Putting one's head in the water is uncomfortable in the first place, and doesn't help much, since immer- sion obliges one to hear by bone conduction, by which means man's hearing is very dull indeed. The pre- instrumental accounts of underwater sounds reflect fortunate combinations of loud sounds and quiet places, with perhaps mechanical coupling as through a resonant boat hull. Kelley's Band One of the nineteenth century Arctic tales describes how a British captain sat in his cabin in his be- calmed and beset ship, and heard a riotous racket from below. "Some of the crew have broken into the spirit room," he supposed, and called the Master-at-Arms. But all was intact below, and it turned out that the captain had been hearing white whales shouting under his quiet ship. There is another famous tale, of what in New Bedford was known as Kel- ley's Band. Several Yankee whale- ships were anchored under Indian Point (Mys Chaplina) at the southern entrance to Bering Strait, waiting for favorable whaling conditions. Some of the captains were visiting in the cabin of one ship, when Capt. Kelley, who had been leaning his head against the side, announced that he heard bowheads singing, and went on deck amid jeers and ridicule, called away his boat, and returned to his ship. After he had sailed around the point, the other captains followed, and found him with two bowheads alongside, ready for cutting in. So far as I know, no phonograph records have been made of this whale (Balaena mysticetus), although we have the moans of its near relative Eubalaena glacialis (right whale, Nordkaper) on our disk. Herbert L. Aldrich (in his book, "Arctic Alaska and Siberia", 1889) wrote: "With bowhead whales the cry is something like the hoo-oo-oo of the hoot-owl, although longer drawn out, and more of a humming sound than a hoot. Beginning on F, the tone may rise to G, A, B, and sometimes to C, before slanting back to F again. With the humpbacked whale the tone is much finer, often sounding like the E string of a violin". The late Henry Mandley, Jr., who for some years was second mate of 'Atlantis', has sung me the song of the humpback as he heard it when a boy in the forecastle of an anchored whaler. But all this was in the good old days, before engines and generators made even idle ships noisy. Now, without special equipment, we can hear only the very loudest of under- water sounds, and these only occa- sionally. Find them Merely going to sea with listening gear is not enough for this work. First you have to find the animals, which requires a better lookout than most ships keep. Besides, it is important, even necessary, to have some sort of operational control of the vessel, so that you can change course and speed to close the sighting, and so that you can devote time to staying with the whales or porpoises, which can be extremely difficult if they are shy. The need to be able to take over the ship when animals are found makes this an expensive sport, for it is awk- ward to combine other oceanographic projects in one cruise if unscheduled interruptions are likely to upset methodical work. Even after you have found animals, you will ordi- narily hear many unwanted sounds. Steps have to be taken to eliminate the noises made by one's own ship, usually by stopping all shipboard machinery and putting the hydro- phone so far away that it will not pick up the noise of waves against the ship. Eubalaena glacialis, Right Whale or Noordkaper and two of its low moans, as made visible on a spectogram. Low tones are at the bottom, and high tones at the top of a spectogram. Intensity of the sound is indicated by the darkness of the trace: the fainter the sound, the fainter the mark. This provides a more ob/ecf/ve description than Mr. Aldrich's musical notation, (see text). 1200 cps 1000 800 600 400 0.5 1 1.5 TIME - SECONDS 2.5 Trie views below are all that one may see of a Noordkaper from a passing ship, thus illustrating the difficulty of identification as explained on page 7. This is the spout f This is what one may see And this is the beast, the finback, Balaenoptera physalus, and its moans 400 cps 300 200 100 30' — , - SECONDS Whales - And then there remains the prob- lem of identifying the sound maker. A great deal of study and experience, supported by occasional capture of specimens (which in turn may be followed by long study in a museum), is required before one is able to form a reliable opinion of the talker's identity. Of course a few kinds are difficult to mistake, such as sperm whales, right whales, and humpbacks, but the several species of Balaenop- tera, the fin whales, are distinguish- able only after much experience; this applies even more strongly to the many species of the smaller delphin- ids which we call porpoises. The larger whales are usually detected by the spout, which may be seen as far away as five mUes when the light is favorable. Smaller whales and porpoises, with inconspicuous spouts, are usually spotted by white water made as they splash. It requires a good deal of familiarity to recognize and identify the species from the small amount of animal that one usually sees. We have learned to know some of the larger whales apart by the shape of the spout (exhalation) and the amount of back or tail shown above the surface at the brief breath- ing exposure before the whale rolls under again. This sort of hint is not so useful for the smaller kinds, which must generally be well seen, or actu- ally caught, to be identified. Many species Perhaps a dozen or so kinds of whales and porpoises have widely understood common names, since they are seen by relatively few people, and not particularly often by those few, who consequently do not always make sharp distinctions ("You mean there's more than one kind of por- poise?"). We use the technical names, which are understood by biologists of all nations, regardless of language, and give only such common names as we have found in use by seamen. There are less than one hundred ten kinds of whales and porpoises. As far as we are aware, the sounds of well under twenty-five have been identifiably recorded. Eighteen pf these are represented on our record. Three of these are mysticetes (baleen whales), and the rest are odontocetes (toothed whales). This is not too un- reasonable a proportion, since there are only about a dozen mysticete species against some ninety-five odontocetes. Our phonograph record is mainly intended to be a circular letter to our scientific colleagues, giving them brief samples of the sounds we have recorded, together with spectrograms of some of these sounds. However, we also hope that others may wish to hear these samples*, therefore with each record we have included pictures of the animals and some general remarks meant to be helpful. Like many a cetologist before us, we hope that our drawings are more faithful than earlier ones. As the pictures taken at sea show, one rarely sees much of a live whale, unless it happens to jump clear; dead whales on the beach collapse into unnatural shapes, so that such a view is often more misleading than helpful. Acknowledgements Our ships' people, especially those of the R.V. 'Bear', (Capt. E. J. Mysona), have always been of great help in finding whales, as well as in intelligently handling the vessel in subsequent maneuvers. We also de- pend on a number of our colleagues who often accompany us at sea. Among these are Stanley E. Poole, whose trained eyesight and seaman's skills have been a constant support to us; likewise William J. Shields and his dependable harpooning; Robert G. Weeks, who pilots our light air- plane, is better at identifying whales from the air than most cetologists; William A. Watkins combines acute eyesight with electronic ability, and is responsible for the quality of the phonograph record. * A limited number is available for general distribution and may be had by writing to Mr. W. Schevill, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass. (ed. ) Thar goes flukes! These are all Right Whale flukes, showing how different they may look. Characteristic double spout of the Right Whale. Other whales have a single spout, although the wind strength may confuse the ob- servation. The double blowhole of the Right Whales is clearly shown (center). Another characteristic of Eubalaena glacialis is the encrusted head and "bonnet" Mr. Schevill is a marine biologist specializing in Cetacea and underwater sound. He has been on our staff since 1943. See also: "Of whales, fuel oil and ambergris", Oceanus, Vol. II, 2. "Thar goes flukes", Vol. IV, 4. "How cold is a whale's tail", Vol. V, 1 and 2. A breaching Humpback", Vol. V, 3 and 4. "The lifelines of a whale", Vol. VI, 3. D O I- A sperm whale, Physeter catodon, showing characteristic corrugations. From greater distances the sperm can be recognized by its blunt head and oblique spout. Fun to watch but difficult to identify during the short period these porpoises were near the ship. - ,_ •s*Sjr-«- *«fcS « 12 od of whales on the port bow!" At sun- e on a beautiful morning in the Medi- ranean the 'Atlantis' was cruising around wly, waiting for the arrival of the S.C.G. Cutter 'Yamacraw'. The sequence of left shows clearly how e must have control over a ship's move- ;nf in order to come near enough for intification. A rubber life raft was set erboard for a close look. The final photo- ftp/i shows fhe characteristic fin and blunt ad of Globicephala, the blackfish or of whale. 50 A BY W An international multiple ship study of the Atlantic Equatorial Region will take place in 1963 — • Chain — Crawford A— Brazil B — Texas C — Argentina D-USSR E-USCGS F-USSR G— Geronimo (US) H— Ombango (W. Africa) I —West Africa J — West Africa I AM somewhat reluctant to write about a forthcoming cruise because no matter how general a description may be, the cruise itself always seems to differ so greatly from it advanced billing as to suggest that to write about what you hope to do will deline- ate what you will not be able to do. The 1961 winter-spring cruise of our R.V. 'Chain', to the Romanche Trench Region on the Equator* did something which exploratory cruises ought to do; raised more questions than it answered. The information obtained at that time concerning the Equatorial Undercurrent convinced us even while the cruise was in pro- gress that this was a current system worthy of much further study, and plans were laid at that time for con- tinuing the work on a broader scale. How much broader we did not real- ize until we returned home and learned of the widespread interest in the region that was developing among oceanographic and fishery agencies in the U. S. and other countries. *See: 'Chain cruise — 17", 1, September 1961 Oceanus VIII, 14 40 30 20 10 W 10 • Buoys — Chain o Buoys — Lomonosov 10 N 10 Tentative cruise plan for the Equatorial region shows where our ships and those of other nations will be operating. The dots indicate where our R.V. 'Chain' and the Russian 'Lomonosov' will set out Richardson current meters on buoy stations. The U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, due to its interest in the tuna fisheries in the Gulf of Guinea, was already proposing an elaborate oceanographic and fisheries survey of that region. As the plans pro- gressed we found that our proposal for studying the western end of the Equatorial Undercurrent fitted in with other major plans for studying the whole Atlantic Equatorial belt. The study plans — named 'Equa- lant' — call not only for the partici- pation of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries but also the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey; Texas A. & M., and New York University, while Russian, Argentinian and Brazilian oceano- graphic agencies and fishery labora- tories also are collaborating. With this participation it now looks as if we shall have quite a few ships there. In brief review, the Equatorial Undercurrent, as its counterpart in the Pacific, appears to be a strong steady easterly flow, centered on the Equator and extending in width only a hundred miles or so to the north and south. It lies normally beneath a thin surface layer of westerly drift, although during periods of prolonged calms the Undercurrent may make its effect felt at the surface. In the region between 10° and 20° West, studied by 'Chain' in 1961, the strong- est flow was between 50 and 100 meters below the surface, while the lower side of the Undercurrent ap- peared to lie at about 400 meters. The water to the south and north, as well as above and below, all moves to the west in what has been known as the South Equatorial Current. The high salinity core in the strongest part of the flow is an identifying characteristic of the Un- dercurrent in the region studied. Pre- liminary estimates of the current's volume of flow put it in the order of some 40 million cubic meters per second or about equal to half the flow of the Gulf Stream off New England. 15 ,1' Drogue buoy being towed eastward by the Atlantic Equatorial undercurrent. High salinity core is an identifying charac- teristic of the undercurrent. Even though the beginning and the end of the Undercurrent are not yet known it is obvious that this flow is a tremendously important feature of the circulation system of the equa- torial regions, so that it is easy to understand the great interest of so many oceanographers and fishery biologists. The plans for the coming studies, very roughly, call for the 'Crawford' to leave Woods Hole on 15 January to head for a quadrangle between 10° North and 10° South between 25° to 35° West, via the Cape Verde Islands. The 'Crawford's' time will be spent for the most part making closely spaced hydrographic stations along meridional sections. These sec- tions will be 150 miles apart, and the stations will be 15 miles apart near the Equator, increasing to 60 miles apart near the end of the sections. It is hoped that the in-situ salinometer will define the salinity maximum, which is such an important feature of the Undercurrent, in considerably more detail than would be possible with Nansen bottles. In addition the 'Crawford' will carry out measure- ments with parachute drogues and with Richardson current meters low- ered from the ship. The ship is due back in Woods Hole by 1 May. In the meantime the 'Chain', which is scheduled to leave Woods Hole on 1 February, will anchor a series of Richardson Toroid Buoys** support- ing current meters at various locations 16 across the current. Some of these buoys will be left for the entire period of the operation, and others will be picked up and re-located at six day intervals. In addition to this work the 'Chain', on the way to and from the operating area as well as in the quadrangle where the major cur- rent studies will be made, will be carrying out a full and complex pro- gram. Observations will involve scat- tering layer studies, plankton towing and mid-water trawling, towing pitot tubes for current shear measure- ments, large volume sampling for radio-isotope studies, dredging and coring. The 'Chain' will return to Woods Hole in mid-May. Both ships will make several stops in Recife, Brazil, for fuel, provisions and changes in the scientific party. The Russian Oceanographic ship 'Lomonosov' will also be working with buoyed current meters in the same area, and it is hoped that a number of comparisons can be made between our own techniques and equipment and that of Soviet ships. The Bureau of Commercial Fisher- ies' Washington Laboratory is con- cerned with coordinating the efforts of the various groups involved in the Equatorial Studies. It is expected that the data from all the groups will be gathered together and printed for general distribution by the U. S. National Oceanographic Data Center. **See: Current measurements from moored buoys. Oceanus, VIII, 2, December 1961 Letter to the Editor Dear Sir, Like all oceanographers, your readers must find of interest the bits of history which let one infer who may have been the first person to do some of the rather simple but reward- ing things which are on record in such rich measure in our literature. I would refer to page seven of your September, 1962 issue which deals with "Project Litterbug". This use of paper sheets to reveal convergence lines and to throw light upon the subject of convection cells, naturally recalls much earlier work by W. H.O.I, scientists — especially by Woodcock in the Physalia connection. The question of the concentration of floating objects along lines where two surface cur- rents meet, was much studied by Sandstrom half-a-century ago. The peculiar phenomenon of a wind oc- casioning a surface current in a direction opposite to its own on a weather shore was described and ex- plained by him in the reports of the Canadian Fisheries Expedition, 1914- 15. In another place (see the refer- ence below) he reproduced a photo- graph of the resulting long "foam line" along which all manner of drift- wood, cork, froth, torn nets, etc., etc. collects. He found that the movement of the water is not the same inside and outside the boundary line, and had good reason to infer the exis- tence of a screwing movement below within the contact zone. Though his work upon this "sogenannte Schaum- randphanomen" (H. Pettersson's phrase) did not concern the open sea as did your "Litterbug Project", it is of interest to report that he did use paper markers in the course of it. Small paper floats soaked in salt water to impart the right density sank at the convergence and rose again shorewards of it with sufficient evidence of travel parallel to the line as to attest the subsurface presence of what he calls "la motion spirali- sante de 1'eau". I am, Sir, Yours Truly, J. N. Carruthers National Institute of Oceanography Wormley, Godalming, Surrey. SANDSTROM, J. W. 1921 Deux theoremes foundamentaux de la dynamique de la mer Ur Svenska Hydrografisk-Biologiska Kommissionens Skrifter VI, 6 pp. Antibiotics from Shellfish The accidental discovery in 1960 that mice fed on canned abalone juice were more resistant to experimental poliomylitis than were those given other diets has stimulated a search for antibiotics in abalone and in oyster meat. A recent report by Dr. C. P. Li and his co-workers of Bethesda, Md., contains further data on the problem. Aba.lone extracts were fractionated on cellulose ion-exchange columns. One fraction was active against a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including penicillin-resistant staphylococci. However, this fraction has no antiviral activity. On the other hand, another fraction inhibited the growth of polyoma virus (a carcino- genic virus )and influenza A virus in monkey tissue cultures. Studies on fresh oysters showed that they contained similar anti- bacterial and antiviral substances. Activity against polioviruses was parti- cularly striking. The report appeared in the Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences for March, 1962 (volume 24, page 504). See: Antibiotics in sea water, page 20. 17 New Ships 18 The 'Atlantis II' was launched in September 1962, at the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. Our Dr. Mary Sears sponsored the vessel. Built with funds from the National Science Foundation, the ship is expected to be completed in January, 1963. Captain E. H. Hitler, master of the 'Chain' has been given command of the ship. The R.V. 'Anton Bruun' arrived at the Institution in late November. The ex-Presidential yacht 'Williamsburg' has been converted extensively and will depart soon to start the U.S. Biology Program for the International Indian Ocean Expedition, under the direction of Dr. John H. Ryther of our staff. Named after the famous Danish oceanographer, the ship also carries the title: "National Science Founda- tion" on her stern, to indicate her ownership. The operation of the ship itself is carried out by the Alpine Geophysical Associates, Inc. Four cruises are planned for the ship in 1963. Our neighbors, fhe Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries received the new 'Albatross IV in November. The 187 foot, 960 ton vessel will embark on a five year program to relate changes in environmental conditions with changes in fish populations. SPOONER 19 Antibiosis in Sea Water Please note transposition of columns (2) and (3). BY A. K. SAZ A compound found in sea water is capable of destroying the penicillin resistant staphyloccoci which plague our hospitals. 1 _ recent years, a subtle type of interplay in living cells has been recognized. This is the phenomenon of antibiosis in which compounds produced by some organisms are lethal to certain bacteria. We are familiar with the spectacular results of the scientific and medical exploita- tion of this observation. "Antibi- otics" and "wonder drugs" have become a part of the vocabulary. But as so frequently happens euphony and usage breed familiarity but do not convey understanding. Antibi- otics generally are quite complex molecules. Definitive explanations how antibiotics act on living cells are lacking in most instances. Disturbing also is the observation that fungi or actinomycetes which elaborate the antibiotic compounds in such large amounts under laboratory conditions apparently do not produce them in nature in the very soils where such fungi are present in large numbers. It may be that the antibiotics are formed but are rapidly destroyed by the large microbial populations liv- ing among the fungi which produce antibiotics. There is no reason why antibiosis should be restricted to terrestrial organisms. Indeed, it has been known for seventy-five years that sea water possesses potent anti-bacterial ac- tivity which destroys terrestrial forms of bacteria. Investigations into the mechanism of this activity have almost invariably been performed using Escherichia coli and/or dysen- tery, typhoid or paratyphoid bacilli as test organisms since the problem of contamination of sea water, as a result of the flow of treated and un- treated sewage into the sea, is a problem of deep public health signifi- cance. There is almost universal agreement that marine waters are more or less strongly bactericidal to gram negative1 intestinal bacteria. i On the basis of a stain devised by a Scandinavian bacteriologist, Gram, bacteria in general, can be divided into two groups, so-called Gram positive and negative. have dealt only with gram negative bacteria, it was decided to test the effect of marine water on gram posi- tive organisms as well. Organisms studied were the gram negative Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeru- ginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Aerobacter aerogenes and Aerobacter cloacae. Gram positive organisms studied included fully virulent penicillin- sensitive and penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (both isolated from human patients) Staphylococ- cus epidermidis and Micrococcus cerolyticus. Samples of surface water from two miles off the Cape Cod shore were analyzed and it was established that, in those instances where the sea water exhibited activity, only the gram positive organisms were killed. Depending on the sample, kill varied from 90-100% in 24 hours. For the most part, the gram negative cells actually increased in numbers during the period of observation. These lat- ter results are at variance with those reported by others. However, a reasonable explanation may be that organic material in concentrations of greater than 50 mg/liter (as reported by Vaccaro and Ketchum) reversed the bactericidal effect of sea water on coliforms (gram negative). The concentrations of organic material in our experiments were at this thres- hold level. Apparently these levels of organic material are unable to reverse the effects of sea water upon the gram positive organisms. Further analysis indicated that the inhibitory compound is of higher molecular weight, thus eliminating inorganic salts as the source of lethal activity. It has also been shown that the antibiotic compound is present in all specimens of water taken from Vineyard Sound, varying only quan- titatively since, upon concentration of the sample, activity is always present. It should be noted that con- centrated samples never inhibit the gram-negative bacteria used and in- variably kill all gram positive cells studied. In numerous instances, sterilization of the added bacteria has occurred. There is as yet no informa- 20 R. Vaccaro and B. H. Ketchum of this Institution made the important observation that such bactericidal activity is highly dependent upon the amount of organic material present. When the level of organic matter was increased to a concentration greater than 50 mg/liter, the bacteri- cidal activity dropped off sharply and in some instances was almost abolished. We shall return to this point later. Recent investigations of the tox- icity of marine waters for terrestrial bacteria have dealt with the mech- anism of the activity. Two theories have been advanced focusing upon either physical or biological causes. Proponents of the physical explana- tion would ascribe the activity as being due to osmotic effects, pres- ence or absence of dissolved gases, unfavorable oxidation-reduction po- tentials, etc. Those favoring the biological thesis have considered predation, specific viral infections of bacteria and latterly, the production of antibiotic-like compounds by marine organisms. We have made some observations which indicate that at the least a significant part of the antibacterial activity of sea water can be ascribed to the presence of a compound which has marked lethality against gram positive organisms. On prelim- inary consideration this compound appears to possess certain of the attributes of an antibiotic. However, the source of the substance remains unknown. At random, one might expect a reasonably close distribu- tion of gram positive and gram nega- tive bacteria in various sites. On land this expectation prevails within rough limits except under highly selective conditions. Therefore, it is surprising that in the oceans the vast majority of organisms are gram negative. One possible explanation could be the presence of substance in oceanic waters which selectively in- hibits gram positive forms and to which gram negative cells are indif- ferent. For this reason and because almost all previous reports on the antibacterial activity of sea water tion concerning the molecular struc- ture of the lethal activity. Practical use There is some practical as well as theoretical significance in these observations. Effective treatment of penicillin-resistant staphylococcal in- fections remains a major problem in medicine. The fact that the inhibitor found in seawater is more active against penicillin-resistant than against penicillin-sensitive staphylo- cocci, obviously presents clinical pos- sibilities. Beyond this, other than the character of penicillin-resistance, the author knows of no clear-cut differ- ences between the two strains of staphylococci. The two types seem identical in growth requirements and metabolism, yet a degree of sensi- tivity to a product present in sea water presumably differentiates the two forms. Such a large, presumably organic, molecule which is present at all times, and thus is stable, in sea water is of biochemical interest. This stability as compared to that of similar substances in soil may be due to the dilute population of compound destroying cells in the sea. In this connection it should be noted that workers at the National Institutes of Health, .Bethesda, Maryland, have isolated a high molecular weight substance from the juices of various molluscs (abalone and oysters) which inhibits growth of staphylococci and various human viruses. When their substance and our molecule have been obtained in purified form, it will be interesting to compare their structures. As indicated earlier, the demon- stration of- a substance present in sea water which seems to inhibit gram positive bacteria selectivity could account for the preponderance of gram negative forms in the sea. If found to be tenable, this would be antibiosis on a vast scale dwarfing all known terrestrial situations. Ob- viously much remains to be done and the results reported are only a begin- ning, but enough is already known to make it clear to a heretofore "terrestrial" microbiologist that the seas indeed present microbiological problems of primary importance. DR. SAZ, marine microbiologist on our staff is Chief of the Medical and Physiological Bac- teriology section. Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, NIAD, National Institutes of Health. 21 Doubleday & Company, Inc., New York, 1962; 297pp., Hundreds of 111., $9.95. Also published as "Oceans", Paul Hamlyn, London, 1962. General Editor; G. E. R. Deacon, Director of the National Institute of Oceanography, England HIS large handsome book is an excellent example of popularization of an infinitely complex subject. Lavishly illustrated, its various chapters were written by experts in their fields. The initial chapter by T. F. Gaskell reviews briefly various theories on formation of the seas and continents, and submarine geology. This is followed by a history of exploration by Edward Shackleton, much less successful due rather to a mainly sophomoric style and some abuse of nautical terminology. Maurice Burton's section on life in the sea, and that of N. C. Flemming on sunken cities, I found fascinating and well written. Throughout, the excellence of the illustrations, both antique and modern, was marred, to my mind, by repetitious use of a contour map of the oceans in a variety of dazzling colors. This serves to demon- strate currents, fisheries, voyages, geologic deposits and numerous other items, none of which are decipherable without magnification, even for people who are not, like myself, colorblind. The whole work could have stood some critical proofreading — typographical errors abound, some captions are erroneous, and there are several unneces- sary examples of confusing writing. The latter part of the book consists of a group of essays by such men as Deacon and John C. Swallow, dealing with the sea floor, waves, currents and tides. These cover comprehensively much of modern oceanography, while a concluding piece surveys the future relationship of mankind with the sea. A brief department of amplifi- cation, a lengthy bibliography and the index follow. Aside from the regrettable maps, the only major lack that comes to mind is neglect of the air-sea interchange, and its importance to world weather and environment. Dana Densmore ;V 22 Rediscovering The Sea V^/UR work is a search for knowledge rivaled only by research in the astronomical and astronautical sciences. The development of scientific understanding of the ocean is documented in a three-volume work, entitled "The Sea: Ideas and Observations on Progress in the Study of the Seas." Edited by Dr. M. N. Hill, a member of the Depart- ment of Geodesy and Geophysics at Cambridge University, England, "The Sea" includes contributions by ninety-seven internationally recognized authorities (including many of our staff members) and presents a comprehensive and detailed survey of all aspects of present-day oceanography. This major accomplishment was made possible through the intro- duction of new concepts of sciences such as hydrodynamics and geochemistry; through the development and application of new techniques at sea and in the laboratory; and through an intensified international exchange of ideas, results and methods. In the belief that the time was ripe for a new and comprehen- sive treatment of our present knowledge of oceanography, the internationally-known contributors to "The Sea" attempt to reflect our present understanding. Plans for the undertaking were begun in 1957. Dr. Roger Revelle and his group of collaborators at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, instrumental in mapping out the original course of action, soon enlisted the assistance of the other major oceanographic research centers, including Woods Hole. The tremendous task of coordinating and integrating the material and the final selection of contributors fell on the shoulders of Dr. Hill. It soon became apparent that it would be impossible to produce a completely balanced, systematic and comprehensive presentation of the whole field in a reasonable time. The editorial group, which consisted of Drs. Hill, E. D. Goldberg, C. O'D. Iselin, and W. H. Munk, therefore decided to present a collection of individual articles and essays by outstanding oceanographers, each dealing with the areas in which he is expert. The total work will be presented in three volumes. The first consists of new thoughts and ideas on Physical Oceanography; the second on the Composition of Sea Water and Comparative Descriptive Ocean- ography; and the third on the Earth Beneath the Sea. Published by Interscience Publishers, a division of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Volume I is now out and is priced at $25.00. 23 UJ ID Q. a: LJ H Z UJ I H D O Associates' Cruise OEVERAL hundred Associates enjoyed the first race for the America's Cup off Newport, on board three of our ships. Although the water was slightly "knobby", 99.8% of the Associates were good seamen and enjoyed the day. Part of the huge spectator fleet is seen in the background of this photo taken by Fred Turkington of the Falmouth Enterprise. Associate Dan Strohmeier (foreground) chats with 'Bus' Mosbacher and crew under the hull of 'Weatherly' hauled out during a lay-over day in the America's Cup race series. 24 MBL/WHOI LIBRARY UH 17ZB H Associates' News Gifts of boats always welcome. O 'VER the years the Institution has been given quite a few boats, large and small, by Associates. Some have been sold immediately, others have been used for our work. Among the many recent gifts from Associates is a 26 foot bass boat, donated by Associate Donald F. Carpenter. The 'Nobska', built by Erford Burt of Vineyard Haven, will be used by the Institution for work in the harbor and nearby waters. End of year gifts. As this issue went to press we are pleased to announce that year-end gifts for our educational program have started to come in and show a most gratifying response from the Associates, our Trustees, foundations and other friends. ,HE ASSOCIATES of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are a group of individuals, corporations and other organizations who, because of their love for the sea and interest in science and education, support and encourage the research and related activities of the Institution. Membership dues in the Associates are as follows: Member $50 Contributing Member $100 Patron $500 Life Member . . , $1,000 Corporate Member $1,000 Sustaining Corporate Member $5,000 or more. All contributions and dues are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. HOMER H. EWING, President RONALD A. VEEDER, Executive Assistant EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHARLES F. ADAMS W1NSLOW CARLTON RACHEL L. CARSON W. VAN ALAN CLARK PRINCE S. CROWELL F. HAROLD DANIELS JOHN A. GIFFORD PAUL HAMMOND NOEL B. MCLEAN HENRY S. MORGAN MALCOLM S. PARK GERARD SWOPE, JR. THOMAS J. WATSON, JR. JAMES H. WICKERSHAM - Contents VOL. IX, No. 2, December 1962 .rticles WHALE MUSIC by W. E. Schevill EQUATORIAL STUDIES by W. G. Metcalf ANTIBIOSIS IN SEA WATER by A. K. Saz Features LETTER TO THE EDITOi BOOK REVIEW NEW SHIPS ASSOCIATES Published by the WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION WOODS HOLE, MASSACHUSETTS