/ *

-

•I .wV«Tir— T^IS=S?.^*-*«

VOL. XIII, NOS. 2 & 3 JUNE 1967

ON THE COVER-

CIVI

ibus

O

'UR newest building, the Laboratory of Marine
Sciences (cover),and the multi-story Green Building (Center
of Earth Sciences) on the banks of the Charles River are
indicative of a new program planned to award a joint
Doctorate by this Institution and the Massachusetts Instit-
tute of Technology.

Whether or not the difference between an Institute
and an Institution is intuitively obvious, this plan
undoubtedly will lead to a broad imaginative program
whose influence will make a deep mark on oceanographic
investigations.

Jan Hahn, Editor

Priscilla Cummings, Circu/afion

Published quarterly and distributed to the Associates, to
Marine libraries and universities around the world, to
other educational institutions, to major city public
libraries and to other organizations and publications.

Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 59-34518

COVER PHOTOS BY

Henry B. Bigelow

Founder Chairman

Noel B. McLean

Chairman, Board of Trustees

Paul M. Fye
President and Director

Columbus O'D. Iselin

H. 8. Bigelow Oceanographer

Bostwick H. Ketchum

Associate Director

Arthur E. Maxwell
Associate Director

OCEANUS

Vol. XIII, Nos. 2 & 3, June, 1967
THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

Woods Hole, Massachusetts

JL HERE is a tendency in oceanography, as in almost all endeavors, to mention
only the successes and ignore or hide the difficulties. When reading a scientific
paper it appears as if the data, on which the work was based, simply rolled on
board on an obliging wave.

We believe that not only oceanographers but all others engaged in marine
enterprises are doing a disservice by not reporting the difficulties encountered "in
the field"; the lack of success due to one cause or another, the loss of vital equip-
ment and, above all, why certain equipment and/or methods did not work.

A good example was provided recently by Messrs. Schevill and Watkins* of
our staff, who published a technical report on the difficulties of trying to tag large
whales from helicopters. A poor example was given in a fictional accountf "based
on facts" where the troubles were mostly due to poor planning, the rather ridiculous
ommission of checking supplies against a list, and lack of co-operation from the
"home office".

We do not mean to imply the publication of general jeremiads, which might
become an excuse for poorly planned or executed work (which none of our readers
ever do), but an occasional straight account to help prevent possible mistakes, to
suggest improvement in the design, maintenance or repair of equipment, ship and
gear handling, in short: to educate.

Everyone who has ever gone to sea has found some way to do things better,
to improve methods, instruments and techniques. Now that ocean activities are no
longer a small endeavor, when everyone knew everyone else, we might be able to
help others who have less extensive seagoing experience.

*"Radio-tagging of whales", W. E. Schevill and W. A. Watkins.
WHOI Technical Report, Reference No. 66-17

t"Precious Little", J. Whitehill, C. Scribner's Sons, 1967, $4.50.
(Otherwise an intriguing well-written book)

Gull

Fro

m

40N

70 W

60W

SOW

24 May 1966.

The warm Gulf Stream appears as a dark
streak between 60°W and 68°W, with a
meander of approximately 200 km centered
at about 68°W. The dark circular area
centered at 40°N, 65°W, suggests the
presence of a warm eddy. A large cloud
band covers an area of the Gulf Stream

west of 68°W (bottom left). Both northern
and southern boundaries of the Stream are
visible between 66°W and 60°W, a distance
of about 500 kilometers. The width of the
Stream appears to be 80 to 100 kilometers.

This is a day time view, hence the clouds
south of Nova Scotia appear dark, due to
solar radiation.

'Pace

by J. C. WILKERSON

J_ HE Nimbus II meteorological space-
craft has given oceanographers their first
instant views from space of a large portion
of the Gulf Stream. The NASA spacecraft,
launched into a near polar orbit on 1 5 May
1966 and circling the earth in about 100
minutes, provided near-global coverage
daily from an altitude of about 1 1 00
kilometers. Three sensors were in opera-
tion aboard the satellite: a television
camera and two infrared radiometers.

The first, a Multi-channel Medium Res-
olution Infrared Radiometer (MRIR)
system, was designed to measure heat
balance between the earth and the atmos-
phere, water vapor distribution and surface
or near surface temperatures. The second,
a High Resolution Infrared Radiometer
(HRIR) system, was designed to map
cloud cover at night, complementing tele-
vision coverage during the daytime portion
of the orbit, and to measure surface tem-
peratures of clouds, terrain and ocean.

Until failure of the recorder on 15
November 1966, the High Resolution
Infrared Radiometer provided surface
temperature data from pole to pole with
resolution on the order of 1 1 km in a
swath 3500 kilometers wide. The data
were immediately available in photo-
facsimile 70-mm film strips with provision
for subsequent conversion into digital
maps.

Almost from the beginning, the HRIR
system provided excellent imagery and
soon thereafter members of the Anti-
submarine Warfare Environmental Pre-
diction Services (ASWEPS) of the U.S.
Naval Oceanographic Office began a
systematic review of the data for useful
oceanographic information, working
closely together with NASA's Laboratory
for Atmospheric and Biological Sciences
at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Photo-facsimile prints of the high reso-
lution data revealed some remarkable
views of the Gulf Stream from Cape Hat-
teras to some 1300 km eastward. The
photographs showed the warm Gulf Stream
water as a dark streak bounded by the
colder slope water to the north (at times
as much as 10°C colder across the bound-
ary). On some occasions, even the rela-
tively colder water of the Sargasso Sea
appeared to the south of the Gulf Stream.
Both Slope and Sargasso Sea water showed
in light shades of gray.

Monthly positions

The accompanying photographs show
monthly positions of the inshore surface
boundary of the Gulf Stream from May
to November 1966, as derived from the
HRIR system. Some of these boundaries
are compared to ship observations made
by the Coast & Geodetic Survey of the
Environmental Science Services Adminis-
tration (ESSA) and compared also to
aircraft data taken by the Naval Oceano-
graphic Office. The ship observations
show the inshore boundary by the position
of the 15°C isotherm at the depth of
200 meters-, while the aircraft obtains sea
surface temperatures by measuring the
infrared radiation*. The comparisons show
good agreement between the satellite data
and the ship and airplane observations.

Two problems were encountered in
positioning the boundary as it appeared in
the photo-facsimile prints. One was the
presence of clouds over the Gulf Stream
area, a problem that will always exist.
The second problem was one of grid
errors due to slight changes in the space-
craft altitude.

*See: "Airborne Oceanographers" by W. S.
Richardson, Oceanus, Vol. V, Nos. 1 & 2, 1957.

£jp.

35N-

- -
"

sow

70W

60W

40N-

35N

80W

<

z

70 W

60W

The boundary during the night of 22 June
7966. The dark area of the Gulf Stream
begins at Cape Hatteras in the lower left
corner at 35°N, 76°W and continues north-

eastward to 70°W, parallel to a cloud band
which obscures much of the area to the east.
Note the dark circular area centered along
40°N at 67°W.

Before transferring Gulf Stream bound-
ary positions from photograph to chart,
it is necessary to shift the grid on the
photographs so that landmarks along the
east coast of North America are properly
located. The tips of Cape Cod, Nova
Scotia, and the Delaware and Maryland
peninsulas were most frequently visible
and, therefore, were used. Adjustments up
to 1 ° in latitude and longitude are often
required for positioning of the grid.

An example of grid error and the inter-
ference of clouds is shown on page 2 .
The position of the gridpoint 42°N, 70°W
is displaced about 1 ° south and west
of its correct position at the tip of Cape
Cod. The eastern seaboard with Long
Island and Cape Cod are visible as is the
tip of Nova Scotia (partially obscured by
clouds which appear black in this daytime
photograph owing to reflected solar radia-
tion).

Good agreement

The qualitative agreement between
Nimbus II HRIR data and ship and air-
craft observations lends considerable
support to the conclusion that satellite
data together with ship and aircraft track-

ing may be used to piece together a
reasonable time series describing, to a
first approximation at least, large scale
fluctuations of the Gulf Stream boundary
between Cape Hatteras and 60°W.

Improvements

Comprehensive studies or operational
use of satellite sea surface temperature
data will require improved data process-
ing techniques. Certainly, the compression
toward the picture sides will have to be
removed through electronic rectification
of the data. The removal of distortion
would aid in the recognition of features
and significantly would reduce errors in
position especially toward the horizons.
The presence of clouds over the Gulf
Stream area may not be a formidable
problem. Partially cloud-free conditions
over a period of several days would pro-
vide useable data from various parts of
the ocean which were cloud-free at
different times. The combined data would
be adequate for the study of synoptic
changes.*

*I thank L. Foshbee and L. J. Allison of the
Goddard Space Flight Center for their generous
assistance.

These illustrations are not television images as we are used to seeing from moon probes.
The photographs are images obtained by measuring the infrared radiation from the
earth's surface during the night. The warmer the surface the blacker the image. Thus
the cool clouds show up white, the land and inshore waters are varying shades of gray
and the warm Gulf Stream water appears black. The May and September views are
daytime observations, hence some clouds appear black, due to solar radiation.

The dots on the illustrations are superimposed
latitudes and longitudes 2° apart (see text).

The Gulf Stream on 4 July 1966. Both
boundaries of the Stream appear between
65°W and 75°W a distance of about 800
kilometers. Two meanders are shown at

70°W and 74°W and a larger meander
centered at 40°N and about 68°W. The
coastline north of Cape Hatteras is barely
visible.

40N-

35N

SOW

U)

<

z

TOW

60W

40N-

35N-:

U)

sow

TOW

60W

78 September 1966. Bofh boundaries again
are visible, as is much of the coastline, includ-
ing Cape Cod, near fhe center of the picture,
and Nova Scofia in the upper right. The
dark elongated area with its southern tip at
36°N, 70°W suggests the possible formation

of a cold eddy south of the Stream. A similar
structure was observed to produce a cold
eddy in March of 1966 during surveys
made from the Naval Oceanographic Office
aircraft with an Airborne Radiation Ther-
mometer.

45°

40°-

35°-

60°

A comparison of fhe
boundary from satellite
imagery of 18 Septem-
ber 1966 with ESS A ship
data (broken line) for
the period of 17 to 19
September 1966. The
agreement is remark-
ably good, despite the
uncertainty arising from
grid errors, distortion
inherent in unrectified
photographs and the
difference between sea
surface temperature and
ship observations at a
depth of 200 meters.

45°

Another comparison on
12 October 1966 with
the ESSA ship track
taken between 6 and 12
October. The agreement
between satellite and
ship data is excellent.
Here the meander wave-
length of about 300 km
is the same for both sets
of data, and the ampli-
tude of the meanders
are in substantial agree-
ment.

40°-

35°

SHIP

70°

65°

60°

On 12 October 1966 the boundary, clearly
defined over most of the ocean between
Cape Hatteras and 65°W, though partially
obscured near 70°W by clouds. The easf

coasf of fhe United States is visible on the
far left. Because of severe compression of
the data along the side of the picture, the
Maryland peninsula barely is recognizable.

40N

35N-

U)

<

z

sow

TOW

60W

The last day of HRIR operations, 15 Novem-
ber 1966, shows only a small portion of the
boundary just north of a band of clouds
running northeastward across the picture.

The coastline is clearly visible with Capes
Fear, Lookout, and Hatteras in the lower left.
A dark area north of the boundary suggests
a warm eddy although obscured by clouds.

MR. WILKERSON is a physical ocean-
ographer on the staff of the ASW Envi-
ronmental Prediction Services (ASWEPS)
and project leader of the oceanographic
research aircraft of the U.S. Naval
Oceanographic Office.

Nof only the Gulf Stream but other ocean
currents also were "seen" by the Nimbus II.
Here, the Agulhas Current is hugging the
coast of South Africa.

8

Succes
d'estime

millions of dollars of re-
search freely available! The end
product of all science is publication
in a scientific /'ourna/. Some 35
years of research at our Institution
has been published annually as
"The Collected Reprints" which were
sent gratis to some 800 libraries in
all countries bordering the ocean
as well as to some "inlanders". The
"Reprints" also are mailed to our
Industrial Associates.

Until January 1967 some 1800
scientific papers were published by
our staff members, in many different
journals and on all aspects of ocean
sciences. These ranged from "Sci-
entific results of the Nautilus Expe-
dition, 1931 , under the command of
Captain Sir Hubert Wilkins" (Contr.
No. 1), to "Real-Time Digital
Computer Acquisition and Compu-
tation of Gravity Data at Sea"
(Contr. No. 1401).

The mass of valuable ocean data
was increased by the now dis-
continued publication of "Papers in
Physical Oceanography and Meteor-
ology" (at right in the photograph)
which contained lengthy papers.
Some other contributions were pub-
lished in book form (left), or atlasses,
and one, at least, was an IP record.

At top left, the bound volume of
the first "Collected Reprints" (1933)
rests on the two part volume of
manuscripts collected in 1965.

by F. J. MATHER,

The Trail of the Tail -Walker

White marlin tagging is producing evidence
of the migration patterns of this gamefish.

J. HE tagging of the white marlin, for
years one of the most frustrating aspects
of our Cooperative Game Fish Tagging
Program, now is producing some of its
most significant results. The objectives of
this program are to define the migratory
cycles and populations of certain oceanic
game fishes, and, if possible, to estimate
population sizes and fishing mortality
rates.

Initial experiments in marlin tagging
were made by the writer and friends dur-
ing tuna marking operations off Cape Cod
in 1954. After two or three sessions of
wrestling with "billed" whites, we found
that the new dart tag developed by the
author during this season could easily be
applied to a fish which was left in the
water while the boat was idling ahead.

Snipping the leader wire released the fish,
and we were ready for the next encounter.
With this practical technique available,
the next step was "selling" the idea to
sportsmen, to assure a sufficient volume
of tagging. Here "Os" Owings of Washing-
ton, D. C., and Ocean City, Maryland,
came to the fore. Largely through his
efforts, tags were distributed to numerous
captains and anglers at Ocean City, a
prime white marlin fishing center. The
established practice of releasing these fish
as a conservation measure and their low
value as food in the United States also
helped. The Ocean City Light Tackle
Club, the Ocean City Marlin Club, and
the Marlin Conservation Club all got be-
hind the effort. A hard core of veteran
captains and anglers, abetted by the mates

10

F. WOOLNER. SALT WATER SPORTSMAN

on whom the actual tagging duties de-
volved, got into the spirit of the thing,
possibly being inspired by a bit of healthy
rivalry as well as zeal for science and
conservation. In the 1956 season, no less
than 413 whites were tagged, and now
the burden was on us to prove the worth
of this fine effort.

Anxious waiting

Our anxiety mounted as no returns
came in. Finally we were thrilled to
learn that a white marlin with one of
our tags had been caught off Havana in
April 1957 by one of the commercial
handliners immortalized in Hemingway's
"The Old Man and the Sea". Frustration
followed when a search of our card file
revealed that the fisherman who had
tagged the fish had neglected to report
the release data. Frantic follow-up efforts
disclosed only that the tag had been issued
to a nameless local fisherman at Ocean
City during the 1956 season. So this
potentially great result had to be listed as

"very probably tagged off Ocean City dur-
ing the summer of 1956". More waiting
followed, until in July 1 959, a white was re-
captured off Ocean City at almost exactly
the same spot where it had been released
just four years and one week previously.
While this return tended to silence critics
who had opined that dart tags were
quickly shed, and that the life span of the
white marlin was too short to justify tag-
ging them anyway, it revealed little about
their migrations beyond confirming their
seasonal return to the same grounds year
after year.

Increased tagging

In the years 1954-1962 some 1,710
white marlin were tagged, but only two
were recovered. In the ensuing years, the
release total was more than doubled, rising
to nearly 4,000, while returns increased
several fold to 34, and showed a rather
distinct migratory pattern. A spread of
the tagging effort to other areas, and a
general increase in oceanic commercial

11

Ta/7 walker —

fisheries in the Atlantic, have put the pro-
gram over the hump. While the Ocean City
group kept up the good work, neighboring
southern New Jersey and North Carolina
fishermen, with impetus from the Cape
May County Marlin Tournament and the
Oregon Inlet Guides Association also
released hundreds of marlins, and pro-
vided their share of returns. Significant
but less numerous laggings have occurred
in the Bahamas, off southeastern Florida,
and in the relatively new grounds in the
northern Gulf of Mexico and off the Virgin
Islands. Progress is also being made off
Long Island and southern New England,
where releasing is a more recent develop-
ment. A revival of tagging off Venezuela,
spearheaded by the International Light
Tackle Tournament Association under the
leadership of J. O'Donnell and A. Rodri-
guez, has quickly produced fine results.

Meanwhile, extensive new commercial
long-line fisheries have developed in the
Atlantic. Although these are causing some
concern for the future, they are producing
new information on the distribution of
many big game species, and also, through
tag recoveries, on their migratory routes.
This is particularly true of the white
marlin, whose distribution had previously
been known only from seasonal occur-
rences in scattered coastal fishing areas.
However, returns from the sport fishery
have also increased, due to its general
growth and its expansion into new areas,
and, we hope, also to greater awareness
of and belief in our program.

Migratory pattern

Although the white marlin picture is
far from clear, a distinct migratory pat-
tern, or tendency, is emerging for the
population which concentrates in summer
along our coast from Cape Hatteras to
Cape Cod. However, this pattern appar-
ently interlocks with those of the stocks
which concentrate in the northern Gulf of
Mexico and off Venezuela in summer and
early fall, for which we have only fragmen-
tary indications. Interchange among these
stocks of populations is therefore possible,
or even probable. Tentatively, we refer to
these stocks as "northwestern Atlantic",
"Gulf", and "Venezuelan".

The "northwestern Atlantic" stock con-
centrates in the summer off the eastern
U.S. coast from Cape Hatteras to Cape

12

AUG. - SEPT. (3)-'

HOOK FOUND OCT

O

From which returns were obtained
t

Symbols on chart show approximate recapture
localities, with months of recapture, and
number of recaptures represented (If more
than one) in parentheses.

^JULY-SEPT. (9) ®SEPT

PR (2).® JUNE

APR. -JULY 6)

DEC. -JAN. (2)

/N a simplified and approximate presenta-
tion this chart shows the migratory tendencies
of white mar/in in the western North Atlantic,
as suggested by tag returns and seasonal

Cod, and offshore to the southeastern part
of Georges Bank. Fifteen tag returns show
movements within this area, or returns to
it after periods of up to four years at large.
The great majority of these recaptures
showed a tendency for the fish to move
northward and eastward as the season
advanced. Evidently the fish move off to
the eastward in late summer and early fall.
A white released off Ocean City in July,
was recaptured 600 miles east of there
during the following September. Another
clue was found in the form of a Z nickel
hook — a type used almost exclusively by
sport fishermen — in the stomach of a
white marlih caught by the Bureau of
Commercial Fisheries R/V 'Delaware',
about 350 miles east of Nantucket on
20 October 1964. Reports of Japanese
long-line catches indicate a fall concen-
tration in this area. The trail leads from
there to the southeastern Caribbean.
Three fish released in summer off our
middle Atlantic coast have been recap-
tured in the Caribbean between the dates
of 10 December and 2 January, a good

concenfrof/'ons. The stocks are named ac-
cording to known areas of summer and early
autumn concentration. The white mar/in is
widely distributed at most seasons.

indication of cyclical behavior. A variation
from this was shown by the recovery of
another Ocean City tag off Cayenne,
French Guiana, on 15 February.

The greatest weight of evidence, how-
ever, connects the summer concentration
off our coasts with the spring run of whites
in the Straits of Florida. Off Havana, the
"Old Man'" has rejuvenated himself, and
increased his catch, by adopting the Japan-
ese long-line method. No less than six
Maryland fish, if we include the first
unrecorded release, have been recaptured
there, all between the dates of 8 April and
2 July. Further proof that many of these
fish return northward through the Straits
of Florida is afforded by two tag recover-
ies off Bimini, Bahamas, both in April.
However, one white released off Bimini in
January was recaptured in the western
Gulf of Mexico in July, showing the prob-
able interlocking of migratory routes of
the "northwestern Atlantic" and "Gulf"
stocks.

13

Tail walker —

There is also evidence of a northward
marlin migration along the east side of
the Bahamas, with recoveries of two
Ocean City tags in June, off San Salvador,
Bahamas, and 320 miles east of Jackson-
ville, Florida, respectively. Very likely
these fish had migrated from the Carib-
bean through the Windward and Crooked
Island Passages, where whites are abun-
dant in spring, but a migration along the
Atlantic side of the Antilles also seems
probable. The above returns complete a
rather convincing, if somewhat fragmen-
tary, cycle. It was objected, however, that
the northward part of the migration had
not been shown directly. This pedantic
quibble was shot down on 23 June 1966,
when a white marlin which had been
released at Chub Cay, Bahamas, on the
previous 24 May, was recaptured 240
miles east of St. Augustine.

Speculation

The question of the "Venezuelan"
summer concentration remains unan-
swered. The first clue was the recapture
off British Guiana late in December of a
white which had been tagged on the
noted La Guaira, Venezuela, grounds in
August. Here again, we find an interlock
with the proposed migration pattern of the
"northwestern Atlantic" stock. It would
not surprise the author if "Venezuelan"
fish turned up, during the months of
northern winter, in the active Japanese
fishery off Brazil. Venezuelan sportsmen
may well enjoy the luxury of fishing one
stock of white marlin in summer and early
fall, and another in late fall and winter,
while the Straits of Florida may offer
"Gulf fish in winter and "northwestern
Atlantic" fish in spring. Here we are ven-
turing into the realm of speculation, but
the international nature of this important
resource has been demonstrated beyond
any possible doubt. Much remains to be
learned, but the method has been proved,
and only perseverance is needed to finish
the job.

With only 34 returns from nearly 4,000
releases, one might reasonably have sup-
posed that the odds were insuperable
against an individual fisherman being in-
volved in more than one tag return. Not so.
The Simpson family of Ocean City have
reason to fear an investigation under the

MR. MATHER is an associate scientist
on our staff. He developed the dart tag
method to mark large fishes and directs the
co-operative game fish tagging program.

anti-trust laws. Together, they released no
less than seven of the recaptured marlin!
Skilled and lucky anglers include E.
du Pont, who brought in two of the three
whites tagged by his Captain P. Simpson,
and G. Keech, who caught the two marked
by his Captain M. Simpson. The latter
combination frosted the cake by also set-
ting up a sailfish return.

While having one's own tag returned
undoubtedly makes a believer, recapturing
another fellow's evidently works nearly
as well. R. Miles, who was the first Ocean
City guide to recover a marlin tag, soon
had two of his own tags returned, while
T. Gardiner broke even, following a
recapture with a return from one of his
releases. As in international light tackle
competition, the Venezuelans were late
starters, but cannot be held back. While
none of them have marlin return doubles
as yet, in their first year both H. Casado,
with A. Rodriguez, and S. Lairet, with
Capt. J. Guitierrez, have achieved the
white marlin-sailfish double.

Pitfalls

The troubles resulting from failure to
report laggings have been mentioned, but
overlooking tags already in the fish when
tagging and/or releasing fish, and neglect-
ing to return tags which have been found,
are added pitfalls on this uphill trail. As
an example of the former possibilities, a
captain told the author, that, after he had
tagged a small sailfish, the angler asked
him to hold it up for a quick photograph.
To their surprise, the fish had two tags in
it! An experience of the author while
enjoying a cruise in the Canadian Fisher-
ies R/V 'Cameron' illustrates the latter
possibility. On a fine August morning
among the swordfishermen on the south-
east part of Georges Bank, the captain of
a neighboring Nova Scotia schooner came
aboard for a gam with his brother, who
was our bosun. After two hours of dis-
cussion about the fish — swordfish, of
course - - family matters, and other trivia,
he casually mentioned that he had caught
a marlin with a tag in it that morning! The

14

f

Originally, the dart tag was applied by
grabbing the martin by its bill, an action
which was resented by the fish and was hard

on the taggers. Later it was learned that the
fish could be left in the water while the boat
idled ahead.

Q

Z

s

-i

15

Jail walker —

fish had been released off Oregon Inlet,
North Carolina, only 12 days previously,
but who would have ever known about
this rather spectacular migration, but for
this fortuitous injection of fraternal to-
getherness?

Concern

There has been concern over the pos-
sible effects of the long-line fisheries on
marlin stocks, and direct encounters with
these vessels on sport fishing grounds have
occasionally occurred. Steps are being
taken to eliminate the latter by informal
international discussions. The abundance
of a particular species of fish at a given
time and place is affected by a great many
factors. Some of these still may be un-
known and others difficult to evaluate.
Commercial catches of white marlin have
been enormous, but they have also shown
that the species was much more abundant
and widely distributed than could have
been imagined. As yet, no biological evi-
dence of a decline of the stocks has been

presented. However, our tagging program
has shown beyond any doubt that fishing
in almost any area may affect distant as
well as local fisheries, and that inter-
national regulations may become neces-
sary. Efforts are now in hand to secure
ratification of the International Conven-
tion for the Conservation of Atlantic
Tunas, recently drafted under the auspices
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations. Billfishes were
specifically included in the frame of refer-
ence of this convention. Meanwhile, it is
urgent that tagging be continued as one
of the quickest and most effective means
of estimating the effects of fisheries on the
stocks. Sportsmen and their organizations
may also provide information needed to
guide future conservation measures by
keeping careful records of catches and
fishing effort - - records of fishless days
are just as important as those of catches
- to assist the survey being conducted by
the Institute of Marine Science for the
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife.

*- -

Co-opera//ve game fish tagging is one of the
quickest and most effective means of learn-
ing about migration and growth as well as
estimating the effects of fisheries.

G. KEECH

16

New Ship Design

AGOR-15

by J. LEIBY

Two research vessels are being built to a new design for a class of ships.

I

N addition to providing financial sup-
port to various academic laboratories, the
Office of Naval Research (ONR) has pro-
vided a number of oceanographic ships
and other specialized facilities, either
through new construction or by conversion.

Examples of conversions are the R.V.
'Chain1 which was changed over for the
Institution in 1958 and the R5D, a four
engine aircraft which we have used since
1963. In new construction ONR pro-
vided for the design and building of the
'Ah/in1 in 1964. Now there is a 246 foot,
2000 ton research vessel under construc-
tion which will be added to the Institu-
tion's fleet through ONR sponsorship, in
early 1969. This ship is one of the first of
a new design of the class ships designated
as AGOR's by the U.S. Navy.

Operating experiences by other labora-
tories with the first generation of the class,
the AGOR's#3 through #10, indicated the
need for major improvements. Therefore it
was decided to redesign the class. To avoid
previous difficulties in achieving a con-
sensus on the requirements and design of
a class ship suitable for various users and
tasks, ONR was requested to coordinate
the requirements both from private and
Navy laboratories. We were asked by
ONR to act for them in this co-ordination
and to provide liaison throughout the
design and construction to insure that the
resulting ships would be acceptable to the
needs of the oceanographic community.

There are some inherent disadvantages
in designing a ship to be built as a class.
There are about twelve laboratories which

17

New ship —

will receive a ship of the same design. In
general, oceanographic laboratories each
have their own ideas on how to make ship-
board observations and their own way of
modifying and improving standard meth-
ods and equipment. Naturally we had
many ideas of our own but there are limi-
tations which must be borne gracefully if
one accepts the class concept at all. Some
of the limitations were mitigated by the
development of a basic ship and power
plant for all users, but the scientific spaces
and handling equipment (winches, etc.)
will be individually tailored to the prefer-
ences of each laboratory. As a result, the
first two ships, the one for Scripps (AGOR
#14) will be outfitted according to their
latest ideas and ours (AGOR #15) will be
equipped to our needs.*

The Navy's Bureau of Ships put their
best effort into the design — an effort that
was at times awesome in its extent and
the number and talent of the people in-
volved. Our own experience with the
'Atlantis IT and the 'Chain' provided a
great deal of information and much in the
new design reflects our ideas in improve-
ments over these ships. The first two
vessels are under construction by the
Defoe Shipbuilding Corporation in Bay
City, Michigan, a yard with an excellent
reputation gained in the production of
large private yachts in the 1930's and '40's
and more recently in the construction of
destroyers and naval escorts.

Versatile

The basic idea for the design was to
obtain a powerful but simplified workship,
capable of undertaking the heavy-duty
tasks which are beginning to plague exist-
ing ships; laying and tending large buoy
systems, handling small submersibles,
deep drilling projects and the towing of
heavy loads. The design is versatile, so
that the ship can be changed from task to
task with a minimum of turn around time.
The vessel also is intended to be simple,
rugged and as maintenance free as possible
in basic arrangement and equipment.

If used with some imagination, the
designed capabilities of this ship will allow
a new approach to some of the standard
research tasks, and hopefully, will open
opportunities in research by allowing the
development of new procedures.

*As we went to press we heard that the
AGOR- 15 will be named 'Oceanus'!

MR. LEIBY is naval architect on our
staff. An ardent sailor, he is commodore
of the Woods Hole Yacht Club.

Some of the major advances in the
design are:

Extraordinary maneuverability by
instantaneous control of the amount
and direction of about 1000 HP
thrust both at the bow and at the
stern of the vessel. This is done with
the aid of quick response joy sticks
which control the cycloidal pro-
pellers. Essentially these propellers
may be compared to paddle wheels
installed vertically rather than hori-
zontally and which have feathering
blades, similar to the feathering pro-
pellers of airplanes. This makes it
possible to steer as well as propel
the ship; by feathering the blades
thrust can be delivered in any direc-
tion. Thus, the ship needs no rudder.
What appear to be rudders in the
model are stabilizing fins.

Cycloidal propellers are not exactly
new; they were invented about 1870 in-
dependenly both by an Englishman and an
American and used on the U.S. torpedo-
boat 'Alarm1. The system was ahead of
the existing technology but was revived
in the 1920's and has since been installed
in many ships, particularly German ves-
sels, push and tow tugs, ferries, cranes,
etc.

The maneuverability of the AGOR's
always will be available as it comes from
the same units which are used for basic
propulsion. This is a major improvement
over auxiliary devices such as the bow
thruster on the 'Atlantis IF where time
required for warm-up, the non basic
nature of the unit, and sociological prob-
lems associated with the dependence on
'gadgets' to accomplish traditional ship
operation practices, often defeat the pur-
pose of the unit.

Side thrust

The AGOR design will provide almost
an order of magnitude increase in side
thrust. As a result the ship should move
sideways to pick up an object such as a
buoy, rather than picking it up from the
bow and then dragging it alongside to be

18

brought on board on the afterdeck. It
should also be possible, even common-
place, to hold the ship broadside against
the wind and sea so that for the first time
in sea observations the physical oceanog-
raphers will be able to make a hydro-
graphic station from a protected position
on the lee side of the ship rather than be
driven about on the windward side when
hove-to.

For a better combination of ship's
functions the pilot house is located amid-
ships so that the officer on watch can
oversee all scientific deck operations as
well as normal ship routine. On the
'Atlantis IF the auxiliary control stations
are located aft and remote from the tradi-
tional bridge. The machine shop and
engineer's watch station are combined,
another point missed on the 'Atlantis IF.
Bridge control of the propulsion will be
another inherent feature, since with the
cycloidal system propulsion and steering
are inseparable and tradition would never
allow the engine room to steer the ship.

Heavy duty

The heavy duty capability of the new
design comes from inherent strength and
planned loading characteristics. Special
winches and cranes will be capable of con-
trolled routine handling of large objects,
such as submersibles and buoys, and other
heavy equipment in good and bad weather.
Finally, a system of replacement weights
and trim and ballast have been provided
to help assure that the ship will not be
too stiff and consequently uncomfortable
when being used for lighter tasks. For ex-
ample: if a deck winch is removed, weights
will take its place.

The power plant will be a single, low
speed, heavy duty Diesel engine, with
direct connected shafting fore and aft to
the two cycloidal propellers in lieu of
electric drive or other systems which
usually require more personnel and care.
The ship should turn out to be simple,
rugged and dependable with crew require-
ments below those of our existing large
ships. The inherent capabilities of the new
AGOR's should open the way to as many
new procedures as resulted in the change
from our sailing ships such as the 'Caryn'
and 'Atlantis' to the much larger 'Chain'
and 'Atlantis IF.

Voith-Schneider Propeller

X'

(-

\

no thrust

forward thrust

side thrust

reverse thrust

A

two propeller
transverse thrust

19

1966 Cruises

This chart shows the cruises

made by our ships

during the past year.

WHERE ARE THE SHIPS?

HE 'Atlantis IF (Captain E. H. Killer)
left Woods Hole on 10 January for bio-
logical studies in the South Atlantic. Ports
were made at Dakar, Recife and Buenos
Aires where the scientific party changed
to make heat flow studies and collect water
samples for radioactive isotope analysis,
returning to Woods Hole on 4 May.

Ten days later she left again for the
Baltic Sea to "commit" acoustic and physi-
cal oceanography and, homeward bound,
again isotope studies. Ports are Kiel,

Flensburg and the Azores. Returning in
late July the 'Atlantis IT is scheduled to
make Gulf Stream meander and eddy
studies from 5 August to 1 September and
from 1 9 September to 24 November. From
2 to 23 December the ship will work with
moored buoys systems.

The 'Chain' (Captain C. A. Davis) was
and will be equally busy. Leaving from
shipyard overhaul on 13 February she
moored buoys until 27 February. In
March-April she went to the Gulf of

20

Maine for plankton and other biological
studies and engaged in moored buoy
work. May, June and July were scheduled
for acoustical observations southwest of
Bermuda, moored buoy support, a bio-
logical transect from New England to
Bermuda and Continental Rise strati-
graphy. For the rest of the year, until
20 December there will be two cruises for
moored buoy laying, retrieving and servic-
ing, another biological transect, and a
stratigraphy cruise and, finally, gravity
studies in the Caribbean. Except for a less
than one day stop at Miami, all ports will
be Woods Hole.

The 'Crawford's' (Captain D. C. Ca-
siles) time until 25 September was sched-
uled mostly for investigations of Gulf
Stream eddies and meanders. For the last
two years the small vessel has bravely
knocked into the North Atlantic winter
storms to follow the Gulf Stream vagaries
( see page 2 ). The vertical motion of the
water masses were investigated during
April. Gulf Stream transport will be
measured in August, while the 'Crawford'
will go to the Gulf of Maine in September
for biological studies. All port calls at
Woods Hole.

The kGosnold' (Captain H. H. Seibert)
became brave and left the Atlantic Con-
tinental Shelf, which has been her chief
task, to work for two months in Lake
Maracaibo, Venezuela and in the Gulf of
Paria. Support for the 'Alvin' will take
up most of her time until November in the
Tongue of the Ocean (Bahamas) and off
New England, although three weeks are
scheduled for moored buoy support and
instrument tests.

The 'Alvin's' schedule has been delayed
due to modifications and overhaul both of
the sub and its supporting catamaran. A
busy program is planned in the Bahamas
area and off New England including; tuna
and swordfish observation; geology and
bottom currents on the Blake Plateau;
acoustics; search for evidence of early man
on the Continental Shelf; search for fossil
microplankton; geology of submarine
canyons and other areas; thermal micro-
structure of the water; attenuation of VLF
radio waves below the sea surface; and
observations of bottom animals and of
organisms in the deep scattering layers.

Our C54Q airplane (Captain L. C.
Halverson) left on 3 April and returned 16
May, to take part in a study of the inter-
tropical convergence zone in the Pacific
Ocean. Based on Canton Island, just south
of the equator some 1600 miles southwest
of Honolulu, the aircraft's work was in con-
junction with the Line Islands' experiment
of the National Center for Atmospheric
Research. Some 100 scientists at ground
stations also were involved. Flights over
the Gulf Stream area using the airborne
radiation thermometer (see this issue) are
planned for most of the remainder of this
year.

21

NEW PIER

For quite a few years our ships have
had to be crowded into Woods Hole. With
loud banging, huffing and puffing a magnificent
new pier is being built with the aid of funds

from the National Science Foundation.

Although our ships rarely are in port at the 'Bear' and various small craft tied alongside,

same time, except over the Christmas holi- If the 'Atlantis II' also had been in port there

days, when they did appear the situation would have been standing room only,

became rather difficult, as can be seen with The approximate outline of the new pier is

the 'Crawford', 'Chain', 'Atlantis', 'Gosnold', indicated.

The original pier built in 7937, when the
"fleet" consisted of the 'Atlantis' and the
'Asterias', did yeoman service for many years.
Of course, it had to be rebuilt partially after
hurricanes and due to time and tide.

23

o —

AFRICA

From Africa to Arabia the seabottom and
the subbottom layers of the Red Sea are
shown in a continuous seismic profile. This
record was made slightly south of the hot
brine region. The brines are situated in an

area similar to that indicated by the arrow.
This is in the rift valley, a region where
deformation of the earth's crust is taking
place. The travel time is from the ship to
the bottom layers and back to the ship.

Cum grano sails

Hot brines and heavy metals
in the Red Sea

E

VER since biblical times, the Red Sea has made headlines for either
religious (The Second Book of Moses, EXODUS, Chapter 14), or
political (Suez Crisis: October 29-31, 1956 and May, 1967), or scientific
reasons. In this article, we will report on the status quo of Red Sea
Project: GA 584. This project supported by the National Science
Foundation has no religious or political intentions. Whether it has
scientific merits, however, this the interested reader should decide on
his own.

24

0

ARABIA

by E. T. DEGENS and D. A. ROSS

JT RINCIPALLY, this project has to do
with the discovery and scientific evaluation
of hot brines and heavy metal deposits
recently found by the efforts of British,
German, and American research vessels
in isolated deeps of the Red Sea. Geo-
graphically, these deeps are located equi-
distant between Arabia and Africa, near
Mecca. The hot brines in the deeps occur
below a depth of about 2000 meters in
three pools which have been named
'Atlantis1, 'Chain1 and 'Discovery1 after the
research vessels that discovered them. The
largest hot water pool is contained in the
Atlantis Deep which covers an area of
approximately 30 square miles, and has
waters with a temperature as high as 56°C
and is in places 200 meters thick. A profile
across the Red Sea, the positions of the
various Deeps, and a cross section of the
Atlantis Deep are shown in the illustra-
tions.

Such hot waters are termed brines; let
us briefly examine some of their chemical
properties, and list characteristics which
set them apart from normal Red Sea water.
As the term brine indicates, the waters
are highly saline and contain about ten
times as much salt as is commonly dis-
solved in the oceans. The waters are
reducing as evidenced by the lack of free
dissolved oxygen and the presence of
traces of hydrogen sulfide. Furthermore,
they are acidic with a pH as low as 4, and
of course hot, that is 44 to 56°C (111.1 to
133°F) at least by the standards of a
water-filled bathtub. In contrast, average
Red Sea water has a salinity of 40°/0o
which is close to normal sea water
(35°/oo), it is alkaline (pH 8.5), oxidizing,
and cold (20°C) again relative to our
chosen bathtub standard.

25

Hof brines —

The differences listed so far explain why
the two water bodies, the Red Sea above
and the hot brine below, are physically
separated. The temperature and salinity
differences will cause convection currents,
which will keep the heavy brine constantly
in slow circulation and close to the bottom
of the sea.

Heavy metals

Aside from these typical brine proper-
ties the waters contain heavy metals. As
a matter of fact, some heavy metals may
reach concentrations as high as 50,000
times the amounts commonly observed in
the ocean. Metals of special interest
include iron, manganese, zinc, lead, cop-
per, silver and gold.

Geochemists know that the status of
metals in aqueous solutions is basically a
function of the reduction-oxidation poten-
tial and the pH, which in turn are
dependent on the kind and the amount of
the various solutes present in the water.
Also temperatures, and to a lesser extent
pressure have a modifying influence on
mineral equilibria. We have already seen
that, when compared to normal Red Sea
water, the Red Sea brines differ practically
in all of these crucial parameters. Conse-
quently, spontaneous chemical reactions
will take place as the reducing, acidic, and
metal-containing hot brew moves along
its slowly circulating path and eventually
comes in contact with the oxidizing and
alkaline overlying normal Red Sea water.
These reactions will ultimately result in
the promotion of colloidal suspensions and
mineral precipitates, which finally settle
to the bottom of the sea.

Fantastic colors

The questions thus arises: "what kind
of sediments will we get?'" Probably man
has never seen a more colorful sedimentary
product emerge from the depths of the
sea than the 4 m x 15 cm x 15 cm square-
box cores collected on the 'Chain' cruise
in fall 1966. The individual layers are
well-defined even down to layers of less
than one millimeter. The color variation
s fantastic; all shades of white, black, red,
green, blue, or yellow can be observed.
Perhaps some of the more colorful Indian
sand paintings and Mexican rugs faintly
match these sediments in the variation and
intensity of their colors.

General bathymetry and location of the brine
area. Line A-A shows the location of the
cross section on page 25. The con/our inter-
val is in meters. Hot saline water is found in
the hatched areas. From: Hunt, J.M., E. E.
Hays, E. T. Degens, and D. A. Ross (1967)
Science, v. 156, pp. 514-516.

Spewing paper, day and night, the Precision
Graphic Recorder (PGR) provides a profile
of the seabottom from which the above chart
was derived.

26

1 cm

The chemical and mineralogical exam-
ination of the sediments is quite revealing.
After accounting for the interstitial water
and the water soluble salts, the residue left
is made of approximately 90% of heavy
metal oxides and sulfides of which the
most abundant ones are those of iron,
manganese, zinc, and copper. Although
we have penetrated into the metal ooze
only about 10 meters, the seismic record
suggests that the thickness of the beds
could be more than 100 meters.

Economic value

Dr. F. T. Manheim from the Woods
Hole branch of the U.S. Geological Survey
informs us that according to his estimates,
which are based on the 1966 Annual
Report of the Hecla Mining Company, the
heavy metal deposits in the Red Sea offer
an ore potential of about 130 million tons,
representing a value of $1.5 billion, due
to the concentration of copper, zinc, silver,
and gold. The dollar-value for iron and
manganese has not even been considered
in this calculation. Dr. Manheiirfs $1.5
billion figure is rather conservative, be-
cause it is only based on the Atlantis Deep
area, and because a thickness of only 10
meters for the ore body has been assumed.
Yet, the value of this metal-bearing sedi-
ment would exceed the total mined ore of
the Coeur d'Alene district in Idaho since
mining began there in the 1870's.

An unanswered question is the origin
of the salts, the heat, and last but not least,
the metals. Isotope studies done by Dr.
H. Craig from the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography and at our laboratories
reveal that the source of the brine water
most likely is the Red Sea. The metals on
the other hand probably are derived from
more interior sources of the earth and
they are linked with the hydrothermal,
magmatic, and tectonic events of the
region. It is speculated that tectonism and
rifting has opened migration paths for the
passage of ascending ore solutions and
descending Red Sea waters. On their way

If one could only see the colors! This miser-
able black and white rendition of a koda-
chrome only shows the extreme layering of
the sediments, but not the beauty described
by the authors.

27

Hof brines —

up or down, both waters have leached out
rock formations. For example, the Red
Sea waters have become saturated with
salts from evaporitic beds through which
they migrated, whereas the chemically
aggressive hot waters due to their carbon
dioxide and hydrogen sulfide content may
have picked up some of the metals from
deeper located rock formations. The high
heat flow in the sediments which may
amount to as much as 2°C per 1 meter
depth of burial can act as a convenient
heat source for the slowly "percolating"
brew. Occasional discharge of hot brines
into the open ocean, as evidenced by
intensively colored heavy metal layers in
sediments outside the hot area, can be
regarded as the best guarantee for the
continuous supply of metals, salt and heat.
That the waters have been preserved at
all is mainly due to the intrinsic morpho-
logical and geological setting in this area.
We feel, however, that this phenomenon
of hydrothermal solutions is not restricted
to the Red Sea but that it is a common
feature in all those parts of the world
where rift activities presently are dis-
played. Areas of high heat flow, such as
on the East Pacific Rise, should thus be
more carefully examined for heavy metal
anomalies.

Salty history

The story of the discovery of the brine
deeps is as colorful and picturesque as the
sediments beneath them. It started with
a statement in the report of the Swedish
'Albatross' expedition 1947-48 that reads
"the cruise through the Red Sea was
uneventful". For those not discouraged
by such a statement and reading through
this report there is data which shows small
but significant increases in temperature
(24.5°C) and salinity (45°/0o) at a depth
of 1930 meters in the general Atlantis
Deep area. In 1958, the 'Atlantis' and in
1963 the new 'Atlantis II' and the British
'Discovery' confirmed the findings of the
'Albatross'. At that time the anomalies
could best be explained by a downward
movement of warmer and saltier surface
waters which presumably originated in
nearshore evaporation areas.

The 'Discovery' came back in 1 964 and
made a more detailed investigation of the

DRS. DEGENS and ROSS are geologists
on our staff, interested in the application
of geophysical and geochemical data to
oceanography.

"warm" and "salty" spot. The scientific
reward was worth the efforts. A newly
located Deep showed a temperature of
44°C and a salinity of about 270°/oo and
was baptized Discovery Deep.* The Ger-
man R/V 'Meteor' on her way to the Red
Sea was prepared to test new instrumental
designs for temperature and salinity meas-
urements in the hot zone, and to make a
detailed investigation of the sediments
below the brines. The instrumental part
worked out beautifully, particularly a
narrow-beam echo sounding device. As
far as coring was concerned, our German
colleagues ran out of luck: winch trouble.

Co-operation

It should be noted that the investiga-
tions by ships from three countries was an
excellent example of spontaneous inter-
national co-operation and exchange of
information. Without "official" arrange-
ments, councils, meetings, etc. the various
laboratories and individual scientists got
together, worked together and exchanged
instruments and personnel. In addition
there was real teamwork of interdisciplin-
ary sciences, everyone being equally
excited about the results of the others.

In 1965, the 'Atlantis II' bound for the
Indian Ocean, had to pass across the hot
spot again. Although we were four days
behind schedule, due to engine trouble
and some delay in the Suez Canal Zone,
no one could resist the temptation to
lower at least one hydrocast into the hot
hole. The temperature readings came out
to 56°C. Fortunately, the chief scientist,
A. R. Miller, did not believe his own eyes
and a new cast was prepared, this time
giving the geologists a "nice" chance to
"hitch-hike" a 3 meter corer at the bottom
of th'e cast. The temperature reading of
56°C was confirmed and our "hitch-hiker"
brought back a black ooze which on first
sight, had the physical appearance of tar
and was too hot to touch. Five additional
3 meter cores were taken; unfortunately
our final attempt, a 15 meter piston corer,

See: "Hot salty water", by J. C. Swallow,
Oceanus, Vol. XI, No. 3, April 1965.

28

2.0|-

I

2.5

I

3.0

Km

This is a continuous seismic profile across
the hot brine region in the Atlantis II
Deep. Sound reflecting layers show up on
the boundary between the normal deep
water and the hot brine beneath. Travel
time is from the ship back to the ship
(two-way time).

A line drawing interpretation of the above
seismic profile through the Atlantis II
Deep. The layer of sound reflection is
shown above the hot brine region. The
dashed lines below the seabottom indi-
cate subbottom layers interpreted from
the seismic record.

1500

hit the slope and not the center of the
Atlantis Deep, due to drifting of the ship
during the coring operation. The Deeps
are rather small in area and, as a matter
of fact, not easy to locate.

The chemical analysis of the black
tarry ooze proved to be a rather archaic
but challenging enterprise. Except for
ammonia, and limited supplies of hydro-
chloric and nitric acids, there were no
standard chemicals aboard. The situation

- 2000

with respect to instrumentation was even
worse. The inventory list read: 6 beakers,
one spatula, one hot plate, 4 porcelain
dishes, 6 watch-glasses, and a few pots
and pans. Under such circumstances, no
chemist would dare to start even a quali-
tative analysis. Fortunately, the geo-
chemists aboard had a more liberal code
of honor. Somehow they managed to make
their own chemicals by utilizing certain
supplies in the kitchen, photo-lab, and on
deck. A vivid description on this part of

i

29

the game has been given by C. D. Dens-
more in the April 1965 issue of "Oceanus".

Finally at Aden, about 50 km inside
the country and in the middle of a desert,
the doors of a small Arabian College, El
Bayoomi, were opened to us by the kind-
ness of the British Governor and the
Director of the College. Its simple chemi-
cal laboratory seemed to us like a Mirage
of home. Aided by an Arabian technician,
a semi-quantitative analysis of the brine
and the sediment was completed in about
six hours.

Another hole!

In 1 966 the Institution received a grant
from the National Science Foundation to
study the hot brine region. As a result of
this grant the 'Chain' spent six weeks-,
during October and November of 1966, in
the Red Sea. This cruise was prepared to
examine most aspects of the brine prob-
lem. Scientists were aboard from our
Institution, Scripps, M.I.T. Cambridge/
England, and Goteborg/Sweden and this
time there was equipment for a complete
analysis of the sediment and the hot water.
Geophysical instrumentation was available
to measure the earth's gravity and mag-
netic field and to obtain continuous seismic
profiles from the brine and surrounding
areas. Over 70 sediment sampling stations
and 26 hydrographic stations were made.

Two exciting events occurred. The first
happened every time one of the square
box cores was collected and opened; each
one of the cores, because of their brilliant
color and beautiful layering, enthralled
both the scientists and the crew. The
second event happened on the afternoon
of November 7th, when a temperature
measuring device was lowered in an area
suspected to be another hot hole. It was!
The maximum temperature measured here
was 34°C, unfortunately the deepest part
of this area was not examined and a higher
temperature is possible. It was a pleasure
to name this area the Chain Deep.

The Red Sea at its southern end is
separated from the Indian Ocean by a
shallow sill at Bab el Mandeb. During
times of lowered sea level, in the geologi-
cal past, the Red Sea was isolated from
the world ocean. It has been speculated
that during this time the Red Sea may

have evaporated, possibly to only a frac-
tion of its present size. An indication of
this evaporation is shown by oxygen iso-
tope studies made by Dr. W. G. Deuser
and the senior author on sediment samples
collected outside the brine area. At a depth
of 1 . 5 meters below the sediment surface,
the oxygen isotope pattern changes
abruptly which strongly suggests excessive
evaporation and lowering of the sea level
probably during the last Pleistocene ice
age.

The Bible relates, in its account of the
Exodus, that the Red Sea became dry land
after "Moses stretched out his hand over
the sea." Since the incident of evaporation
dates back only a few thousand years, the
isotope study also becomes Interesting
from a religious point of view.

There may be a political aspect to the
Red Sea enterprise principally dealing
with the ownership of this large ore body.
We are not prepared to elaborate in a
meaningful way on this part of Project
GA 584. Interpretations of international
law are legion and vary with geographical
area, nations and among individuals.

Present a key to the past

Students of hydrothermal mineral de-
posits and Precambrian iron formations
may find in the Red Sea hot brine area a
Recent counterpart of the ancient ore
formation processes. In studying the en-
vironmental conditions under which the
Red Sea minerals presently are laid down,
insight may be gained on the origin of
hydrothermal ore deposits and on the
conditions possibly established in the
primordial sea at a time the Precambrian
iron formation (such as those in the Great
Lakes region) originated.

A full account of the Red Sea endeavor
will appear as a book entitled "Hot Brines
and Recent Heavy Metal Deposits of the
Red Sea" and will be published soon by
Springer Verlag, New York. More than
40 scientists will contribute to this book.

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the aid
and interest of the officers and crew of the
R/V 'Chain' and the 'Atlantis II' as well
as those of our sister institutions in Eng-
land and Germany. Drs. E. E. Hays and
J. M. Hunt were the chief scientists on the
recent 'Chain' cruise.

30

Informal international co-operation was most
evident in the Red Sea program. The German
'Meteor', the British 'Discovery' and our
'Chain' and 'Atlantis //' exchanged instru-
ments and personnel. The scientific parties
discussed data and exchanged information.

FROM A KODACHROME BY T. IWAGO

\

Small fishes may form a large part of the diet of jellyfishes. Nevertheless, many
small fishes, particularly those belonging to the suborder Stromateoidei, seek
refuge within the bells just like the young Japanese butterfish shown under a
large medusa. These young fishes even eat the tentacles and gonads of their
hosts. A characteristic thick coating of slime may protect the young fish from
the stings. At left two Portuguese man-o'-war (Physalia) and their companions.

v

32

Associates' News

MBL/WHOI LIBRARY

UH 17ZS Y

AME Fish tagging is an area in which the marine-oriented layman has made
important contributions to marine research. Information is being gained at an
accelerating rate for bluefin tuna and other fishes as well as white marlin. With the
mounting pressure on some of these species, what began as strictly basic research is
becoming increasingly important on the applied level. We are most grateful to the
many anglers, captains, mates, and fishing clubs cooperating in this effort. We are
also indebted to many scientists of other agencies, officials of clubs and tournaments,
and ladies and gentlemen of the fourth estate, who have aided and encouraged the
program. Finally, we would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to the
agencies, clubs, and individuals whose financial support has made this work possible.
Individual and Club Associates of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have
been especially helpful to this program.

F.J.M.

Dinner meetings

.SSOCIATES' dinner meetings were held this spring in Boston, New York and
Wilmington. Dr. Fye reported on the Institution's Development Program and called
on the Associates to help uncover new sources for the funds needed to carry out our
plan to grant joint doctorates. The remainder of the evenings were devoted to talks
by members of the 'Alvin1 group, slides of the H-bomb search off Spain and a show-
ing of "Flying at the Bottom of the Sea", a prize-winning color movie of 'AlvinY
construction and operation.

Associates of The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

President
Secretary
Executive Assistant

HOMER H. EWING
JOHN A. GIFFORD
L. HOYT WATSON

M

EMBERSHIP inquiries are invited. They should be addressed to Mr. L. Hoyt
Watson, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass. 02543.

Executive Committee

CHARLES F. ADAMS
WINSLOW CARLTON
W. VAN ALAN CLARK
PRINCE S. CROWELL
F. HAROLD DANIELS
JOHN A. GIFFORD
PAUL HAMMOND
NOEL B. McLEAN
HENRY S. MORGAN
GERARD SWOPE, JR.
THOMAS J. WATSON, JR.

Ex-Officio

Development Committee

PAUL HAMMOND, Chairman
HOMER H. EWING, Vice Chairman
BRUCE BREDIN
DONALD F. CARPENTER
FRANK B. JEWETT, JR.
HOWARD C. JOHNSON
J. SEWARD JOHNSON
EDWIN A. LINK
JOSEPH V. McKEE, JR.
HENRY A. MORSS, JR.
R. CARTER NICHOLAS
JOHN C. PICKARD
ROBERT W. SELLE
M. MICHAEL WALLER
ALFRED M. WILSON

NOEL B. McLEAN, Chairman
PAUL M. FYE, President and Director
EDWIN D. BROOKS, JR., Treasurer

Industrial Committee

Chairman: CHARLES F. ADAMS

Chairman, Raytheon Company

ROBERT M. AKIN, JR.

President, Hudson Wire Company

PAUL HAMMOND

Chairman, Hammond, Kennedy &
Company

F. L. LaQUE

Vice President, The International

Nickel Company, Inc.

WILLIAM T. SCHWENDLER

Chairman, Executive Committee,

Grumman Aircraft Engineering

Corp.

D. D. STROHMEIER

Vice President, Bethlehem Steel Co.

MILES F. YORK

President, The Atlantic Companies

Contents

Articles

THE GULF STREAM FROM SPACE

by J. C. Wilkerson

THE TRAIL OF THE TAIL-WALKER

by F. J. Mather III
NEW SHIP DESIGN fay J. Leiby

HOT BRINES AND HEAVY METALS

IN THE RED SEA by E. T. Degens and D. A. Ross

eatures

THE COLLECTED REPRINTS
WHERE ARE THE SHIPS?
NEW PIER
FISH AND JELLYFISH

Vol. XIII, Nos. 2 & 3, June, 1967

Published by the

WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

WOODS HOLE, MASSACHUSETTS