Chapter 10 Oceans and Polar Affairs TITANIC Discovery A joint U.S.-French scientific team used a Navy deep ocean surveillance research system, funded by the Office of Naval Research and managed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to locate the wreck of the TITANIC on September 1, 1985. The system, called ARGO, is a sophisticated remote craft equipped with high power search lights and television camera designed to penetrate the darkness and withstand the pressure of deep ocean environments. The 4,000-pound ARGO, which can operate at 20,000 feet while being towed from the mother ship, KNORR, located the TITANIC at 13,000 feet. After the discovery, the scientists used the ARGO's TV system, alternating with a submersible called ANGUS which is equipped with a still camera system, to take more than 12,000 photographs. Also aboard KNORR were several scientists from the French research vessel LE SUROIT whose advanced side-scanning sonar had performed preliminary searches on the sea floor several weeks before. With this information ARGO was used to zero in on the TITANIC. ARGO and ANGUS recorded tremendous amounts of detail, down to the rivets of a giant boiler amidst debris of luggage, coal, dinner plates and cases of wine. The ship itself appears upright and almost intact. Its stern had separated and was found several hundred feet away from where the ship settled after hitting an iceberg in international waters off Newfoundland during its maiden voyage 73 years ago. Of the 1,522 people aboard, only 713 survived. The accident resulted in the adoption of several maritime and communication agreements designed to assure safety of life at sea. Bilateral Programs Marine science is one of the most international of sciences. The oceans cover more than 70 percent of the surface of the planet, and ocean processes do not respect man-made boundaries. Some ocean phenomena are of such a scale that they can only be dealt with internationally. Accordingly, the American marine science community, the world's most advanced, operating from federal and state agencies, universities, and research institutes, must approach its task through domestic programs, bilateral programs, and multilateral programs--the latter often under the auspices of international organizations. Bilateral and multilateral programs offer the opportunity of working with foreign specialists, making use of unique foreign instrumentation, gaining access to unique geographical sites, and often are necessary to assemble the required critical mass of scientists, technicians, ships, aircraft, and equipment needed to study many ocean processes. Pooling of resources is also often the most cost-effective way of conducting the research. Even the developing countries offer countless unique opportunities for marine science cooperation, and many of them have developed creditable and growing marine science capabilities. Mexico and Colombia, for example, now have between them four of the most modern oceanographic research vessels in the world. Bilateral programs (also see Chapter 4) take many forms, ranging from the very informal through agency to agency agreements to formal treaties. Some are strictly oceanic in character, while others are part of broader S&T cooperation agreements. The form is not important; what is important, however, is the opportunity that bilateral programs offer to effectuate marine research of importance to the United States, as well as the international goodwill they often foster. China The Umbrella Agreement between the U.S. and the Peoples Republic of China on Cooperation in S&T was signed in Washington, D.C., January 31, 1979. A protocol for Cooperation in the Field of Marine and Fishery Science and Technology was signed on May 8, 1979 and renewed for five years in 1984. Its principal objectives are to promote diplomatic relations; to promote cooperative marine research between the U.S. and PRC; to reduce the cost of marine research through collaboration; to exchange spatial and historic data and information unique to the two countries, and to enhance PRC contributions as a contributing oceanographic power. The PRC S&T bilateral holds priority interest among international S&T programs of this Administration as stated on several occasions by Dr. George Keyworth, Science Advisor to the President. Scientists participating in a 1984 meeting on the U.S.-PRC Joint Program for Air-Sea Interaction Studies in the tropical western Pacific Ocean in Beijing agreed to carry out a 4-year joint research program. During FY85 intensive and continual research planning was conducted, culminating with the final pre-expedition scientific meeting in Boulder, Colorado, September 18-19, 1985, to coordinate the two countries' many research activities. In addition, the first joint expedition aboard R/V XIANGYANGHONG 14 commenced on December 12, 1985. The Chinese R/V will depart Hawaii on January 5, 1986, with joint Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) research (see Climate below) activities to be carried out in the tropical western Pacific until February 10, 1986. The U.S. National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) has been assisting the PRC to establish a Chinese NODC. A flow of data between Data Centers has been established and the U.S. NODC has assisted in training data specialists. NOAA gave the Chinese State Oceanic Administration (SOA) a collection of Comprehensive Ocean and Atmosphere Data Sets: 1854-1979 (COADS) for the Pacific Ocean and a U.S. specialist assisted SOA to begin using the COADS in August 1985. India Productive exchanges between President Reagan and the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi resulted in establishment of a formal Indo/U.S. Science and Technology Initiative (STI). A Monsoon Research Program, one of four programs started under the intiative, was formalized through an agreement signed by both countries in March 1984. The National Science Foundation is the lead U.S. agency for the Monsoon Research Program; NOAA and NASA also participate. During FY85, the STI remained a high-priority Presidential initiative. Progress was made in implementing joint programs under the Monsoon Research Agreement, which focuses on the following objectives: Program I - Numerical Weather Prediction of Monsoons: The objective of this research is to develop improved methods for prediction of the onset, extent, and intensity of monsoons up to ten days in advance of their onset; and Program II Long-term Monsoon Variability: The objective of this research is to improve understanding of the causes of long-term fluctuations of monsoons and their relation to fluctuations in the global atmosphere and oceanic circulation as a basis for long-term monsoon prediction (on scales of months to years). Understanding and predicting the monsoon is critically important to the protection of life and property and to improvement in India's agriculture. In FY 1985 some 20 Indian scientists visited U.S. universities and NOAA laboratories in conjunction with collaborative research and training, primarily under Program I. In addition, several small computers, together with peripheral equipment and a microfilm printer/reader, have been shipped to India for use on STI activities. NOAA also supplied a collection of major historical climatic data which the Indians have agreed to restructure in a form appropriate for future analysis. The Monsoon Research Program may grow as efforts under Program II get underway. To the extent possible, the agencies involved will coordinate these activities with related programs being conducted under the World Climate Research Program (see Climate below). U.S.S.R. The Agreement on Cooperation in Studies of the World Ocean (more briefly, the World Ocean Agreement) was signed by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Soviet Foreign Minister in 1973. It was extended in 1978 and again in 1981. In July 1985 it was extended for an additional three years, effective from December 15, 1984. The parties to the Agreement carried out basic and applied oceanographic research on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit. Studies have been performed on air-sea interaction, biological productivity and biochemistry, ocean dynamics, intercalibration and standardization of oceanographic instruments and methods, data exchange, and deep sea drilling. Previous projects have been completed and new areas of cooperation have not yet been decided since the Agreement was just renewed in July 1985. Chile-Ecuador-Peru NOAA is involved in several cooperative programs with these three west coast South American nations. One, with the Hydrographic Institute of the Chilean Navy (IHA), is the Tsunami Hazard Reduction Utilizing Systems Technology (THRUST) project, funded by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance of the U.S. Agency for International Development. NOAA has been contracted by AID to design and test a prototype early tsunami (seismic sea wave) warning system in Valparaiso, Chile, for which a Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the end of 1984. Scheduled to be completed May 1987, the goal of the project is to demonstrate that a regional tsunami early warning system can be assembled and integrated into an established disaster warning and relief infrastructure of a developing nation. If proven successful, other South American Pacific nations may be interested in establishing a system along their coasts. Further cooperation is necessary to see this project beyond the prototype phase. NOAA is engaged in activities with all three nations in the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) research program (see "Climate" below), designed to increase the understanding of events in the oceans and atmosphere that significantly influence the predictability of seasonal to interannual climatic variations over much of the globe. The purpose of the project with the Instituto Oceanografico de la Armada (INOCAR) of Ecuador, dating from 1983, is to obtain physical oceanographic and temperature data appropriate to observation, understanding, and prediction of the "El Nino" and related oceanographic and atmospheric phenomena. A similar project is being conducted with the Instituto del Mar of Peru (IMARPE). The data obtained supports both the TOGA program and NOAA's Equatorial Pacific Ocean Climate Study (EPOCS). NOAA also has agreements with IHA and the Peruvian Direccion de Hidrografia y Navegacion de la Marina (DHNM) to cooperate in the deployment and maintenance of U.S.-supplied, moored, meteorological buoys off the coasts of Chile and Peru respectively. These buoys, in support of the TOGA research program, will help provide real-time observational coverage off the west coast of South America. Training is also part of these project agreements. Three scientists from IHA and three scientists from DHNM were trained in November 1984 in the U.S. in the deployment and maintenance of moored meteorological buoys, fixed meteorological stations, and tide gauges. Oregon State University has been granted funds by the NOAA TOGA office to establish a network of fixed meteorological and tide gauge stations along the west coast of South America for the measurement of sea level and atmospheric parameters. An autonomous satellite-reporting meteorological system is proposed for Juan Fernandez Island. There are no specific NOAA budget line items for such cooperative activities with Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. All NOAA resources come out of domestic program funds and the international programs support the national programs. Brazil The joint U.S./Brazil geophysical program in the South Atlantic Ocean has been extremely successful over the past four years. The major participants are the Naval Research Laboratory for the U.S. and the Navy Department of Hydrography and Navigation for Brazil. There has been a full partnership in the administration and execution of the efforts. Resources are shared, with both countries supplying research platforms and personnel. State-of-the-art scientific equipment is owned, operated and maintained by the United States. During this past year a major shipboard experiment was undertaken providing both countries with significant insight into the formation of large-scale ocean bottom topographic features. The scientific successes of the joint program has ensured its continuation in the future. The ability of the U.S. to perform research within the Brazilian EEZ will be important for future planners and researchers. Japan The seven marine panels of the U.S./Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR) continued a vigorous bilateral program. During September 1984, the Tenth Joint Meeting of the Marine Resources and Engineering Coordination Committee (MRECC) met in Washington to discuss the activities of the panels and expressed satisfaction. The Eighth Joint Diving Physiology and Technology Panel met in the United States in June 1985. The milestone 1984 deep experimental dive off Japan was followed-up with another such dive off Japan in 1985. The dives look at the physiological effects on working divers in hyperberic environments at depths up to 1,000 feet using mixed gas breathing. Japan has offered U.S. researchers the opportunity to participate in a scientific undersea cruise using Japan's submersible, the SHINKAI 2000. In 1985, Japanese scientists participated aboard the U.S. submersible ALVIN to conduct scientific studies in the Galapagos Islands area. France Cooperative programs in oceanography between the United States and France remain strong, with progress reported in all activity areas ranging from joint experiments and studies, symposia, exchanges of scientists and information, and joint planning of future activities. U.S. participation in this bilateral, active since 1971, is broad-based, and includes scientists from NOAA, NSF, USCG, Navy, as well as other agencies and the academic community. Areas with ongoing interest include: marine geology/geophysics; control of marine pollution; marine environmental research; climate and the ocean; man in the sea (submersibles and hyperbaric diving); marine technology; living resources/aquaculture; marine data processing and exchange, and shiptime interchange. Of particular note during FY 1985, negotiations were started on an important agreement on mutual submersible rescue services, and the course of action necessary for ocean data management support of emerging satellite developments was outlined. Multilateral Programs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) The IOC role in promoting the advancement of marine sciences through international cooperation involves coordinating scientific program planning and development, planning program implementation through national program activities, and assisting developing member countries to build national capabilities for participation in international ocean science programs. |