they want to increase our basic knowledge of our water covered planet, which is
unique in the Universe, or at least, unique in our Solar System.
What will be won in knowledge and understanding of our home in the universe will be
worth far more than the cost (Ericson and Wollin 1967).
The necessities of time, funding and qualified personnel are often difficult to
bring together for sea going expeditions, especially since the expeditions are
obliged to last for a period of several weeks. The choice of the scientific theme or
topic for a project must be of worldwide interest and include a large number of
scientific disciplines in order to be able to collect as much information as possible
during a given cruise.
The choice of the team members needs to include people who are genuinely
interested in the project and their specializations should also be adapted to the
needs of the cruise. Several criteria could be used to choose a sea-going team of
scientists. Candidates must:
(a) be competent in the field to which the cruise will be oriented.
(b) have had previous experience at sea if possible, but this is not a prerequisite.
(c) be sociable and be able to work on a team, be good at sharing competence and
data on board. Indeed it is important for the group on board to communicate
any findings and work they are carrying out at the same time as they are at sea.
(d) be open to a multi-disciplinary approach and willing to help their fellow
scientists.
(e) be in good physical condition in order to be comfortable during the journey,
and to avoid any risks of reducing the time of a cruise at sea due to illness.
The choice of the equipment such as ships, submersibles, unmanned vehicles or
other apparatus to be used in order to achieve the scientific goals of the mission is
of great importance as well. The appropriate gear should be selected for each
scientific cruise on the basis of the goals to be achieved, and this requires that the
chief scientist be sure of his choices and objectives. Selecting appropriate
equipment will make a considerable difference in the outcome of the cruise and the
various choices should be clearly explained when the project of any sea-going
expedition is first proposed.
The project has to be evaluated by a scientific committee. Once the evaluation is
made and the project has been accepted, then the real work will start. This is the
beginning of a long marathon. The project must be taken into consideration by a
‘‘program committee’’, which deals with all the cruise requests that have been
accepted by the scientific committee. Their role is to coordinate a country’s different expeditions within a time frame of about a year. This also helps to decide on a
research ship’s overall route and the areas where the various oceanographic vessels
will be operating in the next 12 months. Once the cruise is accepted and the timing
fixed, there will be a meeting with the ship’s captain and the engineers who are to be
involved, in order to decide on the final operational plan for the cruise.
16
1 An Overview of Oceanographic Exploration
unique in the Universe, or at least, unique in our Solar System.
What will be won in knowledge and understanding of our home in the universe will be
worth far more than the cost (Ericson and Wollin 1967).
The necessities of time, funding and qualified personnel are often difficult to
bring together for sea going expeditions, especially since the expeditions are
obliged to last for a period of several weeks. The choice of the scientific theme or
topic for a project must be of worldwide interest and include a large number of
scientific disciplines in order to be able to collect as much information as possible
during a given cruise.
The choice of the team members needs to include people who are genuinely
interested in the project and their specializations should also be adapted to the
needs of the cruise. Several criteria could be used to choose a sea-going team of
scientists. Candidates must:
(a) be competent in the field to which the cruise will be oriented.
(b) have had previous experience at sea if possible, but this is not a prerequisite.
(c) be sociable and be able to work on a team, be good at sharing competence and
data on board. Indeed it is important for the group on board to communicate
any findings and work they are carrying out at the same time as they are at sea.
(d) be open to a multi-disciplinary approach and willing to help their fellow
scientists.
(e) be in good physical condition in order to be comfortable during the journey,
and to avoid any risks of reducing the time of a cruise at sea due to illness.
The choice of the equipment such as ships, submersibles, unmanned vehicles or
other apparatus to be used in order to achieve the scientific goals of the mission is
of great importance as well. The appropriate gear should be selected for each
scientific cruise on the basis of the goals to be achieved, and this requires that the
chief scientist be sure of his choices and objectives. Selecting appropriate
equipment will make a considerable difference in the outcome of the cruise and the
various choices should be clearly explained when the project of any sea-going
expedition is first proposed.
The project has to be evaluated by a scientific committee. Once the evaluation is
made and the project has been accepted, then the real work will start. This is the
beginning of a long marathon. The project must be taken into consideration by a
‘‘program committee’’, which deals with all the cruise requests that have been
accepted by the scientific committee. Their role is to coordinate a country’s different expeditions within a time frame of about a year. This also helps to decide on a
research ship’s overall route and the areas where the various oceanographic vessels
will be operating in the next 12 months. Once the cruise is accepted and the timing
fixed, there will be a meeting with the ship’s captain and the engineers who are to be
involved, in order to decide on the final operational plan for the cruise.
16
1 An Overview of Oceanographic Exploration