I 8
Introduction
of the standard collection of oceanographic data made at each one.
The Meîcor expedition also carried out one of the rst systematic
surveys of the ocean oor using an echo sounder—and the ocean bed
proved far more irregular than indicated by earlier isolated sound—
ings. These Atlantic studies prompted a whole series of investiga—
tions along similar lines by other nations—the Dutch Willebror‘d
Snellius expedition in the East Indian seas, the British Discovery
surveys in the Antarctic Ocean and the American Atlantis investiga—
tions of the North Atlantic are important examples—and this era of
intense national activity was curtailed only by the arrival of the
Second World War.
ln spite of such a background of national oceanography, a truly
international oceanographic expedition was slow to arrive. Not until
the 19505 did a major international investigation take place, when
combined studies of the Atlantic were organized as part of the
International Geophysical Year (lGY) in 1957. The Soviet Union
collaborated in deep—sea research for the rst time, bringing in their
largest vessels—Vz‘tyaz, Mikhail Lomonosov and Ob—to mark the
occasion. World Data Centres were set up to handle the accumu—
lating IGY results, establishing a pattern for future co—operation.
Superimposed on the national and international growth of
oceanographic effort came further evolution of the science itself.
Many of the instruments and techniques used in modern oceano—
graphy were unknown prior to the Second World War and owe
their existence to the tremendous advances in electronics which have
occurred in the past twenty years or so. Particularly important are
those instruments which, provided they have a power supply, can
operate automatically without any assistance from the scientist.
They have opened up vistas of networks of buoys in the oceans
transmitting information via satellite to Oceanic Data Centres where
complete synoptic maps of the oceanic conditions akin to weather
maps of the atmosphere can be constructed. Already some instrumented buoys exist, such as the American NOMAD buoys which
can
transmit both meteorological and oceanographic data over
several thousand miles and are obvious forerunners of what must
become commonplace devices as the age of synoptic oceanography
progresses.
The rst attempts to gain an overall view of oceanic conditions
date back to the nineteenth century and even earlier. Their object
was to improve sailing times by building up a picture of ocean
Introduction
of the standard collection of oceanographic data made at each one.
The Meîcor expedition also carried out one of the rst systematic
surveys of the ocean oor using an echo sounder—and the ocean bed
proved far more irregular than indicated by earlier isolated sound—
ings. These Atlantic studies prompted a whole series of investiga—
tions along similar lines by other nations—the Dutch Willebror‘d
Snellius expedition in the East Indian seas, the British Discovery
surveys in the Antarctic Ocean and the American Atlantis investiga—
tions of the North Atlantic are important examples—and this era of
intense national activity was curtailed only by the arrival of the
Second World War.
ln spite of such a background of national oceanography, a truly
international oceanographic expedition was slow to arrive. Not until
the 19505 did a major international investigation take place, when
combined studies of the Atlantic were organized as part of the
International Geophysical Year (lGY) in 1957. The Soviet Union
collaborated in deep—sea research for the rst time, bringing in their
largest vessels—Vz‘tyaz, Mikhail Lomonosov and Ob—to mark the
occasion. World Data Centres were set up to handle the accumu—
lating IGY results, establishing a pattern for future co—operation.
Superimposed on the national and international growth of
oceanographic effort came further evolution of the science itself.
Many of the instruments and techniques used in modern oceano—
graphy were unknown prior to the Second World War and owe
their existence to the tremendous advances in electronics which have
occurred in the past twenty years or so. Particularly important are
those instruments which, provided they have a power supply, can
operate automatically without any assistance from the scientist.
They have opened up vistas of networks of buoys in the oceans
transmitting information via satellite to Oceanic Data Centres where
complete synoptic maps of the oceanic conditions akin to weather
maps of the atmosphere can be constructed. Already some instrumented buoys exist, such as the American NOMAD buoys which
can
transmit both meteorological and oceanographic data over
several thousand miles and are obvious forerunners of what must
become commonplace devices as the age of synoptic oceanography
progresses.
The rst attempts to gain an overall view of oceanic conditions
date back to the nineteenth century and even earlier. Their object
was to improve sailing times by building up a picture of ocean