Show I Minerals Under The Sea Once the Vietnam War is out of the way hopefully Uncle Sam will turn his time attention and money toward more effective ve development and use of our natural resources These in include include In- In cl clude ude the land Itself and its produce produce produce pro pro- duce the minerals under the theland land and also the minerals under the sea MATTER OF SELF- SELF PRESERVATION We have set many records InI in inthe inthe I the field of agricultural production production production tion and have built up a promising promising promising prom prom- ising chemurgic industry Yet there is so much more moree we e need to do to make our land stillmore stillmore still stillmore more fruitful and to use our agricultural wastes to better advantage We possess vast mineral re re- re sources Yet there is a great deal more we could do by way of research development and extraction Still we have at least been aware of the potential of our land and mineral resources By comparison we have sadly neglected neglected neglected neg neg- the mineral wealth that lies at the doorstep of our long coastal borders The small beginnings made by us so far in this field must be greatly expanded expanded and and soon for for the economic pressures of the coming years will be greater great great- er than those we are now en encountering encountering en- en I countering and we shall need our ocean weal wealth th to keep us strong a and self-reliant self nation FUTURE OF OCEANOGRAPHY As we ve look back over the two I decades that have passed since the end of world war II we can see the many changes that have occurred in our everyday life Our nation has become more I highly hIghl industrialized zed Our metals and chemicals industries have expanded far beyond our expectations Vast I markets have opened up as new uses have been found for tra traditional raw materials and as new materials have been introduced There is a very good chance that a breakthrough resulting res from oceanographic studies and I explorations will open up a marine marine marine ma ma- rine minerals industry of huge potential Within the next ten tenor or 15 years we may mayell well ell have a govern sponsored government sponsored ment-sponsored N National Nation Nation- al Oceanographic Agency to rival the National Aeronautics and Space Agency Before the year 2000 we could be extracting from our offshore areas commercially valuable deposits of minerals including precious metals SEA DEEP-SEA FLOOR STUDIES First we must prepare to I i penetrate the secrets of the sea I I Steps are already being taken on I both the Atlantic and Pacific i Coasts of continental US U.S. andin and andin andin in Hawaii In the New York area I local capital is financing the construction and the ultimate voyage of a deep submergence vessel in which Swiss oceanographer oceanographer oceanographer ocean- ocean Dr Jacques will make a week six 1500 I mile observation journey be beneath beneath be- be neath the Gulf Stream I I II I Dr plans to subI submerge submerge sub sub- I I merge to a depth of about feet off the Miami coast drifting drifting drifting drift- drift I I ing with the current to Nova i j Scotia and descending to depths j of as much as 2000 feet In California a somewhat similar project is underway sponsored jointly by a Bureau of Mines Marine Technology i Center and the Coast and Geodetic Geodetic Geodetic Geo Geo- detic Survey There the emphasis sis will be more on exploring and mapping the continental shelf with a view to minerals exploitation while Dr Pic- Pic cards card's Journey will ill perhaps concentrate more on observing marine life ECONOMIC PROSPECTS Of co course we know so little i about the sea and her secrets I that there are bound to Lobe be disappointments disappointments disappointments and setbacks in the j effort to discover the extent of the oceans ocean's wealth and how best to extract it Right now any minerals taken I from the sea would be costly to haul up and to transport to refineries refineries re refineries re- re fineries and ultimate markets But one day we shall learn to tomake tomake make them truly competitive with land minerals In the process process process pro pro- cess we shall also learn a great deal about marine life and its vital potential as food for man |