OCEAN EXPLORATION PANEL DIVES INTO CHALLENGE

August 22, 2000 — The 22 individuals who serve on a Presidential panel dealing with ocean exploration issues are not out of their depths.

In fact, the group includes people who may spend more time in the water than on land, such as Sylvia Earle and Bob Ballard. Then there is Sue Hendrickson, who has found some pretty spectacular things on land and in the sea. There are representatives from leading oceanographic institutions on both coasts and universities that are conducting ocean research. Along with major marine and science education organizations, there is someone from the California Coastal Commission and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Foundations, such as the Alfred P. Sloan and H. John Heinz III Center, also have seats at this illustrious table, as does Quorex Pharmaceuticals, which is interested in the new medicines that the oceans can help produce.

Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta opened the first session today with a welcome and a thank-you to those who agreed to help craft suggestions and recommendations on how the nation should move forward in its exploration of the oceans.

"The creation of this new national strategy for exploring the oceans will require the best of what the best can offer," Mineta said. "History shows that exploration results in discoveries of great value. For example, the relatively recent discovery of underwater volcano communities has resulted in an explosion of knowledge not only about geological processes, but also about biological processes of great potential use in medicine and industry."

On June 12, President Clinton directed the Secretary of Commerce to convene a panel on ocean exploration and report back to him by October 10. The NOAA Science Advisory Board was charged with selecting the panelists and producing the final report.

The President asked the panel to define key sites of scientific, historical, and cultural importance, recommend ways to create new partnerships to draw on the strengths of a variety of organizations, examine the potential for new technologies to be used to explore the oceans, and suggest ways to ensure that newly discovered resources that may have medicinal or commercial potential are identified for possible research and development.

"The oceans, which cover 70 percent of this planet, have remained largely unexplored," said David L. Evans, assistant administrator of NOAA Research. "The more we explore, the better we will understand what needs to be done to conserve and protect this resource."

The panel will meet again only one more time, Sept. 14 in Monterey, Calif., before completing its final report.

Relevant Web Sites
Ocean Exploration

NOAA Science Advisory Board

NOAA's National Undersea Research Program Photo Album

NOAA's Diving Resources

NOAA Diving Manual, 4th Edition

Media Contacts:
Jana Goldman, NOAA Research, (301) 713-2483 ext. 181.

 

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