NAVIGATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OCEANOGRAPHY

Cmdr. Robert J. Alexander

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	The field of oceanography is one that is of the utomost scientific importance to the nation from the political, military, economical, socialogical, and recreational view points. The oceans cover such a vast part of the earth's surface that many fundamental scientific theories are kept from complete development because of the difficulty of obtaining adequate data at sea. For example, in addition to oceanography the fields of geodesy, gravity, magnetics, scismology, and meteorology are all heavily dependent on oceanic observations. One of the controlling factors affecting the validity of such data, of course, is the accuracy of the positionig of ships and equipment during the periods when observatiosn are being made. utniost h(*i(\nf ifica itn~~orlnnrc: to the nation from tllct political, nlilitar!., cw~non~ic~nl, sociological, :r11t1 I.O(~NYiLol~la l x.icB\p\ oints. ‘I’hc oceans caovcr >~~c*alr vast part of t hr cwG’s hurface lhat, tnanp funtl:~tnc~ni:tl wicnt ifiica 1 hcoriw are kcl)t from c~)rn~)l(~t(~tl r~~~lo~~mcni, becau~c of the difficulty of ol)t:iining adwluatc data at dca. For csample, in atltlition to oc~wnogr:rl~hy the fields of gt‘odrsy, grayit J., tnagtwtic~s, Amolopy, and meteorolop> :ir(s all ltwvil~ tl~~~wntlt~nl~ on oceanic observation;. Ollc 01’ 111(~ cY)ntrolling facators affecting the \.:llidit,y of .~uc*h tlaia, of course, is the acr, lr:xcs!’ of the l)ohil ioning of shilw and equipment (luring tlrcb Iwriotls \vhen obscrvat ions are bping rrl:lll~~.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 10, Number 2
Pages:	161 - 166
Cite this article:	Alexander, Cmdr. Robert J., "NAVIGATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OCEANOGRAPHY", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 10, No. 2, Summer 1963, pp. 161-166.
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