I am hopeful that we can do a little consolidation and save a little ›ney in this particular respect. That is an Appropriations Commitmatter. Admiral, we are going to put your statement in the record in full. (See attached statement.) [ATEMENT OF VICE ADM. H. ARNOLD KARO, ACTING DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, the biography which I have furshed the committee gives a résumé of my 42 years of Government service. I ould like to give the committee a few of my thoughts concerning the new Enronmental Science Services Administration established by Presidential Reornization Plan No. 2. To me it makes excellent scientific sense. For this new organization centrales the responsibilities for coordination of a full and complete study of man's ysical environment. A comprehensive study to understand its components, its uses, its uses, its prediction, and hopefully its control and modification, to able man to direct and utilize the environment for his betterment. Modificaon of some of our environment is certainly a distinct possibility within the very ear future. It will provide a centralized environmental hazards warning service which ould be more efficient and effective than past methods. It will provide one central focus to which the public and Government can look for information on the environment. My 42 years of service in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey have made me gnizant of the necessity of interdisciplinary coordination and approach to the lution to many of our problems. For our work and responsibilities in the Surey ran the length and breadth of the various earth science and geophysical sciplines. Where we did not have the in-house capability, we asked, and ceived, the cooperation of other agencies or institutions which were in a osition to supply our needs. I am confident that all the experience gained over the past 42 years can, and ill be, put to productive use in the new organization. I look to the future with onfidence. It presents a terrific challenge, one which will bring together the est in geophysical and the earth science disciplines for a better understanding nd use of man's environment. The CHAIRMAN. You have testified briefly that you don't think here will be a great deal of change in your operation; that is, the dministrative function of your operation, except this will put the oordination into effect. How many people do you have in your establishment altogether? Admiral KARO. About 3,000, sir. The CHAIRMAN. How will they be divided as aboard or ashore? Percentage? Admiral KARO. There are about 20 percent aboard ship. The CHAIRMAN. And the rest are ashore? Admiral KARO. Various field operations or in the office operations. The CHAIRMAN. How many field operations do you have in the United States? Admiral KARO. Our parties vary according to the seasons of the year. We have our geodetic parties, photogrammatic parties, and tide parties. Probably about 80-odd. The CHAIRMAN. How many do you have overseas? Admiral KARO. At the present time I don't believe we have many operations overseas in foreign countries, except-let me qualify that, Mr. Chairman-we are responsible for the worldwide seismological network of standard stations. The CHAIRMAN. Of what? Admiral KARO. A worldwide network of about 120 standard sta tions, seismograph stations around the world, in about 50 to 60 differ ent countries. We install them and then they are turned over to the. local institutions, universities, private institutions and so forth, for operation, with the understanding that they transmit back to us the copies of the seismographs which are then used for scientific research The CHAIRMAN. You pay them out of your budget? Admiral KARO. No. Only for the installation. In fact, this ha been financed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the DOD The CHAIRMAN. You have one, as I remember, in New Zealand, or Australia? Admiral KARO. Yes. But once we establish them, all we do i give them a certain amount of material, supplies, paper, and period ically we examine them and update them or adjust them so that we can get comparable records from all the stations. The CHAIRMAN. So you furnish the equipment that they may need for their particular responsibility, and that is all you pay then except, I suppose, you take care of their communications costs? Admiral KARO. That I do not know. They are all sent back by mail. Unless we have a specific event that we want them to give us : some advance information on, we might send them a dispatch to give us a reading at a certain time. Normally we wait until the records are transmitted back here, copies are made, the originals returned back to the country, and the copies made available at cost to any scientist who wants to study them. We have operated geomagnetic and seismological stations in the Antarctic for a number of years. Also, while our geodetic satellite program is comparatively new, it has already been coopeartively extended into Canada and Bermuda, and we have plans for extending it on a worldwide basis. The CHAIRMAN. How are we coming with our charts? Do we have the country pretty well covered or are we still moving on them! Admiral KARO. Charting is a problem that will be with us every change of nature and of man. Basically we have most of the nautical charts needed except for the small-boat charts. The CHAIRMAN. And we are working on that; are we not? The CHAIRMAN. Taking different sections of the country and moving along. Admiral KARO. That is correct. We are doing the best we can to meet the demands. Part The CHAIRMAN. Have you charted most of the Alaskan coastline? Admiral KARO. There is a lot of that that needs to be done. of it is only reconnaissance from the early days. Senator BARTLETT. Your job has to be done all over again in many sections; does it not? Admiral KARO. Principally in Prince William Sound due to the earthquake. We have a number of ships working there to be sure the passages are clear. Last year immediately after the earthquake I dispatched several ships there to make a reconnaissance survey to be sure the main ship channels were clear. Now we are doing a more complete job to update the charts. The CHAIRMAN. Have you been asked to participate in the oceanographic program in the charting away from shore in the oceans. Admiral KARO. Part of the national oceanographic program is the ocean surveys, which is a comprehensive inventory of the oceans. This includes not only the depth, but the chemistry of the water, the gravity, geomagnetic and other properties, so that we will have all the information we need, regarding the total contents of the ocean. From this knowledge we can tell where to increase our efforts and research so that we get the maximum benefit. The CHAIRMAN. I am talking about charting the floor of the ocean. How much are you doing there? Admiral KARO. We have the one ship, the Pioneer, which has been working in the North Pacific, as you perhaps remember, between the Hawaiian Islands and the Aleutians making a definitive survey of the bottom and gathering other geophysical information at the same time. This, of course, is part of the national oceanographic program. It is envisioned that it will take about 295 ship-years of work. As you know, we have two large oceanographic ships under construction to add to that which will The CHAIRMAN. It is a constant job, this charting. Don't you believe we ought to have more basic information on the floor of the oceans than we have now, Admiral KARO. Absolutely. The CHAIRMAN. Defining sea mountains in different places. Particularly the Defense Department should be interested in that. Admiral KARO. And they are. It is a tremendous problem and one which I personally feel-and many people, including yourself believe that we have not put enough effort or resources into. The CHAIRMAN. How do you get along with the Navy? Is there any conflict with the Hydrographic Bureau of the Navy and your shop as to who does what in this field? Admiral KARO. No, sir. Historically we have had the closest cooperation with the Navy Department on that, and now the coordination is handled through the Interagency Committee on Oceanography of the Federal Council. The CHAIRMAN. You are a member of that? Admiral KARO. Yes, sir. I represent Commerce on that. The CHAIRMAN. Are you going to participate in the experiment of La Jolla that is being made? Admiral KARO. I think not to any great extent. We are cognizant of what is going on. We have so many other areas that our resources are stretched. The CHAIRMAN. This is primarily a naval project, as I understand. Admiral KARO. Yes, sir. We have no direct participation in that. The CHAIRMAN. You say you have two ships building? The CHAIRMAN. Purely oceanographic. Admiral KARO. And we have funds for another which is now being designed. We have an operations research study of the ocean survey requirements. As a result of this study we believe that by splitting the work to be done we can slightly reduce the size of some of the ships to be constructed for ocean surveys. So our third ship, being smaller, will cost approximately $1.5 to $2 million less than the first two large ships by taking advantage of the automation and increased technologies available now. |