Page 206 - NS-2 Textbook

Oceanography

The Navy defines oceanography as the "application of • Economic. The oceans are rich with natural re-
the sciences to the phenomena of the oceans, including sources, food, and fuel. They are the "last frontier"
the study of their forms and their physical, chemical, and for many vital materials on Earth.
biological features." Simply stated, oceanography is the • Political. The oceans link the continents. The
scientific study of what happens on, in, and under the world ocean covers nearly 71 percent of Earth's
world's oceans. surface. It is a field for much competition between
Greater attention is now being given to the oceans by industrialized nations. It provides the sea lines of
nearly all nations, including the United States. Some rea- communication over ,yhich commerce between
sons for this are: the United States and many foreign nations takes
place .
• Social. The coastal regions of our nation, which in- • Strategic. The oceans are vital to U.s. defense. The
clude estuaries, mouths of inland rivers, and the fleet ballistic-missile submarines that operate in
Great Lakes, are major population and job centers. them and their intercontinental missiles give the
More than 40 percent of the u.s. population lives nation its most important deterrent against aggres-
and ·works near the nation's seacoasts. The coasts sion by nuclear-armed nations around the world.
extend some 5,400 miles along the Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, another 2,800 In this unit, some of the many features of oceanography
miles along the shores of the Great Lakes, and over are discussed. Oceanography spans the past, the present,
2,000 miles along the beaches of Hawaii, Guam, and the future of our world. It is especially important to
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. a maritime nation such as the United States.

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