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U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

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CHAPTER 25CREATING A NATIONALSTRATEGY FOR INCREASINGSCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE<strong>Ocean</strong> managers and policy makers need comprehensive scientific informati<strong>on</strong>about the ocean and its envir<strong>on</strong>ment to make wise decisi<strong>on</strong>s. Increased knowledgewill help achieve sustainable resource use, ec<strong>on</strong>omic development, and c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong>of the ocean’s biological diversity and natural beauty. However, toensure the highest return <strong>on</strong> the nati<strong>on</strong>’s investment in ocean research,explorati<strong>on</strong>, and marine operati<strong>on</strong>s, a nati<strong>on</strong>al strategy is needed. Thestrategy should coordinate and prioritize basic and applied ocean andcoastal research supported by all federal agencies, increase partnershipswith the academic and private sectors, promote enhanced oceanexplorati<strong>on</strong>, and coordinate federal marine operati<strong>on</strong>s to reduceredundancies. Significantly increased research in ocean-relatednatural and social sciences will also be key to fostering a new eraof ecosystem-based management supported by sound science.Fortifying the Foundati<strong>on</strong>s of<strong>Ocean</strong> Understanding<strong>Ocean</strong> science and technology are integral parts of the overallU.S. research enterprise and c<strong>on</strong>tribute greatly to society.They are essential to understanding the Earth’s envir<strong>on</strong>ment and howit changes over time, improving climate predicti<strong>on</strong>s, managing marineresources wisely, finding beneficial new uses of ocean resources, protectingnati<strong>on</strong>al security, and unlocking the basic mysteries of life <strong>on</strong> Earth. Inadditi<strong>on</strong>, important technological advances have resulted from devices originallydeveloped for ocean research and explorati<strong>on</strong>, such as medical acoustictools that grew out of s<strong>on</strong>ar technologies.Comp<strong>on</strong>ents of <strong>Ocean</strong> Science and TechnologyFor the purpose of this and the following three chapters of Part VII, the term ocean scienceand technology is defined as:• the explorati<strong>on</strong> of ocean envir<strong>on</strong>ments and the c<strong>on</strong>duct of basic and applied researchto increase understanding of (1) the biology, chemistry, physics, and geology of theoceans and coasts, (2) oceanic and coastal processes and interacti<strong>on</strong>s with terrestrial,374 A N O CEAN B LUEPRINT FOR THE 21ST C ENTURY

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