st looks back

Sea Technology, May 2004

May Issue

25 Years Ago

1979. Dr. Robert M. White, chair of the National Research Council (NRC) Climate Research Board and founding National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator, was promoted to NRC administrator and National Academy of Sciences executive officer...The National Ocean Industries Association Safety in Seas Award, sponsored by Sea Technology magazine's parent company, Compass Publications, was presented to Geophysical Service Inc....RAdm. J. Edward Snyder, oceanographer of the Navy, was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering.

15 Years Ago

1989. Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.) introduced H.R. 980, calling for research and policy approaches to the growing problem of global warming...Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were developing an ocean data manipulation and display system that could consolidate and provide to the ocean community a large variety of sea-related information from dozens of sources from around the country and the world..."Continuing damage to coastal re-sources from pollution, development and natural forces raises serious doubts about the ability of our estuaries, bays and near-coastal areas to survive into the next century," according to a report released this month by two U.S. House of Representatives subcommittees.

10 Years Ago

1994. Clearer rules of the game, a twostage review process and public examination of decision-making would enhance public and science community confidence in how federal research grants are awarded, according to a new National Academy of Sciences report...Shifting local Arctic air masses-rather than abrupt changes in the Earth's temperatures-could account for much of the rapid chemical changes seen in ice cores, according to a study by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory researchers..."New" global positioning systems are a major force driving the European market for consumer electronic navigation equipment in marine applications.