Shared Oceans

Shared Future

Humankind has explored, mapped, developed, or settled all but the most hostile corners of Earth's landmass. But our understanding of the oceans —more than 70 percent of Earth's surface— remains highly limited. We know more about the contours of Mars than those of the oceans' floors.

Though we frolic on the oceans' shores, sail and swim their waters, draw food from their depths, and transport freight across their vast horizons, we know very little about life and conditions below the surface. Recent studies have highlighted the urgent need for more knowledge. Vast as they are, the oceans are not unassailable. They cannot endlessly absorb the wastes that human beings are dumping into their waters. The bounty of the sea, which has nurtured life on Earth for millennia, is not limitless.

Technological and financial resources devoted to research have not been adequate to accomplish all that scientists want to learn about our oceans, but attempts are being made in many quarters in the United States to address the situation. We examine many of them in this edition of Global Issues. The U.S. government's top policy maker in ocean-related programs provides an overview of the initiatives being taken to better understand and preserve the seas. A U.S. State Department official describes the many ways the United States works with the international community on matters relating to the oceans. We offer a preview of a comprehensive report about reshaping U.S. oceans policy. And a prominent U.S. oceanographer shares his sense of wonder and curiosity about all that we have yet to learn.

We hope that these and the other features in this electronic journal will inform readers as well as encourage them to learn more about the oceans and about how we can all work together to preserve this resource so vital to us all.

The Editors

Focus

A Strategic Approach to Managing the Oceans
The U.S. government sets strategic goals for ocean protection, management, and research.
By Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Law of the Sea Treaty Balances U.S. and World Interests
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Bush administration are urging the Senate to approve U.S. entrance into the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
By Senator Richard G. Lugar, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Diplomacy and the Oceans
The U.S. Department of State engages with the international communinity in many ways to fulfill nations' shared responsibilities in formulating policy and managing ocean resources.
By David A. Balton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, U.S. Department of State

An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century
A commission created by the U.S. Congress works to draw a blueprint for a new, comprehensive, and sustainable ocean policy.
By James D. Watkins, Chairman, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

Commentary

Oceanographer Rewrites the Conventional Wisdom
American oceanographer Robert Ballard has played a prominent role in deep-sea discoveries in geology and biology.
An Interview with Dr. Robert Ballard, Founder and President, Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, Connecticut

Saving Louisiana's Delta
The Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana's wetlands where state and federal officials are now working to correct ecological damage.
By Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor, State of Louisiana

The Chesapeake Bay: Lessons Learned from Managing a Watershed
A tri-state legislative commission participates in a unique partnership that has been directing the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay’s living resources, vital habitats, and water quality.
By Ann Pesiri Swanson, Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Commission

Communities Around the Globe Protect the Underwater World
On “Dive In To Earth Day,” the Coral Reef Alliance will focus international attention on preservation of the reefs and marine resources.
Brian Huse, Executive Director, Coral Reef Alliance
    Sidebar: Coral Reefs & Sustainable Coastal Development
    Excerpted Issue Brief from The Coral Reef Alliance

Farming the Seas
In the Americas, Europe, and Asia, ocean-based aquaculture is a burgeoning technology with both benefits and risks that require management.
By Colin Woodard, Special Correspondent

Additional Resources

Scientists Return to the Titanic
A press release from the National Geographic Society and a consortium of other scientific and educational institutions describes a new expedition to the wreck of the Titanic.

Bibliography
Books, documents, and articles on ocean issues.

Selected Internet Resources
A list of sites on the World Wide Web offering further information on ocean issues.

Global Issues
An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State
ejglobal@state.gov

Editor William Peters; Managing Editor Charlene Porter; Internet Editor Tim Brown; Contributing Editors Jenifer Bochner, Cynthia La Covey, James Fuller, Victoria H. Silverman, Rosalie Targonski, Gerri Williams; Reference and Research Lynne Scheib, Joan Taylor; Art Director Chloe Ellis.

Cover Photo Dean Brown

Publisher Judith S. Siegel; Executive Editor Guy E. Olson; Production Manager Christian Larson; Assistant Production Manager Sylvia Scott.

Editorial Board George Clack, Kathleen R. Davis, Frank B. Ward.

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