It would, indeed, have been quite within the technical abilities of the Romans of Pliny's day to develop the depths of the Mediterranean and to explore its biota, though of course examination of the temperature and salinities of the sea must in any case have awaited the development of the sciences of physics and chemistry as we now know them.

Oceanography 58 Years Old

Students of the history of science may well date the birth of modern Oceanography from December 21, 1872, the day when the Challenger set sail from Ports-mouth, England, on her memorable voyage. Thenceforth, with every fresh venture below the surface of the sea, such a flood of new facts came pouring in that it seemed for a time as though this fact catching could never lose its novelty. One great deep-sea expedition led to another and more was learned about the sea during the last thirty years of the nineteenth century than had been during the preceding three thousand.

The purpose of the new school is to make the ocean give up more of the mysteries of life, depth, and geography, mysteries that it has held for centuries. The accomplishments they hope to gain are fourfold:

They intend first to study the courses of ocean currents, their effects on climate and their use as agents of transportation for marine life.

They intend second to study the limiting factors in the distribution of marine life, temperature of the sea, chemical factors and the fertility of the water.

They will study the bottom deposits for former changes in depth and climate and process of sedimentation.

Finally they will attempt general deep sea biological investigations.