Scientists Urge $2-3-Billion Study Of Ocean Health

He told Reuters that a further $2-3 billion would roughly match amounts already invested in ocean research, excluding more costly satellites. New technologies were cheaper and meant worldwide monitoring could now be possible. "Silicon Valley has come to the oceans," said Jesse Ausubel, a director of the Census of Marine Life that is trying to describe life in the seas. "Lots of cheap disposable devices can now be distributed throughout the oceans, in some cases on animals, in some cases on the sea floor, others drifting about," he told Reuters. POGO wants the 72-nation Group on Earth Observations (GEO), meeting in Cape Town from November 28-30, to consider its appeal for a $2-3 billion study of the oceans as part of a wider effort to improve understanding of the planet by 2015. GEO is seeking to link up scientific observations of the planet to find benefits for society in areas including energy, climate, agriculture, biodiversity, water supplies and weather. (1 more page) http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL2519900420071125 [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on November 26, 2007]

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