. "NSF's Commitment to the Deep." 50 Years of Ocean Discovery: National Science Foundation 1950-2000. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2000.
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50 Years of Ocean Discovery: National Science Foundation 1950—2000
[loosen] the chains of things." Today we are unlocking the very essence of those words with tools and equipment of unrivaled sophistication. The biocomplexity of the Earth's major systems are the very "chains of things." And so what does it mean to speak of NSF's commitment to the next fifty years of ocean discovery?
It means investment, imagination, and a focus on interdisciplinary work. It means boldly pushing the frontiers of our knowledge while pursuing their economic, social, environmental, and medical applications. It means that understanding and initiating sustainable strategies for the planet will depend heavily on ocean research. It means bringing the importance of the oceans to the forefront of public understanding. It means that we enter our next fifty years of ocean discovery with grand expectations to fulfill.
