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covering more local conditions will also climatically conditioned salinity oscillations
prove useful or necessary in many cases. which render any strict system inapplicable,
As an example, in the Baltic Sea the fol- reference to universally adopted terms for
lowing subdivisions of the meso- and oligo- waters of different salinity may at least
haline zones, based on biological observa- facilitate description of areas and charac-
tions, are important :
terization of the fluctuation range.
Zone Salinity L It was agreed that any attempt to classify
(Mixo-) mesohaline inland saline waters would be premature in
cu-mesohaline fl&flO view of our incomplete and scattered infor-
&mesohaline flO-f5
(Mixo-) oligohaline mation, and the hope was expressed that
cr-oligohaline G-*:3 some standard way of expressing the salt
@-oligohaline f3-f0.5
content of such waters could be adopted or
In other cases, as, for example, the recommended by the International Associa-
Australian estuaries with their extreme, tion of Limnology.
The American Association for the Ad- the coupling of sea and air, sea level, epi-
vancement of Science in cooperation with continental sediments, estuarine and near-
Unesco and the Special Committee on shore circulation (including the estuarine
Oceanic Research of ICSU is planning environment), influence of land masses on
and organizing an International Oceano- the behavior and distribution of marine
graphic Congress to be held during a two- organisms, and surface films and their
week period from 30 August to 12 September importance in exchange processes.
1959 at the United Nations Building, New 3. The deep sea-Includes discussions of
York. the geochemistry and physics of circulation,
The purpose of the Congress is to provide stirring and mixing in the ocean, nature and
a common meeting ground for all sciences origin of bathypelagic life, distribution of
concerned with the oceans and the organisms pelagic sediment types (biological and
contained in them. The Congress will be physical interpretations), nuclear processes
devoted to the fundamentals of the marine in pelagic sediments, and special charac-
sciences rather than to their applications. teristics of abyssal organisms.
It has been agreed by the organizing 4. Dynamics of organic and inorganic
committee that the Congress will be centered substances-Includes discussions of physical
around five symposia on the oceans : chemistry of sea water, biologically active
1. The history substances in sea water, primary production,
2. The boundaries balance between living and dead organic
3. The deep sea matter in the oceans, exchanges between
4. Dynamics of organic and inorganic sea and air, exchanges between sediments
substances and sea water, and vertical transport in
5. The marine life regime the ocean.
1. The history-Includes discussions of the 5. The marine life regime-Includes dis-
shape and structure of the ocean basins, the cussions of the paleogeography of marine
acting forces and processes, the origin of floras and faunas, biogeographical regions
sea water and marine organisms, the in the sea, evolution and adaptation in the
stratigraphy of the deep sea and the cli- sea, the behavior of marine organisms as
matic record. influenced by environmental factors, physi-
2. The boundaries----Includes discussions of ology of marine plants, and the culture of