International Oceanographic Congress Sound Recordings
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2019
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: International Oceanographic Congress Sound Recordings
Creator:
International Oceanographic Congress (1st : 1959 : New York, N.Y.)
Identifier/Call Number: SMC 0169
Physical Description:
.7 Linear feet
(2 shoeboxes)
Date: 1959
Abstract: A collection of sound recordings documenting discussion sections from the first International Oceanographic Congress, held
at United Nations Headquarters in New York from August 31 to September 12, 1959.
Scope and Content of Collection
A collection of sound recordings documenting discussion sections from the first International Oceanographic Congress, held
at United Nations Headquarters in New York from August 31 to September 12, 1959. There are a total of 70 separate tape recordings,
sequentially numbered from 1 to 78 (tape numbers 10, 17, 22, 33, 36, 60, 73, and 76 were missing prior to acquisition by the
Library). Roger Revelle was a facilitator at the conference and he can be heard introducing colleagues, leading summary discussions
of presented papers, and guiding question and answer sessions on many of the recordings. Revelle and Sir Edward Bullard are
both present in the final two tapes in the collection, discussing a final summary of the Congress. The recordings document
only a small selection of proceedings, and appear to capture the more free-ranging scientific discussions that followed formal
paper presentations. Topics include all aspects of oceanography, including a statement on climate change by Revelle.
In addition to Revelle and Bullard, speakers on the recordings include (in alphabetical order): Gustaf Arrhenius, J. D. Bernal,
Trygve Braarud, Wallace S. Broecker, Anton Bruun, H. O. Bull, Dayton Carritt, G. S. Carter, Charles Cox, John E. Cushing,
Robert S. Dietz, Malcolm Dole, Maurice Ewing, Z. A. Filatova, S. W. Fox, Kurt Fredriksson, H. Friedrich, Edward Goldberg,
Edwin L. Hamilton, Harry Hess, G. Evelyn Hutchinson, Columbus Iselin, A. G. Kolesnikov, Devendra Lal, A. S. Laughton, Gordon
G. Lill, Heinz Lowenstam, Willem V.R. Malkus, N. B. Marshall, Y. Miyake, Haakon Mosby, Walter H. Munk, D. M. Owen, N. K. Panikkar,
Edgard Picciotto, Norris Rakestraw, Dixy Lee Ray, Francis P. Shepard, C. J. Shipek, J. H. Steele, K. K. Turkian, Allyn Vine,
William Von Arx, Torben Wolff and Georg Wust.
Recordings are arranged by original reel number, which corresponds to a chronological sequence through the Congress. Reels
from the same or directly related sessions are grouped together under shared topical titles and dates, though sometimes the
topic of discussion changes unpredictably, and the end of one session and the start of another is not always clear.
Historical Background
The first International Oceanographic Congress was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from August 31 to September
12, 1959. The Congress was sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, UNESCO and the Scientific
Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR).
Preferred Citation
International Oceanographic Congress Sound Recordings. SMC 169. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 1982
OFF-SITE STORAGE
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Digital Content
All recordings in the collection have been digitized.
Restrictions
Original reel-to-reel tapes in the collection are restricted due to fragility. Digital use copies are available.
Related Materials
International Oceanographic Congress. Cosponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
and the Special Committee on Ocean Research of the International Council of Scientific Unions. New York: American Association
for the Advancement of Science, [1959?].
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Oceanography -- Congresses
Revelle, Roger, 1909-1991
Bullard, Edward Crisp, Sir, 1907-1980
Munk, Walter H. (Walter Heinrich), 1917-2019
International Council of Scientific Unions. Special Committee on Oceanic Research
History of the oceans: Shape and structure of the ocean basins and the forces involved, part 1
1959 August 31
Box 1, Folder 1
Reel 1 - Summaries of papers by Roger Revelle, Sir Edward Bullard, and Maurice Ewing
Box 1, Folder 2
Reel 2 - Maurice Ewing (continued) and Edwin L. Hamilton
Box 1, Folder 3-4
Reels 3-4 - Roger Revelle leads discussion
General note
Time 16:33 | Time 6:27
Box 1, Folder 5
Reel 5 - Harry Hess leads discussion
Box 1, Folder 6
Reel 6 - Roger Revelle and Dayton E. Carritt convene discussion on chemistry of sea water
Box 1, Folder 7
Reel 7 - Roger Revelle leads discussion on "What is oceanography?"
History of the oceans: Shape and structure of the ocean basins and the forces involved, parts 2 and 3
1959 September 1
Box 1, Folder 8
Reel 8 - Discussion following session by Haakon Mosby, G. Evelyn Hutchinson, and J. D. Bernal
Box 1, Folder 9
Reel 9 - Gustaf Arrhenius on his paper "Evolution of the Earth, as reflected by the ocean sedimentary record"
Box 1, Folder 10
Reel 11 - Discussion by J. D. Bernal, Gustaf Arrhenius and others
Box 1, Folder 11
Reel 12 - Discussion by Haakon Mosby and others
Box 1, Folder 12
Reel 13 - Discussion by Harry Hess and others; Charles S. Cox summarizes seminar discussion on "The deep sea: Oceanic circulation
and related problems"
The deep sea: Benthic and bathypelagic organisms; and Populations of the sea: Zooplankton and its correlations with hydrography,
part 1
1959 September 1
Box 1, Folder 13
Reel 14 - Discussion by Anton Bruun, Z. A. Filatova and others
Box 1, Folder 14
Reel 15 - Conclusion of discussion by Anton Bruun, Z. A. Filatova and others; Zooplankton discussion with N. B. Marshall
Box 1, Folder 15
Reel 16 - N. B. Marshall (continued) and others
Populations of the sea: Zooplankton and its correlations with hydrography, part 2
1959 September 2
Box 1, Folder 16
Reel 18 - Discussion by G. S. Carter and others
Box 1, Folder 17-18
Reels 19-20 - Discussion by Roger Revelle and others
General note
Time 15:34 | Time 11:26
Edward Goldberg, N. B. Marshall and Heinz Lowenstam discuss papers
1959 September 2
Box 1, Folder 19
Reel 21 - Introduction by Roger Revelle; Discussion with Heinz Lowenstam
Box 1, Folder 20
Reel 23 - Edward Goldberg on movement of sand
Box 1, Folder 21
Reel 24 - Discussion of marine organisms with N. B. Marshall and Heinz Lowenstam, facilitated by Roger Revelle
Populations of the sea
1959 September 3
Box 1, Folder 22-23
Reels 25-26 - Discussion with H. O. Bull and others on "The role of ethology in oceanography"
General note
Time 16:22 | Time 16:33
Box 1, Folder 24
Reel 27 - Discussion with H. Friedrich, Braarud and others on "Physiology of marine organisms in relation to their environment"
and "Cultivation of marine organisms"
Box 1, Folder 25
Reel 28 - Discussion with N. H. Panikkar and others
Boundaries of the sea: Epicontinental sediments and nearshore sedimentary processes; and History of sea water and the origin
of life
1959 September 3
Box 1, Folder 26
Reel 29 - Discussion by Roger Revelle, Robert S. Dietz and others
Box 1, Folder 27
Reel 30 - Discussion conclusion with Francis P. Shepard and others on "Boundaries of the sea"; Beginning of discussion on
"History sea water and the origin of life"
Box 1, Folder 28
Reel 31 - Origin of life in the sea (continued) with K. K. Turkian and S. W. Fox
Box 1, Folder 29
Reel 32 - Origin of life in the sea with S. W. Fox (continued)
The deep sea, parts 1 and 2
1959 September 4
Box 1, Folder 30
Reel 34 - Sir Edward Bullard leads discussion; includes Willem V. R. Malkus and Wallace Broecker
Box 1, Folder 31
Reel 35 - Wallace S. Broecker, Willem V. R. Malkus, and Georg Wust (continued)
Box 1, Folder 32
Reel 37 - Discussion conclusion with Georg Wust and others
Box 1, Folder 33-36
Reels 38-41 - Anton Bruun
General note
Reel 40 is identical to reel 41.
The deep sea, continued; Boundaries of the sea, part 1
1959 September 8
Box 1, Folder 37
Reel 42 - Roger Revelle discusses carbon dating techniques and introduces E. Picciotto, who speaks on "Nuclear processes in
pelagic sedimentation"
Box 1, Folder 38
Reel 43 - Picciotto concludes his comments; Roger Revelle introduces Walter Munk, who speaks on "Spectrum of sea level" and
ocean/air boundary
Box 1, Folder 39
Reel 44 - Walter Munk (continued)
Box 1, Folder 40-43
Reels 45-48 - Press conference on ocean drilling with Roger Revelle, Gordon G. Lill and Willard Bascom
Cycles of organic and inorganic substances in the ocean; and The deep sea (underwater photography)
1959 September 8
Box 1, Folder 44
Reel 49 - Roger Revelle discusses climate change and CO₂ atmospheric concentration; Introduces Norris Rakestraw to summarize
discussions of CO₂ air-sea exchanges
Box 1, Folder 45
Reel 50 - Norris Rakestraw discusses CO₂ air-sea exchanges
Box 1, Folder 46
Reel 51 - CO₂ discussion concludes; Roger Revelle introduces A. S. Laughton on topic of deep-sea cameras and photography of
ocean floor sediments
Box 1, Folder 47
Reel 52 - D. M. Owen and C. J. Shipek continue discussion on photography
Box 1, Folder 48
Reel 53 - Allyn Vine concludes discussion
Box 1, Folder 49
Reel 54 - Roger Revelle introduces John E. Cushing, who speaks on blood typing fish
1959 September 9
Box 1, Folder 50-51
Reels 55-56 - Devendra Lal on radioactive isotopes in silica for The deep sea: Nuclear processes in marine sedimentation
1959 September 9
General note
Time 13:59 | Time 13:18
Box 1, Folder 52
Reel 57 - Torben Wolff substitutes for Anton Bruun on discussion of The deep sea: Benthic and bathypelagic organisms
1959 September 9
Box 2, Folder 2-3
Reels 59, 61 - Walter Munk introduces and translates for A. G. Kolesnikov for discussion of air-sea boundary processes for
Boundaries of the Sea, part 2
1959 September 9
General note
Time 10:30 | Time 8:34. Partially in German.
Paleobiography and paleogeology
1959 September 9
Box 2, Folder 1, 4
Reels 58, 62 - Discussion with William Von Arx
1959 September 9
General note
Time 7:14 | Time 9:44
Box 2, Folder 5
Reel 63 - Roger Revelle facilitates discussion with Von Arx, Malcolm Dole, and others
Box 2, Folder 6
Reel 64 - Roger Revelle facilitates discussion with Dole, Walter Munk and others on polar wandering
Box 2, Folder 7-8
Reels 65-66 - Munk on polar wandering (continued)
General note
Time 6:54 | 9:26
Box 2, Folder 9-10
Reels 67-68 - Kurt Fredriksson on the "Age and areal distribution of cosmic spherules"
1959 September 9
General note
Time 2:47 | Time 13:14
Sea water: Nutrients, biology, radioactivity topics
1959 September 10
Box 2, Folder 11
Reel 69 - Revelle introduces topic of micro-nutrients in sea water; Dixy Lee Ray on culture of sea organisms
Box 2, Folder 12
Reel 70 - Discussion with Dixy Lee Ray and Revelle on algae and bacteria growth continues; J. H. Steele joins discussion
Box 2, Folder 13
Reel 71 - Y. Miyake discusses radioactivity in seawater
Box 2, Folder 14
Reel 72 - Revelle continues discussion of radioactivity in the ocean
Box 2, Folder 15
Reel 74 - J. H. Steele discusses primary production of nutrients and organic material in the sea
Box 2, Folder 16
Reel 75 - Columbus Iselin and Roger Revelle discuss SCOR Indian Ocean Project
1959 September 11
Box 2, Folder 17-18
Reels 78-79 - Q & A and concluding summary discussion with Sir Edward Bullard, Roger Revelle, William Von Arx and others
1959 September 11
General note
Time 11:42 | Time 20:27