Our Seabed Frontier -- Copyright -- Preface -- THE COMMITTEE -- SCOPE OF STUDY -- METHOD OF STUDY -- ORGANIZATION OF REPORT -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- APPROACH OF STUDY -- USES AND RELATED ISSUES -- Oil and Gas Resources -- Mineral Resources -- Waste Disposal -- Communication Cables and Military Uses -- BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES -- Ocean Energy Systems -- Cultural and Recreational Resources -- TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION ISSUES -- Surveying and Mapping -- Geotechnical Investigation Systems -- Monitoring of the Seabed -- Technology Development -- GOVERNANCE AND POLICY ISSUES -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- 1 Seabed Jurisdiction and Utilization -- ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EEZ -- AREAL DEFINITION -- RESOURCE UTILIZATION -- 2 Seabed Processes and Research Activities -- SEABED CHARACTERISTICS -- Regional Features -- EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS -- Earthquakes -- Tsunamis -- Hurricanes and Storm-Related Waves -- Currents -- Ice-Bottom Interaction -- NATURAL SEABED PROCESSES -- Sediment Mass Movements -- Sediment Dynamics -- SEDIMENT PROPERTIES -- Physical Properties -- Compressibility and Permeability -- Chemical Properties -- Gas Hydrates -- Ferromanganese Deposits -- Sediment Oxidation-Reduction Chemistry -- Biological Properties -- SEABED RESEARCH -- Surveying -- Sampling -- Sediment Transport and Organism-Sediment Interaction -- Gas and Frost in Sediments -- Slope Stability -- Physical and Biological Research -- Remote Sensing -- Research Activities -- 3 Present and Potential Uses of the Seabed -- OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT AND OFFSHORE STRUCTURES -- Background -- Scope of Development -- Development Constraints -- Seafloor Gradients -- Seafloor Geologic Processes -- Knowledge -- Engineering Properties of Sediments -- Production Siting and Facilities -- Summary -- MINERAL EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT -- Background.

Scope of Development -- Development Constraints -- Resource Estimation -- Reconnaissance and Exploration -- Recovery Technology -- Environmental Impact Assessment -- Leasing Policy and Regulation -- Use Conficts -- Summary -- WASTE DISPOSAL -- Background -- Scope of Development -- Development Constraints -- Understanding Fates and Effects -- Isolating Contaminated Materials -- Jensen Criteria Limits -- State of Connecticut Classification -- Regulation -- U.S. Regulations -- International Agreements -- Siting -- Public Perception -- Summary -- CABLES AND MILITARY USES -- Background -- Cables -- Military Uses -- Scope of Development -- Cables -- Military Uses -- Constraints to Development -- Geophysical Constraints -- Use Conflicts -- Summary -- BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES -- Background -- Scope of Development -- Development Constraints -- Summary -- OCEAN ENERGY RESOURCES -- Background -- Scope of Development -- Development Constraints -- Summary -- CULTURAL AND RECREATIONAL RESOURCES -- Background -- Scope of Development -- Development Constraints -- Summary -- 4 Technology and Data Acquisition -- SURVEYING AND MAPPING -- Background -- Mapping Technologies -- Profiling Systems -- Direct Sampling -- Navigation/Positioning Systems -- Mapping Programs -- Government Agencies -- Industry -- Academia -- Mapping Strategy -- Reconnaissance Mapping -- Task-Specific Mapping -- Limitations and Constraints -- Effectiveness of Profiling Systems -- Data Archiving, Processing and Interpretation -- Direct Sampling Problems -- Development Costs and Limited Markets -- Survey Cost Effectiveness -- Summary -- SEABED GEOTECHNICAL DATA -- Background -- Deployment Systems -- Sampling Systems -- In Situ Testing Systems -- Laboratory Testing -- Experimental Model Testing Systems -- Technology Limitations/Needs -- Summary -- EEZ SEABED MONITORING -- Reference Monitoring.

Process-Oriented Monitoring -- Use-Related Monitoring -- Waste Disposal -- Oil and Gas -- Minerals -- Military -- Monitoring Needs -- Pollutant Detection -- Biological Assessments -- Sampling Strategies -- Frontier Environment Considerations -- Technology Advances -- Nontechnical Problem Resolution -- Summary -- DATA MANAGEMENT -- 5 The Challenges of EEZ Use -- A FRAMEWORK FOR SITE EVALUATION -- Geology -- Geotechnical Properties -- Oceanography -- Biology -- TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS FOR THE SEABED -- Mapping and Surveying -- Geotechnical Data -- Monitoring -- SUMMARY -- 6 Coordination and Planning -- REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS -- The Complexities of the EEZ -- Multiple-Use Conflicts -- The Regulatory Framework -- Oil and Gas Regulation -- Hard Minerals -- Fisheries -- Federal Licensing of Ports and Offshore Facilities -- Existing Planning and Coordination Processes -- PLANNING AND GOVERNANCE -- Balancing Different Interests -- COORDINATION AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS -- A National Policy for the EEZ -- Optimizing Research Investments and Capability -- Coordinating Mechanisms -- SUMMARY -- 7 Conclusions and Recommendations -- COORDINATION AND PLANNING -- Recommendations -- SPECIFIC USES -- Recommendations -- RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT -- Recommendations -- ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING -- Recommendation -- PROTECTION OF UNIQUE AREAS -- Recommendation -- References -- Glossary of Acronyms -- Appendix A Presidential EEZ Proclamation -- Appendix B Committee Biographies -- Appendix C Participants of the Workshop on Uses and Technology for the Exclusive Economic Zone Seabed, Keystone, Colorado.