ABSTRACT
In some cases, methods of research are as important as the research itself. Historically, the oceanographer has been wed to the research vessel and its umbilicals of ropes or wires on which sensors or collectors are suspended. This has heavily restricted and frequently determined experimental design. Against the background of the enormity of the oceans and its manifold physical, chemical, and biological processes, we can honestly ask whether or not the shipbased research technique is providing the information for the proper interpretation of ocean environments (Fig. 1).
