The biological populations contained in the Earth's oceans are a current focal point for intense scientific study aimed at describ-ing and understanding the complexity of interactions between and among the various component parts of the living system and with their physical and chemical environments. Any possible utilization of marine aquaculture in the future on an economically-practical basis to augment man's food supply depends upon the gaining of this knowledge. Attainment of such a goal presents a great challenge because of the dynamic and variable nature of many of these interactions. As a part of the quest for this understanding, new means for the study of marine populations must be developed because of shortcomings in our present methodology. Successful application of holographic techniques to the study of planktonic populations (i.e. the populations of small organisms living unattached within the water column, either passively moving or possessing very limited powers of locomotion) could provide a major contribution towards furthering our knowledge of the behavior of this important component of the total biological community in the sea. While, in general, the plankton organisms are not directly exploited as a commercial product, they are an integral part in the overall production of marketable fish and other marine biological products.

Date Published: 1 March 1974
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 0041, Developments in Laser Technology II, (1 March 1974); doi: 10.1117/12.953852

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0041:
Developments in Laser Technology II
Ralph F. Wuerker, Editor(s)