Viewing page 194 of 218

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

-9-

But the Earth is the sum of all its parts. And just as the Space Age has produced deeper understanding of the interconnections and interdependence of Earth's physical and biochemical processes, so, too, has it resulted in greater international cooperation in global change research, largely through observations from space. Examples are the World Ocean Circulation Experiment I've just described, the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project and the Ocean Drilling Program.

In addition, the International Council of Scientific Unions in 1986 initiated the definition of an International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, also now known as "The Global Change" program. The program is designed to describe and understand the processes that regulate the total Earth system; the changes occurring in that system; and the manner by which those changes are influenced by human actions.

This is an immensely interactive and international program which will study the changes in the land, ocean and atmosphere simultaneously. It will cross the traditional boundaries of geophysics, geochemistry and biology. Above all, it will promote the exchange of scientists and of data across national frontiers. And I believe its legacy will be an observational system that will continue to monitor global change for years to come.