Agency history, 1962-1969

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Subject

Humprey, Philip Strong 1926-

Category

Agency History

Notes

  • This is an agency history. It does not describe actual records. The Smithsonian Institution Archives uses these histories as brief accounts of the origin, development, and functions of an office or administrative unit to set that unit in its historical context. To find information on record holdings, please double-click the highlighted field "Creator/Author", which will open on a brief view of relevant records.
  • Guide to the Smithsonian Archives
  • The Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program (POBSP) was initiated in 1962 when the Smithsonian Institution entered into a grant agreement with the Department of Defense. During the period January 1963 through June 1969, Smithsonian employees undertook biological surveys in an area of the Pacific Ocean spanning the equator and extending from latitude 30 degrees north to 10 degrees south and from longitude 150 degrees to 180 degrees west, an area dotted with clusters of islands and atolls.
  • The major goals of the program were to learn what plants and animals occurred on the islands, the seasonal variations in their numbers and reproductive activities, and the distribution and population of pelagic birds of the area. Emphasis was placed on the banding of birds in an effort to determine migration, distribution, and abundance of pelagic sea birds. During the six and a half years of field work, 1,800,000 birds were banded; approximately 150,000 observations of pelagic birds at sea were made; and biological surveys of varying intensity were made on several islands.
  • The Principal Investigator of the POBSP was Philip Strong Humphrey, who in 1962 came to the Museum of Natural History as Curator of Birds. In 1964, Humphrey became Chairman of the newly created Department of Vertebrate Zoology, while retaining his position as Curator of Birds. In 1967, he left the Smithsonian to become Director of the Museum of Natural History and Chairman of the Department of Zoology at the University of Kansas. However, he remained as Principal Investigator of the POBSP.
  • For a history of the larger creating unit, refer to "Forms part of" above.

Repository Loc.

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520

Date

  • 1962
  • 1962-1969

Topic

  • Bird surveys
  • Bird banding
  • Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program
  • Pelagic birds

Form/Genre

Mixed archival materials

Local number

SIA AH00031

Full Record

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