The two groups both responded positively, leading to several oceanographic events at the time.
However, the need developed for the creation of an independent community, resulting in the formation of the Oceanography Society in March 1988.
[4] It is named after Nils Gunnar Jerlov, an early leader in the area of ocean optics research.
Since 2019, it has been reestablished as the Walter Munk Medal to be awarded biennially "to an individual ocean scientist for extraordinary accomplishments and novel insights in the area of physical oceanography, ocean acoustics, or marine geophysics".
The journal was first published in 1988; all of its issues are available both in print and online as PDF files.