FOREWORD 



The formation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 ushered in 

 the first decade of environmental awareness as a total national phenomenon. It was a 

 decade punctuated by major Congressional mandates to restore the nation's waters, 

 to reduce air pollution, and to find a comprehensive approach to other environmental 

 problems— those associated with pesticide use, hazardous waste disposal and toxic 

 substances. It was a decade underscored by the demand for new technology and 

 better science to answer environmental questions and to solve environmental 

 problems. 



As the scientific and technical arm of the Agency, The Office of Research and 

 Development is responsible for advancing the state of knowledge about the environ- 

 ment such that critical issues and questions can be addressed and answered 

 effectively, based on the application of state-of-the-art science and technology. In the 

 years since 1970. The Office of Research and Development has produced manifold 

 increases in the data base from which environmental decisions are made and in the 

 sophistication of the understanding which has provided the basis for decisions. 



This volume represents our effort to take stock of scientific advances in research 

 pertaining to the coastal environment since the inception of the Agency and to gauge 

 what progress has been made and what remains to be accomplished. The essays in 

 this volume present a range of perspectives on the subject, from the vantage points of 

 the scientific and technical disciplines which have been carrying out relevant 

 research. The points of view represented are varied and sometimes conflicting. But 

 scientific progress depends on just such diversity. The authors at times have 

 speculated about emerging problems and research needs. Such attempts require 

 extrapolation based upon informed scientific judgment. The outcome of that process 

 must, in the final analysis, be recognized as opinion and not fact. 



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