wastes, where possible retrieval is essential, dictates land sites for appropriate recep- 

 tacles. Clearly, the marine environment has accommodated domestic and industrial 

 wastes in the past. With increasing affluence in many countries and with an 

 increasing world population, the disposal needs for societal wastes will also increase. 

 What additional information do we need to consider oceanic discharge with the 

 caveat that we maintain the oceanic resources in renewable states? 



The simplest answer presupposes increases in our knowledge of the marine 

 environment, chemical, physical, biological and geological, for all contribute to our 

 abilitv to evaluate the ocean's capacity for accepting wastes. 



But some specific problems, often pollutant-specific or site-specific, need to be 

 resolved. Since the impact upon the health of the communities of organisms will 

 determine most endpoints. clearly we require simple, direct indicators of stress. I 

 have pointed out that there are general stress indices already available; still, there 

 remains the identification of specific indices responsive to individual pollutants or 

 classes of pollutants, say, the low molecular halocarbons or chlorophenols. 



Some background problems continue to haunt us. What are the long-term effects 

 of low levels of pollutants on life in the sea? What are the synergistic and antagonistic 

 effects of collectives of pollutants or of individual pollutants? What are the amounts 

 and compositions of discharged wastes going to the oceans today? What are the 

 anticipated amounts for the near future'.' 



But also there are scientific developments that will aid in our study of the 

 titrations. Remote sensing may be of great value in studying the dispersion of wastes 

 after introduction and the description of effects, for instance, eutrophication. where 

 one species of algae is replaced by another. Our abilities to analyze smaller and 

 smaller amounts of pollutants and to collect environmental samples without con- 

 tamination have continually developed over the past years. There appears to be no 

 let-up in this area. Finally, the growing community of political scientists, econo- 

 mists, and sociologists demands an evaluation of external costs in considerations 

 of oceanic discharge, information essential to ascertain whether the oceans can 

 compete with the atmosphere or land in receiving specific societal discards. 



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