INTRODUCTION 



PROGRAM HISTORY 



In 1954, a Japanese fishing boat and its load of 

 fish were contaminated by radioactive fallout from 

 atomic bomb testing in the Pacific Ocean. The incident 

 raised many unanswered questions. Would the 

 radioactivity released to the ocean be transported into 

 Japanese waters by the Kuroshio Current? Could fish 

 taken from contaminated areas of the ocean be safely 

 eaten? What would be the ultimate fate of the radioac- 

 tivity? To assist in answering the questions, the Atomic 

 Energy Commission (AEC), a predecessor of the 

 Department of Energy (DOE), initiated an 

 oceanographic research program. 



The research was performed mostly by academic 

 scientists and was based on the recommendations 

 made by the National Academy of Sciences in its 1957 

 publication, "The Effects of Atomic Radiation on 

 Oceanography and Fisheries." This report called for 

 fundamental research on the ocean and its com- 

 ponents and processes, particularly in seven key areas: 



• Dispersion in the upper mixed layer 



• Circulation in the intermediate and deep 

 layers 



• Exchange between the surface layer and 

 deep layers 



• Sedimentation processes 



• Effects of tha biosphere on the distribution 

 and circulation of elements 



• Uptake and retention of elements by 

 organisms used as food for humans 



• Effects of radiation on populations of 

 marine organisms. 



AEC consequently oriented its oceanographic 

 program toward research on ocean processes. The 

 wisdom in doing so, rather than simply monitoring the 

 system for radioactivity, became evident in the 1970's 

 as fallout concerns subsided, while impacts of nuclear 

 power plants and other energy activities began to 

 dominate agency priorities. 



Study of the process-related issues was 

 facilitated by the nature of the contaminant. 

 Radionuclides decay at fixed rates and oceanog- 

 raphers were able to use a number of radionuclides to 

 follow and time the processes occurring in the ocean. 

 This was a major breakthrough that has become in- 

 creasingly significant in determining biogeochemical 

 cycling and water mass movements. 



Thus, the initial program provided both the 

 framework and the tools for analyzing other energy- 

 derived contaminants; its insights and methods could 

 also be used for understanding impacts from industrial 

 and agricultural sources. 



Over time, the AEC/DOE research was moved 

 to the shallow coastal waters, where the potential for 

 problems related to energy issues was much greater 

 than in the deep oceans. To unravel the complexities of 

 shelf analysis, regional research teams — made up of 

 biological, chemical, and physical oceanographers — 

 were created. Using this interdisciplinary approach, 

 and frequently working in collaboration with other 

 agencies, the Department of Energy is furthering our 

 understanding of the processes affecting the cycling 

 and behavior of energy-introduced contaminants in 

 the coastal zone. 



Coastal Ocean Margins Program 



December 1988 



