1.2 The Scientific Study and Participating Institutions 



The circumstances of the Tsesis incident contributed to the even- 

 tual involvement of three institutions in the short and long term studies 

 that followed. These were the Swedish Asko Laboratory, The Swedish 

 Water and Air Pollution Research Institute (IVL), and the U.S. National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ; the involvement of each 

 is described below. 



The Tsesis oil spill was unusual in that the grounding was in the 

 study area of an existing marine science program. This meant that 

 scientists were already on-scene with extensive historical knowledge of 

 the system, logistics and facilities were in place and ready, and a 

 sampling program was in progress, requiring only modification to suit 

 the circumstances and needs of the oil spill study. The Asko Laboratory, 

 supported with personnel from the University of Stockholm, is situated 

 on the Island of Askon only 4 km from the site of the grounding. The 

 main project carried out by the laboratory since 1971, sponsored by the 

 Swedish Natural Science Research Council, has been "Dynamics and Energy 

 Flow in the Baltic Ecosystem." The project's objective has been to 

 create a complete ecological model of the Baltic where the flows of 

 energy and matter (representing basic processes such as inflows of light 

 energy and nutrients, feeding, sedimentation and mineral cycling) tie 

 together the various storages of plants, animals and chemical matter. 

 Another research project, in progress by the Asko Laboratory, was con- 

 cerned with the ecological effects of the waste water from a sewage 

 plant. This plant is located about 25 km north of Asko in the fjord 

 "Himmerf jarden" . It was found that the fjord and the archipelago out- 

 side it, with its algal fringe, can act as a filter or "sink", retaining 

 some of the nutrients and releasing a "cleaner" water into the open 

 Baltic. This project originated in 1972, sponsored in part by the 

 Swedish Environment Protection Board. The oil spill from the tanker 

 Tsesis occurred on the boundary where these two well-documented investi- 

 gation areas overlap. 



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