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over much of the Pacific Northwest, suggests subtle ecological changes 

 which are much more difficult to assess. It would be invaluable to 

 be able to compare existing water quality conditions in given estua- 

 ries with conditions as they were fifty years ago. One wonders, for 

 example, how seasonal and annual stream flow regimes have changed 

 due to human activities in watershed areas and how such changes have 

 affected the estuarine environment and hence the indigenuous biota. 



Necessary Kinds of Information 



The information needed as a base for technical management should be 

 in the form of an outline describing the Nation's coastal areas. To 

 resolve questions of best estuarine use, necessary information includes 

 the following: size and shape, existing water quality, degradation, 

 sources and types of wastes, climate, hydrology, circulation, ecology, 

 present and potential habitat value, identification, distribution and 

 abundance of organisms, physical modifications, bathymetry, and bottom 

 conditions. 



BROAD ECOLOGICAL STUDIES 



Scope of Ecolonical Studies 



Broad ecological studies are needed to intearate all of the factors 

 acting to shape the nature of the estuarine zone. We need to expand 

 the baseline research on estuarine systems to include studies on 

 nutrient and thermal additions, circulation and transfer of substances 



