76 



In summary, the CNR's ocean and atmospheric modeling capability is 

 a national resource, and we welcome cooperative efforts to transition 

 this capability into civilian applications. 



ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 



ONR works with the operational Navy and the DoD SERDP office to 

 develop interagency and civilian cooperative efforts related to Global 

 Change and Environmental Quality. Dr. Oswald will provide the results of 

 the SERDP effort. 



To meet Navy needs for environmentally safe ships (ESS) and the 

 marine environmental quality (MEG) of naval harbors, estuaries and 

 adjoining coastal regions, ONR has initiated two significant, long-term 

 environmental quality S&T programs. Further, the CNR is leading the 

 interagency effort (with DOE and EPA) to look at radionuclide pollution in 

 the Arctic, and NRL is to lead the first cruise to study this problem in 

 Russia's Kara Sea this summer. 



The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Acquisition) has asked 

 NRL to be responsible for providing a review and analysis of deep ocean 

 dumping of industrial waste. The review is being conducted in cooperation 

 with civilian organizations. An example of CNR-developed technology that 

 led to this request is the environmental cell (EC) for use on a 

 transmission electron microscope (TEM) to study seafloor sediment 

 microstructure. Measurements of sediment geochemical and geotechnical 

 properties of importance to several Navy warfare areas. The EC technology 

 allows researchers to view thicker sediment samples in a hydrated (i.e. 

 wet) state, a more natural condition than the previously used dry 

 technique. In addition, this technique permits introduction of two liquid or 

 four gaseous reactants into the sample under study. The resulting 

 reactions can be viewed (and video-taped) in real time and the images 

 analyzed or enhanced by computerized methods. EC technology makes 

 chemical and mineralogical analysis on a sediment microstructure scale 

 possible for the first time. 



This TEM/EC system Is presently being used in environmental quality 

 and pollution studies. For example, the TEM/EC can be used to study the 

 mobility and retention potential of pollutants in sediment systems. An 

 understanding of these processes has far-reaching applications to 



