Environmental Data Service for storage, handling, and 

 dissemination to interested scientists. 



NOAA completed major geophysical data-acquisition projects in 

 two continental shelf areas last year, the Gulf of Alaska and the 

 Oregon-Washington coast. A major deep Pacific Ocean series was 

 also completed. The Geological Survey conducted detailed surveys 

 and analyses of the geological structure of the continental margin. 



The Coastal Environment 



Even before last year's coastal zone legislation, the Federal Ocean 

 Program had begun to turn shoreward to meet the crucial problems 

 in this area. A magnet for population, the Nation's coastal zone has 

 become home to some 81 million Americans as well as a crowded 

 province of industry, commerce, and recreation. It has been here that 

 the most urgent confrontations between the marine environment and 

 human activities have occurred — confrontations exacerbated year 

 by year as the tempo and tone of conflicting demands on coastal zone 

 land and resources have risen. Thus, some strong coastal zone 

 programs are being developed that are expected to become stronger 

 as the intent of last year's legislation is transformed into programs. 



The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is presently design- 

 ing a National Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network 

 integrating existing capabilities at the Federal, State, and local 

 levels of government. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, 

 working in cooperation with EPA, maintains 190 coastal stations to 

 establish baselines and examine trends in areas where pesticide 

 residues may be accumulating. 



Preliminary results from EPA contracts indicate that, of more than 

 3,000 coastal and Great Lakes public beaches surveyed, some 300 

 were closed in 1972. In most instances these closings were directly 

 attributable to sewage system breakdowns. The effect of pollution 

 on shellfish-growing areas in the coastal zone was also reviewed by 

 EPA. The results of these surveys will be published as a series of 

 National Ocean Survey charts. 



The Department of the Interior's National Water Data Program 

 continued last year to provide multipurpose water data to agencies 

 at all governmental levels responsible for managing, developing, 

 improving, or protecting the coastal environment. In 1972, data on 

 long-term fresh water inflow were obtained at more than 600 

 gauging stations in the Nation's estuaries, with water quality data 

 available from about 30 stations. 



The Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory in 1972 continued 

 development of the Navy Environmental Protection Data Base, 

 which will serve over 240 major naval activities in the continental 

 United States and foreign countries. The pollutants to be monitored 

 will be based upon the results of a two-year pilot program conducted 

 at three representative sites — a naval fleet activity, a naval air 



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