Supporting Efforts 



Rapidly intensifying use of the nation's coastal areas has 

 emphasized the need for better information on the marine 

 environment. In recent years, there have been many public 

 controversies over uses of the coastal zone in which the most obvious 

 common denominator among contending forces has been lack of 

 information concerning environmental response. With heightened 

 public environmental awareness, continued economic development 

 of our coastal areas, and a number of dramatic large-scale 

 developments such as superports and offshore nuclear facilities on 

 the horizon, the need for marine environmental information will 

 become more pressing than ever before. Many Federal agencies are 

 helping to fill this need with a variety of projects, some of which are 

 discussed briefly here. Research efforts, which indirectly support 

 environmental protection, are summarized in other chapters. 



NOAA initiated the Marine Ecosystems Analysis (MESA) 

 Program in 1973. MESA is concentrating efforts on discrete marine 

 areas located in various regions along U.S. coastlines. The primary 

 objective of these regional projects is to develop information on the 

 biological, physical, and chemical processes of selected coastal 

 areas, which will improve our ability to assess and predict the 

 impact of manmade alterations on natural phenomena in selected 

 coastal regions. 



The New York Bight Project, the first area selected for study, is one 

 of the Nation's most complex and heavily used coastal areas. The 

 New York Bight MESA project involves other Federal and State 

 agencies, industry, and universities in an integrated study approach. 



An examination of the Bight has been completed, and modeling 

 and field efforts are underway to provide information to help resolve 

 such critical environmental issues confronting the Bight as the 

 impact of dumping of sewage sludge on the continental shelf and 

 slope; the accumulation rates and residence times of the various 

 types of wastes disposed of in the Bight; the impact of siting offshore 

 structures, such as nuclear plants and deepwater ports for 

 supertankers, off the coast of New Jersey; and the myriad of 

 problems facing the estuaries, barrier islands, and nearshore areas 

 of the south shore of Long Island and the coast of New Jersey. 



The New York Bight Advisory committee, made up of individuals 

 from Federal, State and local governmental organizations, scientific 

 and academic institutions, and public and special interest groups, 

 will assure effective communication needed to coordinate the 

 development of the project with local requirements and activities. 



In preparation for a comprehensive ecosystem investigation in 

 Puget Sound, NOAA, through its Office of Coastal Environment, has 

 established the office of Northwest Environmental Coordinator in 



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