William Sound, Alaska are being conducted to determine levels of 

 hydrocarbons in selected marine organisms in the food chain and 

 sediments. Hydrocarbon analysis, using newly developed 

 techniques, is being performed by the National Bureau of Standards 

 to provide definitive data by FY '75 on existing levels of 

 hydrocarbons in Prince William Sound. 



NOAA's National Ocean Survey is conducting a tide and 

 circulatory survey of Cook Inlet, Alaska. This project will include 

 the accumulation of data on tides, currents, water temperatures, 

 salinity levels, and other variables. These data will be useful in 

 controlling pollution resulting from accidents in oil drilling and 

 tanker operations. The National Ocean Survey conducts a coastal 

 estuarine and coastal circulation program that will provide 

 information useful in pollution control activities. This program 

 includes tidal current surveys, estuarine flushing, and nontidal 

 current predictions. It uses both conventional and remote sensing 

 data gathering techniques and is coordinated with programs of other 

 Federal, State, and local organizations. 



NOAA's Environmental Research Laboratories are engaged in 

 studying the impact of marine mining operations on the 

 environment. These studies include investigations of the effects on 

 marine life of various concentrations of suspended bottom sediment, 

 which may be disrupted and redeposited in sand and gravel mining. 

 The Environmental Research Laboratories are also making baseline 

 measurements, 1,200 miles southeast of Honolulu, which will be 

 compared with conditions after the completion of a pilot manganese 

 mining experiment. The resulting information about the effects of 

 manganese mining activities on physical, biological, and chemical 

 mechanisms will be used to formulate guidelines for future large- 

 scale mining operations. 



Several agencies in DOI conduct investigations contributing to 

 marine environmental quality. The stream gaging program of USGS 

 provides information important to pollution control, especially 

 within estuaries, bays, and nearshore areas. In this program, USGS 

 operates about 600 gaging stations near the mouths of streams 

 entering estuaries, bays, and the oceans and approximately 100 

 stations near the mouths of streams entering the Great Lakes. 

 Streamflow measurements at these stations provide basic 

 information on the amounts of water available for the dilution of 

 sewage and for the prediction by other agencies of potential 

 pollution hazards in the coastal zone. Exceptionally large or small 

 streamflows themselves may constitute natural environmental 

 contaminents by significantly altering the salinity of coastal waters 

 on which marine life depends. Knowledge of the magnitude of 

 exceptional streamflows and the probability of their recurrence aids 

 in managing coastal zone water resources. 



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