The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports research in 

 coastal zone management as well as on trace contaminants in rivers 

 and estuaries. The Environmental Systems and Resources Division 

 supports exploratory research necessary in resolving critical 

 management questions dealing with ecological and environmental 

 impacts of thermal and pollutant additions in Delaware Bay. 

 Another project involves wastewater treatment and outfalls in 

 Chesapeake Bay and their effect on marine life in estuarine 

 communities. Trace contaminant work includes studies of the 

 environmental aspects of mercury, methyl mercury, arsenic, and 

 cadmium. 



Knowledge of water quality and ocean dynamics is particularly 

 important in anticipating the consequences of siting barge-mounted 

 nuclear reactors in the nearshore environment. For example, new 

 data on water movements and the state of thermohaline unrest on 

 continental shelves have come from the NSF International Decade of 

 Ocean Exploration (IDOE) sponsored Coastal Upwelling 

 Experiments (CUE) I and CUE II along the Oregon coast; the Atomic 

 Energy Commission (AEC) sponsored studies off the coast of 

 Washington; the NSF Shelf Dynamics Program on the West Florida 

 shelf; the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and NOAA-sponsored 

 studies of the Florida Current; and a variety of measurements on the 

 shelf and slope from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod. 



The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (BSFW) in the 

 Department of the Interior has initiated a national biological service 

 effort to provide key biological information and technical assistance 

 needed for more knowledgeable land- and water-use decisions. A 

 portion of this program relates directly to the coastal zone, 

 specifically to a better understanding of interrelationships of coastal 

 ecosystems. Comprehensive baseline biological information will be 

 collated and developed to aid local, regional, and national planning 

 efforts on key estuaries and coastal areas. The effort is in response to 

 questions relating to powerplant development, waste discharge, 

 requests to dredge and fill, superports, outer continental shelf (OCS) 

 pipeline corridors and storage facilities, and ancillary land and 

 water requirements. 



In fiscal year 1975, the AEC will emphasize offshore powerplant 

 siting investigations and associated coastal oceanography. This 

 work will be performed by AEC-supported university researchers 

 and will include joint studies with NOAA. For example, there will be 

 a strong interaction with NOAA's marine ecosystems analysis 

 program. Other AEC studies along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts will 

 be inaugurated in FY '75, with additional research planned for the 

 Pacific Coast. The major focus of this work will be on the marine 



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