parameters that govern the mechanism of shoreline contamination 

 from oil spills and natural oil seepages. The; r(!mole sensing of 

 surface slicks, using infrared spectral information, is being 

 evaluated for its effectiveness in oil slick surveillance programs. 



The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural 

 History's collection of biological specimens represents an important 

 source of information on environmental conditions faced by these 

 organisms while they were alive. The study of methods for retrieving 

 such environmental data and for enhancing the value of these 

 preserved specimens as indicator organisms for such substances as 

 heavy metals continued in FY '73 under a grant from NSF/IDOE. 



In Tunisia, the Smithsonian's Mediterranean Marine Sorting 

 Center (MMSC) in cooperation with EPA, performs studies of 

 eutrophication problems in brackish Lake Tunis. EPA also 

 supported a study by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute of 

 various aspects of the ecology and physiology of tropical marine 

 organisms. Smithsonian's Office of Environmental Sciences 

 completed a study of the environmental impact of offshore oil 

 exploitation in Indonesia and a preliminary survey of the levels of 

 heavy metals in the food chain of the sturgeon and other fishes of 

 commerical value in the Caspian Sea. 



Seabed History and Resources 



Geological and geophysical investigations of the ocean bottom are 

 central to the understanding of the origin of ocean basins, the 

 development of seawater, and the history of marine life. More 

 immediate concerns for shortfalls in fossil fuel supplies have 

 focused increased attention on continental margins as a potential 

 source of oil and gas for the nation's energy needs. 



Scientists supported by the NSF/IDOE have been conducting 

 research on continental margins, deep sea beds, and midoceanic 

 ridges to identify areas of natural resources, particularly petroleum 

 and hard minerals, and to improve understanding of the natural 

 processes that produce these resources. 



Work is proceeding on the continental margins of both sides of the 

 South Atlantic and along the co^asts of Peru and Chile. Fieldwork for 

 an extensive geophysical and geological survey of the Eastern 

 Atlantic Continental margin was completed in 1973. Scientists on 

 these cruises mapped large sediment-filled basins and belts of 

 diapirs, (areas of large-scale salt accumulation), some of which were 

 previously unreported and none of which had been completely 

 mapped. Several of these structures in shallow water are now 

 prospective sources of petroleum production; others offer potential 

 for future development. 



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