Organization: Harvard University 



Investigator: J. N. Butler 



Project Title: Transfer of Persistent Pollutants in Sargassum 

 Communities 



Grant No.: GX-32883 



The objectives of this program are to understand the dy- 

 namics of persistent pollutants, particularly selected hydrocarbon 

 from petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons within the float- 

 ing colonies of Sargassum with their attendant fauna, found in 

 the Sargasso Sea. The Bermuda Biological Station serves as a 

 base of operations for these studies. 



To fulfill the objectives of the program, the following stud- 

 ies are in progress: 



1 . Collections of Sargassum communities of varying sizes 

 are being made, and the number and taxonomy of each species 

 in the community is being determined. Detailed studies of the 

 structure, dynamics, and stability of the communities are being 

 made, and trophic levels and modes of transfer will be identified. 

 Attempts will be made to construct suitable mathematical 

 models. 



To test the hypothesis that the presence of pelagic tar acts 

 as a stress on the Sargassum communities and tends to reduce 

 their diversity, Butler and his associates plan to correlate the 

 diversity of each community with the density of pelagic tar in 

 the same area. 



2. The pelagic tar lumps will be analyzed by gas chroma- 

 tography to determine if the lumps vary significantly or whether 

 they are uniform throughout. 



3. The paraffinic hydrocarbon content of the major spe- 

 cies in the community will be determined. Comparison of these 

 data with those of the tar itself may make it possible to trace 

 hydrocarbons and their metabolites through the food web of the 

 pelagic ecosystem, as well as determine when significant addi- 

 tional hydrocarbons are present. 



4. The chlorinated hydrocarbon content (DDT, dieldrin, 

 and their residues) will be determined both in the pelagic tar 

 lumps and in the various species of the Sargassum community. 



5. The results of these analytical studies will be inter- 

 preted in light of the observed structure, function, and diversity 

 of species, using toxicological data obtained from the literature 

 and new laboratory work on organisms specific to the Sargas- 

 sum community. Models of pollutant transport will be con- 

 structed. The organisms most sensitive to pollutants can be used 

 as indicators of environmental quality in future monitoring stud- 

 ies. 



A number of samples of tar lumps and Sargassum com- 

 munities were collected near Bermuda in connection with Office 

 of Naval Research Hydrostation S (31°10'N, 64°30'W). Co- 

 operative arrangements have been made for sampling by other 

 vessels making transects of the North Atlantic, in particular the 

 University of Rhode Island RV Trident and also the West- 

 ward. An additional program, partially supported by the Ber- 

 muda Government, has been underway to sample the tar that 

 washes up on beaches at six representative locations around 

 Bermuda. 



To date, Butler and B. Morriss, Bermuda Biological Sta- 

 tion, have presented new quantitative results for the amounts of 

 tar in the Sargasso Sea and the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean, a 

 quantitative assessment of tar on Bermuda beaches over a pe- 



riod of nearly 1 year, and information on the physical and 

 chemical characteristics of the tar found both at sea and on the 

 beaches. 



Organization: University of Rhode Island, Graduate School 

 of Oceanography 



Investigators: R. A. Duce, J. L. Fasching, W. F. Fitzgerald, 

 D. R. Kester, C. E. OIney, M. E. Q. Pilson, J. G. Quinn 



Project Title: Atmospheric Pollutant Transfer and Deposition 

 on the Sea Surface 



Grant No.: GX-33777 



The objectives and scope of this research program are as 

 follows: 



1. To evaluate the importance of atmospheric transport 

 of such pollutants of the ocean surface as chlorinated hydrocar- 

 bons, heavy metals, and petroleum products. 



2. To characterize the surface microlayer and top 1 meter 

 of the ocean with respect to (A) the chemical concentration and 

 speciation of naturally occurring and pollutant organic and inor- 

 ganic substances and (B) physical features such as density sta- 

 bility. 



3. To investigate, in the laboratory, the chemical and 

 physical mechanisms of pollutant concentration, stabilization, 

 and dispersion in the surface layer of the ocean. 



For many areas of the project, the first 6 months has been 

 a period of design, construction, and testing of new collection 

 equipment. New analytical procedures have been developed, and 

 old ones modified. Coordinated field studies in the various areas 

 of atmospheric transport and surface microlayer chemistry of 

 the various pollutants were begun. 



The ship sampling program was conducted on the Univers- 

 ity of Rhode Island RV Trident. Figure 1 4 presents the ship 

 tracks for the Trident Cruises, TR-111, TR-114, and 

 TR-123, (February-September 1972), where 30 atmospheric 

 particulate samples were collected for trace metal analyses and 

 1 1 for organic analyses. Twenty-three surface microlayer sam- 

 ples were also collected and analyzed for trace metals. Micro- 



Figure 14,— RV TRIDENT (TR) IDOE Cruises, 

 February to September 1972. 



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