Table 4. — U.S. institutions, investigators, and projects in Controlled Ecosystem Pollution Experiment (CEPEX) 



Organization 



Investigator 



Project title 



University of California, 



Scripps Institution of Oceanography 



University of Georgia, 



Skidaway Institute of Oceanography 



University of Miami, Rosenstiel School 

 of Marine and Atmospheric Science 



Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 



J. R. Beers 



0. Holm-Hansen 

 W. H. Thomas 



R. W. Eppley 

 L. P. Atkinson 



D. W. Menzel 

 H. L. Windom 



M. R. Reeve 



G. W. Grice 

 R. F. Vaccaro 



The Role of Microzooplankton in an Environmental 

 Effects Program 



Effects of Pollutants on Marine Phytoplankton 



Kinetics of Nutrient Assimilation by Phytoplankton 



Assessment of Natural and Manmade Levels of Light 

 Hydrocarbons in Saanich Inlet 



Integrated Field Studies and Operations 



Heavy Metal Variations in Natural and Polluted Eco- 

 systems 



The Role of Zooplankton in an Environmental Effects 

 Program 



Zooplankton Population Assessment 



The Complementary Role of Heterotrophic Microbial 

 Measurements in an Environmental Effects Program 



biota, related interactions, and factors relating to pollution 

 control and removal. Investigations in progress include study 

 of: 



1) concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in nat- 

 ural waters, 



2) solubility behavior of aromatic hydrocarbons and 

 mixtures of aromatic hydrocarbons in fresh and 

 salt water, 



3) products resulting from bacterial oxidation of 

 aromatic hydrocarbons, 



4) effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on growth of 

 marine bacteria in batch culture, and 



5) effects of aromatic hydrocarbons on marine bac- 

 teria in continuous culture. 



Samples for these studies were collected in the Gulf of 

 Mexico (fig. 10). 



Organization: Oregon State University 



Investigator: R. L, Holton 



Project Title: Dynamics and Effects of Polychlorinated 



Biphenyls in Marine Food Chains 

 Grant No.: GX-37350 



The discovery of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 

 Baltic Sea fishes in 1966 alerted marine scientists to the po- 

 tential problem of widespread marine environmental pollution 

 from PCBs. Studies demonstrate that PCBs are concentrated by 

 certain organisms but it is not yet clear how PCBs affect bio- 

 logical systems, or how these effects relate to long-term 

 changes in marine environmental quality. To answer these 

 questions, objectives of this project focus on examining the 

 toxic effects of PCBs — at various life-cycle stages — on respira- 

 tion, reproduction, genetic structure, and behavior of marine 

 populations. In addition to samples collected in Oregon coastal 

 waters, project plans are to obtain the following environmental 

 samples: 



1) Marine biota from Central Pacific, 



2) North Pacific zooplankton, 



3) Marine biota from Eastern Equatorial Pacific, and 



4) North Pacific transect biota. 



Organization: Texas A&M Research Foundation 

 Investigator: C. S. Giam 



Project Title: Isolation, Characterization, Quantitation, and 

 Biological Effects of Phthalates and Chlorinated Hydro- 

 carbons in Biota From the Gulf of Mexico 

 Grant No.: GX-37349 



Millions of pounds of industrial chemicals are manu- 

 factured. Many find their way into the oceans by spillage, 

 escape into atmosphere and streams, and are dumped into the 

 ocean. Suspect pollutants in this study are mainly synthetic 

 compounds which are likely to be present in the marine environ- 

 ment and are expected to be in the parts per billion or trillion 

 range. Initially a search will be made for the various common 

 phthalate esters in the marine biota from the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Phthalates are likely suspect marine pollutants. Dioctyl 

 phthalate, which is the main constituent of polyvinyl chloride 

 is produced in large quantities and millions of pounds are 

 suspected in rivers and oceans. 



The purpose of this study is to identify new and imminent 

 pollutants in samples from the Gulf of Mexico, especially in 

 the organisms that concentrate trace contaminants. The Gulf 

 of Mexico is an excellent body of water for the study of pollu- 

 tion by organic contaminants as 80 percent of the dissolved 

 chemical load in the United States is carried by the Mississippi 

 River into the Gulf. Specific objectives of this project are: 



1) To develop procedures for the detection, charac- 

 terization, and quantitation of phthalates; 



2) To collect, identify, and analyze samples of water, 

 sediment, and marine organisms for phthalates 

 and for chlorinated hydrocarbons; and 



3) To study the effects of these pollutants on benthic 

 organisms, marine coccoid and blue-green algae. 



