Wallace, G. T., Jr., G. L. Hoffman, and R. A. Duce. 



1977. The influence of organic matter and atmospheric depo- 

 sition on the particulate trace metal concentration of North- 

 west Atlantic surface seawater. Mar. Chem. 5:143-170. 



Walsh, P. R., R. A. Duce, and J. L. Fasching. 



1977. Impregnated filter sampling system for collection of 

 volatile arsenic in the atmosphere. Environ. Sci. Tech. 

 11:163-166. 



Biological Effects Program (BEP) 



The major emphasis in the final year of the Biological Effects 

 Program (BEP) was to find biological indicator species that 

 could be used as an early warning of pollutant-induced pertur- 

 bations in the open ocean. This focus evolved from the initial 

 studies that began in 1973. At that time, several investigators 

 initiated laboratory experiments to evaluate sublethal, low-level 

 effects of trace metals, petroleum, chlorinated hydrocarbons, 

 and phthalates on the growth, behavior, and biochemical proc- 

 esses of several classes of marine organisms. The objectives of 

 this program were to determine the effects of various types and 

 levels of pollutants on the life history stages and physiological 

 processes of a wide range of species. Table 3 lists the projects 

 in this program. 



Results from these projects indicate that several pollutants are 

 acutely toxic in the parts-per-million range to bacteria, phyto- 

 plankton, and higher marine organisms. Generally, heavy metals 



(mercury, copper) and chlorinated hydrocarbons are found to 

 be more toxic than petroleum hydrocarbons. Also, either whole 

 or water-soluble extracts of fuel oils are more toxic than crude 

 oils in either form. Finally phthalates, which are more abundant 

 than PCB or DDT, appear to be less toxic to higher organisms. 



Specific results from these various projects indicate that the 

 toxicity of aromatic hydrocarbons to marine bacteria increased 

 inversely with solubility. Thus, high molecular weight, relatively 

 insoluble hydrocarbons such as benzpyrene may be just as toxic 

 as the lower molecular weight, more soluble hydrocarbons such 

 as naphthalene. 



Photosynthesis by marine microalgae was found to be imme- 

 diately and severely inhibited by low-dose rates (1 to 10 ng 

 water-solubles per mg dry algae) of oil water-solubles. Differen- 

 tial effects on the rate of photosynthetic oxygen evolution and 

 pH increases in cell suspension suggest that different oils have 

 different toxicity mechanisms. These short-term studies indi- 

 cate that the primary toxic effect of oil and water-solubles on 

 microalgae may be through direct action on the energy-yielding 

 electron transport systems. 



Effects studies of the water-solubles of six oils on the survival 

 and growth rate of the embryonic and larval stages of the 

 quahog clam, Mercenaria sp., showed that the median lethal 

 concentrations (LC 50 ) of six oils ranged from less than 0.10 ppm 

 to 10 ppm in 6-day exposure tests. Ten-day exposure periods 

 decreased the LC 5 „ values of the least toxic crude oils to about 

 2 ppm. Larvae surviving exposure to water-soluble fractions of 

 the various oils grew at slower rates than comparable control 

 larvae. 



Table 3. — U.S. institutions, investigators, and projects in Biological Effects Program 



Institutions 



Investigators 



Projects 



University of Alaska 



University of Delaware 

 Florida State University 



University of Georgia, 



Skidaway Institute of Oceanography 



Texas A & M University 



University of Texas, 



Marine Science Institute 



Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 



P. B. Reichardt and 

 D. K. Button 

 M. R. Tripp 

 J. A. Calder 



R. F. Lee 

 J. M. Neff 



C. S. Giam 

 W. M. Sackett 



H. Kleerekoper 



J. A. C. Nichol and 

 C. Van Baalen 

 J. J. Stegeman 



Lability of Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Non- 

 lethal Effects on Marine Organisms 

 Histopathology of Benthic Invertebrates 

 Investigations of Breakdown and Sublethal Bio- 

 logical Effects in Trace Petroleum Constituents in 

 the Marine Environment 



Fate of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Marine Food 

 Web 



Sublethal Effects of Selected Heavy Metals and 

 Organic Compounds on Organisms From the Gulf 

 of Mexico 



Biological Effect of Phthalates and Chlorinated 

 Hydrocarbons in Biota from the Gulf of Mexico 

 Fate, Spatial, and Temporal Distribution of Petro- 

 leum-Derived Organic Compounds in the Ocean, 

 and their Sublethal Effects on Marine Organisms 

 Subacute Effects of PCBs and Copper Ions in 

 Locomotor and Orientation Behavior in Certain 

 Marine Fishes 



Marine Petroleum Pollution: Biological Effects and 

 Chemical Characterization 



Xenobiotic (Hydrocarbon) Metabolism by Mixed 

 Function Oxidases in Estuarine, Coastal, and Open 

 Ocean Fish Species 



