Data quality has been controlled by continuous intercalibration 

 and standardization exercises. While GEOSECS measured things 

 that have been measured before, it did so with more consistent 

 sampling and analytic techniques at all stations, and more com- 

 plete geographic coverage, than previous studies. The data collected 

 are being used to construct more accurate and more detailed 

 models of ocean circulation and mixing than were previously 

 available. 



Transfer Processes 



This project, initiated in 1972, is an integrated research effort 

 into the rates and mechanisms by which pollutants are added to 

 the oceans, and the mechanisms by which pollutants are trans- 

 ferred from one part of the ocean system to another (for example 

 from seawater to marine organisms, and vice versa). It includes 

 an evaluation of human impact on the environment, and a sub- 

 stantial effort to collect the data needed to suggest corrective 

 action. 



Measurements have been made of rates of addition of the most 

 significant classes of polfutants from all the major sources, and the 

 influence of these additions on open ocean systems. The program 

 is adding to our comprehension of how pollutants move about in 

 the environment, and is unique in that it covers all classes of 

 pollutants and all major pathways. 



Biological Effects 



One measure of the impact of pollution on the marine environ- 

 ment is the effect on marine organisms. The effects of massive 

 pollution are easily seen, and are not the object of IDOE spon- 

 sored research. Rather this investigation, initiated in 1973, is con- 

 cerned with subtle effects on behavior and physiology which can 

 have serious consequences on a long-term basis. 



The emphasis is on open-ocean species; these are difficult to main- 

 tain in the laboratory and are generally more sensitive to pollut- 

 ants. To assess pollution effects on open ocean organisms, and on 

 the overall community structure in the ocean, IDOE is supple- 

 menting its laboratory studies with the Controlled Ecosystems 

 Pollution Experiment (CEPEX), in which over 2 million liters of 

 seawater and its included biota have been contained in large 

 plastic enclosures. The effects of pollutants are then determined 

 by perturbing one enclosure while maintaining another as a control. 



The Environmental Forecasting Program aims at developing im- 

 proved physical and mathematical models of the oceans and atmosphere. 

 Its component projects are: 



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