67 



Continued Monitoring and Research 



A concentrated, comprehensive effort to 

 survey coastal zone resources will ijatlier hasic 

 data and help to rectify years of inattention. 

 However, it will not meet the need for de- 

 tailed, si^ecific understanding!; of local oppor- 

 tunities and problems. Meetinjj these needs 

 requires systems for continued monitoring of 

 coastal zone phenomena and \'io:orous sup- 

 port for basic and applied research in local 

 areas. 



Understanding the complex and often sub- 

 tle biological and physical relationships and 

 interactions of the coastal zone is not easy. 

 Although understanding has improved 

 markedly in the past 20 years, the accelerated 

 pace of man's activities has increased both 

 the complexity of the coastal zone system and 

 tlie urgency for greater understanding. 



Too often, actions have been based on igno- 

 rance. Water from the Santee Kiver in South 

 Carolina, for example, was diverted to the 

 Cooper River to provide a source of hydro- 

 electric power. The increased flfow of the 

 Cooper River into Charleston harbor altered 

 the circulation of that harlx)r, with the result 

 that the amount of necessary^ dredging from 

 the channel has increased from 100.000 cubic 

 yards to 10 million cubic yards annually. 



Sometimes planning is more foresighted. 

 A recent study revealed in advance that a 

 flood control program which would have 

 eliminated the seasonal variation in the flow 

 of the Susquehanna River also would pro- 

 duce changes in circulation of Chesapeake 

 Bay, increase its pollution problem.s, and per- 

 haps destroy a part of its oyster fisheries. 



However, there well may be possibilities 

 for beneficially manipulating estuarine dy- 

 namics. It may be desirable in some places 

 fco store and release river water ; divert huge 

 volumes ; or radically alter channels, currents, 

 and tides. But proponents of such bold new 



proposals must be able to evaluate in advance 

 the total results of the changes. Opponents, 

 often moti\ateil by reasonable fear of the un- 

 predictable consequencas, might alter their 

 position if sufficient knowledge permitted ac- 

 curate prediction arid evaluation of all results. 



Research Needs 



The urgent need to predict precisely and 

 confidently the consequences of using and 

 modifying the coastal zone makes it essential 

 to focus coastal scientific and engineering 

 capabilities. The proposal advanced in Chap- 

 ter 2 for a network of Coastal Zone Labora- 

 tories is designed to achieve the needed focus. 



There must be continuous interaction 

 among the Federal . laboratories and the 

 Coastal Zone Laboratories. The laboratories 

 of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Federal 

 Water Pollution Control Administration, 

 and the Coastal Engineering Research Cen- 

 ter of the Corps of Engineers must work 

 closely with the Coastal Zone Laboratories. 

 Although problems differ from area to area, 

 there also are many common classes of prob- 

 lems. A complex computer simulation model 

 developed for one estuary may have more 

 general applicability to others. The laws gov- 

 erning turbulent diffusion processes are the 

 same, even though their application may vary 

 considerabh' from case to case. 



An example of a cooperative research pro- 

 gram has been initiated in the Chesapeake 

 Bay, where the Corps of Engineers is prepar- 

 ing a three-dimensional model of the bay on 

 a horizontal scale of 1 : 1,000. The model will 

 aid in developing a mathematical procedure 

 for predicting the effects of modifying nat- 

 ural circulation. Other Federal laboratories 

 and university groups are participating in 

 tlie project. 



The inexorable trend toward more inten- 

 sive use of the coastal zone is generating new- 

 research requirements throughout the Nation. 



