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persistence of toxic substances ; liow pollutants are degraded chemically and 

 biologically ; the effects of radioactivity on the marine environment and man ; 

 and the capacity of waters to assimilate waste materials. 



More information is needed about public health risks from ocean pollu- 

 tion. Studies should determine what pathogens are transported in marine 

 ecosystems and how. Better methods of measuring public health dangers 

 are also needed. 



Research is needed on the recycling of wastes and the development of 

 alternatives to ocean dumping. Technical problems must be solved, but there 

 is also a great need to study the social, institutional, and economic aspects 

 of waste management. 



Effective national and international monitoring systems need to be devel- 

 oped. Research is necessary to develop improved methods and technology so 

 that alterations in the marine environment may be detected. But there is also 

 a need for data coordination so that data gathering and analysis efforts 

 are not duplicated." 

 These research needs emphasize the fact that a coordinated, interdisciplinary 

 approach to the problems of the pollution of our inshore waters is essential. 

 The unique capabilities of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in marine 

 studies can be well employed in addressing some of these critical problems. 



The continuing, research program of the proposed Woods Hole Oceanographic 

 Center for Environmental Quality should focus upon major problems which are 

 of general applicability to marine pollution problems, rather than on evaluation 

 of local and specific problems of waste disposal in the sea. Studies of local prob- 

 lems would be undertaken when the results of the investigations might be ex- 

 pected to have general applicability. It is hoped, however, that the study of specific 

 cases may be undertaken by other marine stations along the coastline which pos- 

 sess special capabilities for local work with the cooperation of or consultation with 

 will be made with many of these marine stations to discuss with them our 

 general program and to determine whether they would be interested in studying 

 the pertinent details of their particular local environment. For these specific 

 case studies it is anticipated that funds will be available from sources other 

 than NSF. The following discussion defines the type of research program which 

 the Center should undertake actively in a continuing way. Research proposals 

 for several of the subject areas would be prepared for inclusion in a formal 

 proposal. 



a. Coastal circulation, mixing and effects on the hiota 



Fundamental to any evaluation of waste disposal in the coastal waters is an 

 understanding of the circulation and mixing of these waters. It is proposed that 

 the Center for Environmental Quality undertake a general analysis of the circu- 

 lation and mixing of the coastal waters extending from Cape Cod to Cape 

 Hatteras. About 20% of the population of the United States live along water- 

 sheds emptying into this coastal zone, and examples of many pollution problems 

 of general interest can be found in this area. 



In addition to describing the circulation and mixing of this specified area of 

 coastal waters, one of the prime objectives of the program would be to develop 

 standards which could be applied in similar investigations elsewhere. It is obvi- 

 ously important that observations be arranged, both in space and time, so that 

 important fluctuatioils in environmental conditions will not be missed or over- 

 looked. This spacing may be different for different parts of the program and may, 

 indeed, be different for different geographical regions. Criteria for the determina- 

 tion of the proper spacing of observations is a necessary step in the development 

 of adequate environmental monitoring programs both for the description of 

 existing baselines and for the prediction of future effects of modifications. 



The principal investigator and several other members of the staff have al- 

 ready conducted a number of investigations in this general area and some spe- 

 cific questions which still require a definitive answer for a better understanding 

 can already be identified. For a complete understanding of the system, the study 

 must include the entire continental shelf from the beach to the slope water 

 offshore since only in this way can the exchanges between the coastal zone and 

 the deep sea be evaluated. 



There are several critical areas where direct current measurements are needed 

 in order to reach definitive conclusions about the rates of circulation and ex- 

 change. We still do not know the mechanisms for the exchanges between slope 

 water and coastal water, but it seems probable that tidal action in the numerous 



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