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C- SEDIMENT QUALITY CRITERIA 
ALTHOUGH POLLUTANTS ARE KNOWN TO ACCUMULATE IN HIGH CONCENTRATIONS 
IN ESTUARINE AND COASTAL SEDIMENTS, RELATIVELY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT 
THE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF SEDIMENT CONTAMINATION- THE MAJOR GOAL 
OF THIS PROJECT IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEDIMENT QUALITY CRITERIA, I-E+, 
ESTIMATES OF “SAFE SEDIMENT CONCENTRATIONS OF COMPLEX WASTES AND 
SPECIFIC POLLUTANTS: QUESTIONS RELATED TO SEDIMENT QUALITY IMPACT A 
NUMBER OF EPA programs (404, 403(c), 301(H), OCEAN DUMPING) THROUGH 
REGULATORY ACTIONS NECESSARY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BENTHIC ECOSYSTEMS: 
IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO GENERATE UNIVERSALLY APPLICABLE SEDIMENT 
CRITERIA BECAUSE OF THE INFLUENCE ON TOXICITY OF SUBSTRATE PARTICLE 
SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND ORGANIC CONTENT- JHEREFORE, CRITERIA MAY HAVE TO 
BE DEVELOPED FOR DIFFERENT SEDIMENT CLASSES, E-G-, MEDIUM SAND, SILT- 
CLAY, ETC: 
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH 
THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS EFFORT IS TO CONDUCT LONG-TERM RESEARCH TO 
BROADEN OUR KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION- MaJor 
COMPONENTS OF THIS EFFORT ARE BIOMONITORING STUDIES, THE MARINE 
SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER AND THE MINI-ASSESSEMENT AND LONG-TERM GRANTS 
PROGRAM- 
