534 



staay inciudes tne development and field testing of a device called a 

 SEAFLUME, w^hich is designed to measure critical threshold erosion 

 velocities at desired locations on the ocean bottom. 



Marine Ecosystem Research Laboratory (MERL) 



Another new and interesting scientific project is starting at 

 EPA's Environmental Research Laboratory at Narragansett , Rhode Island, 

 and the nearby Marine Ecosystem Research Laboratory of the University 

 of Rhode Island to include consideration of radioactive materials in 

 tne development of EPA's approach to marine hazard assessment. This is 

 part of EPA's effort to establish data requirements for ocean disposal 

 permits and criteria for permit review for all types of wastes. 



MERL has a unique facility that includes large tanks of sea water 

 in which all seasonal variations of the Narragansett Bay can be 

 duplicated. These tanks contain the natural sediments and marine 

 organisms found in the Bay, to reproduce the Bay's ecosystem on a small 

 scale called a mesocosm. Various pollutants can be added to these 

 mesocosms to observe their fate and allow prediction of consequences 

 wnicn might result from their disposal in ocean waters. EPA is 

 interested in evaluating the usefulness of mesocosm studies for 

 determining tne environmental impact of radioactive materials in ocean 

 waters in conjunction witn review of permit applications for the ocean 

 disposal of such materials. Mesocosm studies will be used to test data 

 requirements for exposures and effects tnat EPA is developing for 



