19 



T]ie mercury situation in certain fish species is another good exam- 

 ple. It was only too apparent that the cases of mercury poisoning in 

 Japan were due to discharge of industrial mercury. We do know, 

 jiowever, that by far the largest proportion of mercury in the oceans 

 is from natural sources. And examination of specimens in the Smith- 

 sonian Institution and of archeological specimens dating thousands of 

 years ago, shows the mercury content of many fishes has remained the 

 same over thousands of years. This illustrates the importance of at- 

 tempting to understand when phenomena are natural, which are man- 

 induced, and over which we have some control. 



We must do a better job of understanding the marine environment 

 if we are to both safeguard and utilize it over the long run. We must 

 l3egin to address the long-term ett'ects of man on the oceans through 

 studying the basic processes and dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere 

 in relation to these effects. 



I would like to cite one example. Let me tallc about oxygen concen- 

 trations in the atmosphere. For example, phytoplankton in the ocean 

 are prime sources of oxygen in the atmosphere. In the 1960's, it was 

 rejioi-ted that insecticides and herbicides were widely dispersed in 

 pliytoplankton, i-aising the question of whether these substances would 

 inhibit photosynthesis and its associated oxygen production. It was 

 thouglit that through time this could possibly reduce oxygen levels in 

 thr atmosphere. 



A joint project, with scientists and ships from NOAA's predecessor, 

 ESSA, was set up to measure oxygen over the world. Atmospheric 

 samples were collected in 1967 and 1968 from the coastal and ocean 

 open waters and analyzed by scientists at the National Bureau of 

 Standards. 



Careful measurements showed no measureable difference between 

 values measured in 1910 and those from 1967-68. In short, the inhibi- 

 tion of oxygen production was not found to be a global problem at the 

 time. 



But it took more than 4 years, 1966-70, and a major investment in 

 ships, men, analytical techniques, to demonstrate this. Further, the 

 l:)asic concepts were already understood. For many problems of such 

 global signifiance, the political threat to the environment is poorly 

 articulated, the basic processes involved are unknown, and little time or 

 resources are available to provide answers. 



This question on the oxygen levels of the atmosphere was proposed 

 and answered in a thoroughly responsible way. We believe that the 

 findings served to allay serious public concern. We must apply 

 this approach to other problems of global magnitude, if we are to 

 answer some of the questions legitimately troubling the public. And 

 we must mount such programs with adequate leadtime, to be in a 

 position to provide information when the problems arise — not after 

 concern has reached a fever pitch. 



With this in mind, NOAA is participating in a number of wide- 

 scale marine environmental studies. These include : 



1. A marine ecosystems analysis project, which we have already 

 discussed, designed to understand the dynamics of the New York Bight 

 nnd man's impact on that system. This'may be the most comprehensive 

 study of its kind ever undertaken. 



