42 



the lipifl pool of the organism with maximum concentrations of 3300 for DDT and 

 DDE and of 21,100 /ug/kg lipid for PCB's. None of the concentrations oi»served 

 by Harvey, et al. (1972) were as great as those assumed l)y WmKlwell, et al. 

 (1971) for oceanic tish or plankton to estimate the accumulation in the inota 

 (assuming dry weight to l)e 25% of wet weight). The lower accumulations in 

 marine organisms could be caused by a shorter atmospheric half life of DDT. by 

 faster degradation in the marine environment or by greater accumulation in sedi- 

 ments tlian the estimates u.sed by Woodwell, et al. (1971) in their computations. 

 A variety of synthetic organic chemicals, including other pesticides, detergents 

 and pharmaceuticals are also undoubtedly reaching the marine environment 

 with impacts which are virtually unknown. The detrimental effect of DDT on 

 bird breeding potential is well documented and some experiments have i)een done 

 on a few forms of marine life, but the information is still inadequate for a com- 

 plete evaluation of the impact on the marine biota of DDT and even less adequate 

 for the other synthetic organic compounds ( SCEP Task Force, 1971 : NAS. 1971 : 

 NAS, in press). 



Oil pollution 



Petroleum, including crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals are now 

 polluting the sea in large amounts. Revelle, et al. (1971) estimated the total 

 direct oil pollution of the oceans to be 2.2 million tons annually. The sources 

 were accidental spills, tanker operations, other ship operations, offshore produc- 

 tion, refinery operations and industrial and automotive wastes. Oil slicks and tar 

 balls have been observed on the high seas, and the abundance of tar balls is now 

 greater than the normal sargassum weed in the open Atlantic (Horn, et al., 1970; 

 Morris, 1971). Although accidental oil spills, such as the grounding of the Torrey 

 Canyon or the Santa Barbara oil well blowout, are spectacular events and attract 

 the most public attention, they actually contribute 'ess than 15% of the total 

 amount of oil entering the marine environment annually. 



Numerous studies of toxicity and effects of oil pollution have been made, but 

 more careful studies of selected fractions of this complex mixture of hydro- 

 carbons are needed. It is apparent that these hydrocarbons are degraded in sea 

 water, but little is known about the rate of turnover of this material in the 

 marine environment. Extended studies of the spills of refined fuel oils from the 

 Tampico Mara in Baja, California, and from the Florida in AVest Falmouth, 

 Massachusetts, have shown that it has taken several years for partial recovery 

 of the biota and the data suggest that it may take a decade or more for complete 

 re-establishment of the natural community (NAS, 1973). The initial impact of 

 crude oil spills, such as that from the Torrey Canyon, seem to be less severe and 

 the recovery more rapid. These spills genera'ly occur in more open waters and 

 the oil is thus more widely dispersed (NAS, loc. cit. ). There is apparently little 

 measureable direct effect of chronic, low-level (sublethal) contamination, such 

 as has occurred off the coast of Louisiana for several decades. 



Our technology is based upon an expanding energy use which will require addi- 

 tional petroleum supplies including tho.se from submarine re.servoirs and increas- 

 ing amounts transported in tankers from distant oil fields. If the rate of lo.ss in 

 our utilization and transportation of oil cannot be radically decreased by appli- 

 cation of adequate controls wherever possible, the amount of petroleum hydro- 

 carbons entering the sea will increase. Revelle, et al. (1971) estimated that the 

 increase would be in direct proportion to the total world production of oil without 

 adequate controls. 



Because of the increase in oil tanker traffic and of ships burning fuel oil and 

 the resultant pollution of the high seas by oil. this has become an international 

 problem. The Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO). a 

 specialized agency of the United Nations, convened an international conference 

 in London in 1954 which drew up the International (Convention for the Preven- 

 tion of Pollution of the Sea by Oil. This came into force in July 195S and was 

 subsequently amended by an IMCO-convened conference in 1962. Further resolu- 

 tions provide for the prohibition of deliberate oil discharge from ships at sea and 

 for the establishment of an international compensation fund for oil po'lution 

 damage (IMCO, 1967). An additional conference is scheduled for the fall of 

 1973 to consider further regulations controlling oil pollution. 



Domestic pollution 



Human wastes are a^so added to the marine environment and can cause diffi- 

 culties when added in excessive amounts. Sewage treatment plants have been 

 designed primarily to reduce the organic material in the eflluent which, when 

 it decomposes in the environment, cause oxygen depletion. Complete removal of 



