46 



Many, but not all, of the entries in this diagram have been discussed above. 

 One must know the source and the amount of the specified pollutant and the 

 routes by which this material reaches the sea, whether by runoff, discharge or 

 by atmospheric transport. It would be desirable to have a screening mechanism 

 established to evaluate the possible impact of new chemicais, hundreds of which 

 are being produced annually. Where the hazard is great, these chemicals should 

 be recycled and not permitted to enter the environment. Once the iK)llutant does 

 enter the environment, its impact on the marine ecosystem and on the com- 

 munities, populations and organisms which live in the ocean need to be evaluated. 

 It is important to appreciate the fact that the impact need not be direct and 

 immediate by causing the death of organisms but can have more subtle, sub- 

 lethal effects which influence the survival or behavior of the organisms. The 

 various chemical and geoiogical processes which need to be considered in terms 

 of each pollutant are listed under the "non-living" category and it is, further- 

 more, important to know whether two or more pollutants introduced 

 simultaneously will augment each other's impact (synergism) or will interfere 

 with each other's impact (antagonism). Only when the complex nature of the 

 marine ecosystem, and the various processes taking place there, are understood 

 can one evaluate the possible receiving capacity of a given system for a given 

 pollutant. 



Naturally, it is of concern to evaluate whether or not the pollutant can return 

 to man in the seafood that he needs for his nutrition. Also, the impact on en- 

 dangered species can be of special concern. An example of this type of impact 

 is the mortality of many birds which result from oil spills. Dead, oiled birds on 

 the beaches constitute the most immediate and obvious effect of oil spills, and 

 this mortality can have a serious impact at certain times of year if a major part 

 of a population of a given species is present in the area either for breeding or 

 during their migratory passage. 



In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the only ultimate solution to 

 the problems of pollution is to recycle the materials that we produce and use 

 in our civilization. Discharging these materials to the environment is both waste- 

 ful of resources and causes undesirable impacts upon the marine ecosystem. 

 Complete recycling is probably an unattainable goal, but certainly every effort 

 should be made to recycle materials as completely as possible, not only to con- 

 serve our natural resources, but also to prevent the further deterioration of our 

 environment, which we must preserve for the ultimate benefit of man. 



References 



Bertine, K. K. and E. D. Goldberg (1971). Fossil Fuel Combustion and the Major 

 Sedimentary Cycle. Science, 173 : 233-235. 



CEQ (1970). Ocean Dumping — A National Policy. A report to the President 

 prepared by the Council on Environmental Quality, October, 1970, x -{- 45 pp., 

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CEQ (1972). Environmental Quality— The Third Annual Report of the Council 

 on Environmental Quality, August, 1972. xxvi -f 450 pp. U.S. Govt. Printing 

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Harvey, G. R., V. T. Bowea, R. H. Backus and G. D. Grice (1972). Chlorinated 

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Horn, M. H., J. M., Teal and R. H. Backus (1970). Petroleum lumps on the sur- 

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IMCO (1967). International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the 

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Ketchum, B. H. (1969). Eutrophication of Estuaries. 197-209. In: Eutrophica- 

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Ketchum. B. H., Editor (1972). The Water's Edge: Critical Problems of the 

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Morris, B. F. (1971). Petroleum: tar quantities floating in the northwestern 

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