been done hy the investigations completed to date. (SAC, 1972) A bio- 

 chemical oxygen demand (BOD) study should be conducted to determine the 

 oxygen demand of sewage deposits and their state of digestion. 



On the basis of present data, it can be concluded that the DO con- 

 centration of the waters above the dumping grounds may be reduced by 

 the BOD of the wastes, but this effect has not been sufficiently substan- 

 tiated or quantified. The DO concentration of these waters for short 

 periods reaches values below water quality standards. 



On the basis of these conclusions, it is recommended that the natural 

 seasonal variation of oxygen concentration in the dumping grounds and 

 elsewhere in the Bight be determined. 



g. Nutrients . Nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, are im- 

 portant properties of water and sediment quality of marine environments. 

 Numerically defined criteria for nutrients, however, have not been 

 established. 



The National Teclinical Advisory Committee (NTAC) of EPA in its Water 

 Quality Criteria report (EPA, 1972) comments that the naturally occurring 

 ratios and amounts of nitrogen (particularly NO3 and NH^) to total 

 phosphorus should not be radically changed by artificial means, but does 

 not define permissible levels of phosphates or nitrates. Similarly, New 

 York and New Jersey do not have specific criteria limiting the amount of 

 phosphates and nitrates in interstate waters. (EPA, 1972) 



Phosphorus and nitrogen, occurring as phosphate, ammonia, nitrite, 

 and nitrate are important nonconservative constituents of seawater, 

 necessary bio-stimulants for algal growth, and therefore, intimately 

 involved in the life processes of the sea. Nutrient-rich waters can 

 significantly alter aquatic systems, create algal blooms, and eutrophica- 

 tion in estuaries and restricted bodies of water, but not in open marine 

 environments like the Bight. 



The natural concentrations of phosphates and nitrogen compounds in 

 seawater are relatively low, and areas in the ocean which are rich in 

 such nutrients, are generally biologically productive. Phosphates are 

 important in the process of photosynthesis which utilizes them while 

 releasing oxygen^ Phosphorus in the sea occurs in the form of dissolved 

 phosphate (HPOi+^ ), or in the more predominating form, orthophosphate 

 (POi|^~). The natural flux of phosphorus through marine ecosystems is 

 subject to complex processes involving many cycles and equilibria. 

 According to Ryther and Dunstan (1971), there is no evidence that 

 phosphorous is ever the limiting nutrient in marine estuarine systems. 

 Its potential limiting character has been demonstrated only for fresh- 

 water systems. The study of phosphorus flux (or any essential element) 

 through a marine ecosystem, however, is a useful index in assessing 

 metabolic processes of that system. (Mann, 1971) 



Nitrogen, in the form of nitrate, is also an important nutrient, and 



