Accelerated Implementation of Harbor Processes Research

摘要

Estuarine and marine sediment investigations should employ oceanographic sampling strategies to provide information that is ecologically relevant and useful in understanding the significance of contaminants on Navy property relative to the rest of the industrialized watershed. Though it is expedient to rely on intensive one-time samplings and analytical chemistry, this strategy is expensive given the amount of interpretation and support the RPM typically receives. Current state of toxicology and environmental forensics does not allow the RPM to develop a strong case regardless of the actual facts. However, it is currently possible to compare the amount of contaminants in Navy sediments to those in the rest of the industrialized watershed, including those suspended in the overlying water column. It is also possible to develop lines of evidence to support intrinsic bioremediation and measure turnover rate of contaminants in sediment. Combining measures of transport and biodegradation with seasonal and watershed-level sampling approaches can provide an ecological understanding of error, source, and ecological relevance of site contaminants.