National Program For Continuing a 55. a. Environmental Monitoring For The Marine Leg Of The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System / Interagency Committee For Marine Environmental Prediction October 1973 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR CONTINUING ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING FOR THE MARINE LEG OF THE TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE SYSTEM a o c 4 c Rockville, Md, October 1973 FOREWORD A program of continuing environmental monitoring, as described in this Federal Plan, will help assure safe and efficient transport of oil from the Alaskan North Slope along the marine leg of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. At the same time, this Federal effort in environmental monitoring will provide baseline and impact information and an early warning capability that are so vital to the preservation and enhancement of marine environmental quality in these relatively pristine waters. The Federal Task Force for Alaskan Oil Development assigned to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the responsibility to prepare this Plan which has been coordinated by the Interagency Committee for Marine Environmental Prediction (ICMAREP) . Federal agencies of ICMAREP include the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Interior, Transportation, and State; the Atomic Energy Commission; the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and the Smithsonian Institution. This Plan includes a description of the environmental conditions expected along the marine leg of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the components of an environmental monitoring capability, the preparation of warnings and fore- casts, the assessment of marine environmental quality, and the detailed implementation of the program. Clayt( Federal Coordinator for Marine Environmental Prediction ii CONTENTS Page FOREWORD ii I . INTRODUCTION 1 II. DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 5 III. MONITORING SYSTEM. 9 IV. WARNING AND FORECAST PREPARATION 27 V. MARINE QUALITY ASSESSMENT 31 VI . IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 35 APPENDIX A. DATA NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS 41 B . COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS . 43 in Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/nationalprogramfOOunit I. INTRODUCTION The growing demands for energy resources are of concern to people everywhere. The President's message to Congress on June 4, 1971, calls attention to these demands for resources and the critical problems that we must face. "For most of our history, a plentiful supply of energy is something the American people have taken very much for granted. In the past twenty years alone, we have been able to double our consumption of energy without exhausting the supply. But the assumption that sufficient energy will always be readily available has been brought sharply into question within the last year. The brownouts that have affected some areas of our country, the possible shortages of fuel that were threatened last fall, the sharp increases in certain fuel prices and our growing awareness of the environmental consequences of energy production have all demonstrated that we cannot take our energy supply for granted any longer." To help satisfy part of our growing energy needs the Secretary of the Interior granted a permit for construction of a Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) to transport the rich oil resources from Alaska's North Slope to points where it can be used by the vast consumers of energy. The permit was granted only after an exhaustive and detailed study conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act by the Federal Task Force on Alaskan Oil Development. The cost for construction of the 800-mile pipeline is estimated as $2.8 billion, and the cost for building the tanker fleet is estimated as $1.7 billion. The system is being designed for a maximum throughput of 2 million barrels per day. From the southern terminus of the pipeline at Port Valdez in Prince William Sound, tankers will transport oil over a marine leg to west coast ports (figure 1). In explaining his decision to grant the permit before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress on June 22, 1972, the Secretary stated: "The nucleus of my decision to grant the Alaska route is based on the urgent need to bring North Slope oil and gas into the American marketplace as rapidly as possible. Our studies have clearly articulated the need for these petroleum resources and the costs of delay. The trans-Alaska route presents the only feasible means of transporting Arctic oil within an acceptable time frame." Taking into account the environmental concerns , to be taken in implementing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) Secretary Morton also stated: "A continuing environmental monitoring system will be required during the lifetime of oil movement in American coastal waters." Los Angeles San Diego Figure 1. Proposed Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, Sinking Tanker Spilling Two Million Gallons of Crude Oil. 2 In response the Federal Task Force on Alaskan Oil Development requested NOAA, as lead agency, to develop a national program for establishing this continuing environmental monitoring system for the marine leg of TAPS. The program objective is to provide a continuing environmental service which would include warnings, forecasts, and assessments of environmental conditions. • Warnings High winds and waves Heavy fog Tsunamis Storm surge • Forecasts Wind Currents Precipitation Air temperature Ocean temperature Upwelling • Assessments Petroleum Heavy metals Halogenated Hydrocarbons. The services to be provided will aid marine navigation in minimizing collisions, groundings, and rammings which could cause catastrophic spills of hazardous materials; improving basic guidance for making more efficient tanker routings and operation of associated coastal facilities; supporting assessment and cleanup operations for inevitable spills; and providing a system for constant monitoring and assessment of long term changes in oceanic environ- mental quality. Besides specific benefits to TAPS , the continuing environmental monitoring system will provide capability to meet other needs. For example, new or improved forecast, warning and assessment services will be available to the merchant fleet, commercial fishing, coastal residents, sport fishermen and other marine recreation, the offshore industries, and construction and operation of offshore ports. The major milestones are as follows: FY 75 — Begin implementation of new improved marine observations from cooperative ships, automatic weather stations, and data buoys in key locations. — Begin initial marine environmental quality baseline studies in the area of the TAPS marine leg. — Establish a Satellite Field Service Station as part of an Inter- disciplinary Environmental Service Unit for Alaska. — Establish a marine forecast group at the National Meteorological Center and assign marine forecasters at WSFO's along the TAPS marine leg. — Establish a test and evaluation program for measuring sea state in the Gulf of Alaska by long range skywave radar. — Establish a Marine Environmental Quality Service Office for the TAPS marine leg. FY 76 — Complete Test and Evaluation Plan of Skywave Radar. — Begin improving Tsunami warning in the Pacific by using data relay system of GOES. — Make assessment of marine environmental quality along TAPS marine leg FY 77 — Complete implementation of automatic weather stations. FY 78 — Complete implementation of improved systems for marine observations from buoys and cooperative ships. — Complete implementation of improved Tsunami Warning System using the GOES satellite relay capability. The continuing monitoring system over the TAPS marine leg involves the identification and integration of ongoing Federal activities as a framework upon which the future program can be improved and expanded. The area of interest extends from southern California to southern Alaska with prime emphasis on environmental monitoring services in support of increased ocean tanker traffic and the associated coastal facilities. Because certain techniques required for making marine environmental quality assessment are still in experimental phases, specific planning for this part of the program is limited. It is expected that the evolutionary nature and time phasing of the program will permit necessary adjustments and added capability. II. DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS The existing environmental conditions of the area encompassing the TAPS marine leg can be characterized as almost contaminant and ice free, rich in marine resources, complex with regard to ocean dynamics, and with highly variable — sometimes hostile — environmental phenomena. A few protected port and harbor areas, such as Port Valdez and Puget Sound, provide relatively safe havens for loading and unloading vital cargo. Although climatological information for the Prince William Sound area is inadequate, it is known that the open Gulf of Alaska does encounter instances of heavy wind and surface waves. The warm summers and cold winters of this area also produce periods of restricted visibility, and localized hazardous environmental phenomena are common because of the extremes in coastal terrain. Of particular concern to shipping are the localized heavy fogs and the periodic and localized tide rips from tidal currents reaching 8 knots. Another major set of environmental features in the TAPS area are the large tongues of differing water masses, eddies, and areas of upwelling. These conditions make determination of ocean contamination and its transport difficult, since contaminants can get locked into circulations that would normally distribute concentrated pollution far from its source. Prince William Sound is also an area of historic seismic activity and was in the epicentral region of the great earthquake of March 27, 1964. The train of long-period tsunami waves generated by uplift of the Continental Shelf inundated low- lying portions of southern Alaska, damaging homes, boats, and harbor facilities. The 1964 Alaskan earthquake was but one of many earthquakes of moderate and high intensity that have occurred in or near the Gulf of Alaska, other equally devasting earthquakes will doubtlessly occur in the future. Even relatively small earthquakes can produce substantial damage near the shore, and an enormous tsunami was produced by large rockslides loosened by the 1958 earthquake at Lituya Bay. In this instance water displaced by the slides destroyed forest to a height of 170 feet on the walls of the Bay. Environmental data collected during the 1958 and 1964 earthquakes resulted in rebuilding the Port Valdez area on new ground which is historically free of tsunami occurence. Extratropical cyclones frequent the Gulf of Alaska throughout the year (figs. 2 and 3). These storms derive their energy from contrasting air masses and generate very active frontal zones. It is not unusual to have winds of hurricane force (■> 64 knots) in these storms. In winter there are four areas of cyclogenesis (fig. 2) in the Northeast Pacific; cyclones move into the area from the west or southwest. Two primary tracks converge on the Gulf of Alaska, and another primary track approaches Vancouver Island. During 5 of the 6 months from November through April more low pressure systems are found in the Gulf of Alaska than in any other part of the Northern Hemisphere. Also during this period winds in excess of gale force (^_34 knots) are observed 26% of the time. PRIMARY STORM TRACK SECONDARY STORM TRACK AREA OF CYCLOGENESIS Figure 2. Winter Storm Tracks and Areas of Cyclogenesis PRIMARY STORM TRACK SECONDARY STORM TRACK AREA OF CYCLOGENESIS Figure 3. Summer Storm Tracks and Areas of Cyclogenesis 6 Adverse environmental conditions of the Gulf of Alaska area can limit effective recognition and identification for safe piloting and navigation; these include the winter darkness, snowstorms, wind and rain squalls, and heavy fogs. To illustrate the maximum sustained winds that can be expected in the Gulf of Alaska, Table 1 shows the winds of record at ocean station "P" Table 1. Wind Record Ocean Station "P" (Gulf of Alaska) Mean recurrence interval years 2 10 20 25 50 100 Maximum sustained wind knots 80 99 107 109 118 128 As might be expected, the distribution of high waves is similar to that of high winds. In winter, waves greater than 20 feet are observed at least 9% of the time. The maximum significant and extreme wave heights of record is shown in table 2. Table 2. Wave Heights of Record Ocean Station "P" (Gulf of Alaska) Mean recurrence Maximum significant Extreme wave interval wave height height (Yr) (Ft) (Ft) 2 36 64 10 49 89 25 58 104 50 65 118 Perhaps the most persistent environmental hazard to the TAPS area is reduced visibility, especially from fog. The frequency of restricted visibility (_<2n.mi) for the area north of 36°N is between 5% and 10%. Even greater frequencies of fog occur along the California coastal areas, reaching 20% near Santa Barbara. Besides being hampered by fog, the northern part of the TAPS marine leg has many snowstorms which reduce visibility. The annual snow accumulation of Prince William Sound is 100-250 inches and frequently is accompanied by gusty downslope winds. The Puget Sound area is not plagued with so many of the extratropical storms as is the Gulf of Alaska, but the chance of severe conditions was demonstrated by the merging of three storms off the Washington coast in 1962, causing millions of dollars in damage. Similarily, a quick-moving storm in this area in 1968 caused an abnormal wave 100 feet high. This area also experiences much advection fog accentuated by upwelling and radiation fog associated with stagnating air masses held by the semipermanent North Pacific high pressure center. The onset of fog near the Strait of Juan de Fuca is not always easily predicted or even recognized. Sometimes thick fog banks are held almost perpendicularly offshore by the air mass characteristics, whereas clear weather persists inshore allowing a vessel to arrive at its destination without difficulty. At other times the fog will move slowly into the strait, enveloping both shores for some distance. These same types of fog are also encountered all along most of the U.S. west coast. For example, Humboldt Bay experiences extremely dense fog and shoals near there are dangerous to vessels sailing through such weather. Although tropical cyclones off southern California are relatively infrequent, they can pose an environmental hazard when they do occur. The last tropical cyclone to hit Los Angeles brought gales of 34-47 knots with waves as high as 30 feet. The cyclone claimed 45 lives at sea and caused damage exceeding $2 million to shipping, shore structures, and power and communication lines. In the same area of southern California hazardous conditions occur yearly from Santa Ana winds. These high velocity winds occur out to 50 miles off the coast and present forecasting techniques give only warnings of short notice. During much of the winter, storms traversing the North Pacific send heavy swells into California coastal waters. Also, Southern Hemisphere storms propagate swells that travel along great circle paths and traverse thousands of miles of ocean relatively undetected and dissipate their energy upon the coast of California. Breakers up to 20 feet high occur, have contributed to loss of lives, and on occasion caused damage totaling millions of dollars. From Los Angeles to San Diego there is coastal fog nearly every month, and heavy fog (visibility ftua> Experimental Environmental Data Buoy for the Gulf of Alaska, . ; »>»*; -^ , „ a /v»' TAPS OBSERVATIONS DATA BUOYS AREAS WHERE BUOY DATA NEEDED SELECTED DATA BUOY LOCATIONS BUOY LOCATIONS BEING CONSIDERED Figure 4. Data Buoy Locations 14 is scheduled for late FY 74 or early FY 75 at 47°N, 131°W. Seven additional locations are being developed and are shown in figure 4. Planned configuration for buoys in support of TAPS initially will include surface measurements of air temperature, pressure, dewpoint, wind velocity, and sea state; subsurface measurements of ocean temperature; and pressure (depth) . Future subsurface measurements will include salinity and current velocity. Telecommunications to service centers (e.g. NMC and WSFO's) will be via HF initially with conversion to satellite relay using UHF in FY 76. It should be pointed out that certain buoys will not be configured with all sensors described, but measurement designs will be dependent on location and hull type selected. Coastal and offshore facilities . — Observations from the coastal areas and seaward to 50 n.mi. will be made from a variety of opportunity platforms including coastal stations, coastal automatic meteorological stations, tide stations, offshore towers, large navigational buoys, and skywave radar. Charts showing existing and planned coastal and offshore observing facilities are given in figures 5, 6 and 7. These facilities will be instrumented to measure those parameters needed to prepare and disseminate warnings of hazardous environmental conditions which could cause spills from tankers and associated shore side facilities. Manned coastal stations will be used predominantly along the west coast whereas automatic and remote observing systems will be placed along the rugged and sparcely populated southern Alaska coast. Strategically placed tide stations in the TAPS area will provide the measure- ments needed for tide and tidal current predictions and warnings of tsunami and storm surge. Offshore towers and platforms in the southern California area and eventually Cook Inlet will provide surface weather and subsurface measurements for forecasts and warnings in the offshore zone. These observa- tions can be complemented by providing environmental sensors on Large Navigational Buoys (LNB) . Initially, two LNB's are planned to be instrumented: Blunts Reef (40.3°N, 124. 5°W) and San Francisco (37.8°N, 122. 7°W). Because of the importance of sea state forecasts, a skywave radar system will be developed Once developed, this radar is planned from a site located on St. Clemente Island, here it will provide continuous observations of sea state characteristics and surface currents for the entire TAPS marine leg. An added feature of the skywave radar will be its ability to track transponder equipped ships which are along the marine leg. Ships . — Cooperative ships appear to be effective means for acquiring some necessary surface and subsurface data needed for preparing marine service products. As envisaged in TAPS, at least four tankers will be en route between Valdez and the west coast ports at a given time and, with onboard monitoring systems, will provide data needed for forecasts and warnings. In addition to the TAPS tankers, merchant shipping between the west coast ports and Anchorage, as well as a section of the major sea lane between west coast ports and Japan will provide a significant number of data points for service products (fig. 8). The cooperative ship program provides data from this area, but the quality and quantity have been poor because of both inadequate sensing and delay from insufficient radio communication arrangements aboard merchant ships. To 15 Experimental Skywave Radar Antenna System, 16 CI Q h- X < > o Q LU < LU 0. CO C/1 cn- < ?* 7> _J O O n O- 1- h- — rr LT h- h- < III < < ^ > > :> LU < O o o «s h- h- DC V D _> < V < < _I CO ■ -4 cti o '/, T3 B ct5 to B o •H 4-> rt •M O) W) B •H > CD 5 CD •H 17 C •H > CD O CD O cd <4H fH 3 CO (!) M-i a ■M CO CD U 3 •H P-. 18 ® 9 ® TAPS OBSERVATIONS TIDE GAGES \ "4 • TIDE ONLY ® TIDE & TSUNAMI 12! %W Figure 7. Tide gage locations MERCHANT SHIP TRACKS Figure 8. Major merchant ship tracks 19 improve the quality and quantity of data from the cooperative ship program, modular oceanic observing systems (MOOS) will be implemented which will provide for automated observations with data relay through the GOES satellite. MOOS will eventually include 200 ships in the TAPS area. In addition, new ships will be selected which have minimal port time and which make routine transits of the TAPS area. Those cooperative ships not equipped with a MOOS will continue to participate by taking manual and visual observation and reporting through MF ot HF radio via stations shown in fig. 9. To provide maintenance for equipment on cooperative ships and to make available information on the environmental services, Port Meteorological Offices have been established and will be expanded as shown in fig. 10. The Continental Shelf and offshore ocean areas are regions where increased contamination by certain heavy metals, halogenated hydrocarbons, and oils could have serious effects. Although these contaminants now appear in low concentrations, the increases predicted from mass budget estimates may severely damage many of the ocean resources. To support continued assessments and trend analyses, a program of environmental quality monitoring will be established from Coast Guard coastal patrol vessels, buoy tenders, and Government supported research vessels. These platforms will provide a significant number of the samples needed for oceanic environmental quality indications. Figure 11 shows the home ports of the Coast Guard patrol vessels. In geographic areas where government research vessels are unavailable, contract vessels will be used to obtain the needed samples for marine quality assessment. Ocean station vessels . — The ocean area encompassing the TAPS tanker route does include one ocean station vessel occupied by Canada. Ocean station "P" is located at 50.0°N, 145. 0°W and provides 6-hourly observations of the sur- face and subsurface conditions and 12-hourly observations of the upper atmosphere. In addition the Canadian government will be requested to increase the scope of observations at OSV "P" to include environmental quality data. Other platforms . — Several other platforms will be available for monitoring the marine leg portions of TAPS and will include Coast Guard coastal aircraft flights (fig. 12). Also, the instrumentation network for the Tsunami Warning System, shown in fig. 13, will use the data relay system of geostationary satellites to advance the warning time. System mix . — The monitoring platforms discussed in the foregoing are diverse in their capability, with each type having certain attributes for operating and providing selected kinds of information needed in support of the marine leg of TAPS. It is this diversity and multitude of capability that will strengthen the monitoring system. For example, data needed at the air- sea-land interface for predictions and warnings will be fulfilled in large part by offshore facilities, automated observing systems, radar, and coastal stations. A significant amount of the water quality sampling in the zone 0-50 miles offshore will be provided by patrol vessels and buoy tenders. Data for prediction and warnings in the zone about 20 nautical miles offshore and into the open ocean along the major shipping lanes, including the TAPS tanker route and the transit between the west coast and Anchorage, will be provided by 20 Ik ««» 8 a> C/3 (/> (U o> -r= Ll_ o> c CO <_) J» 03 CO tJ CO C3 E -^ b CO o o z C_5 c_> * D • ■ s S 3C O o 0£ as SE o a= H • 0£ o 3 « o a. 3S z s •<: . ■ O o — 3K 52 C aj e c O h H > c CD o > ■ H 'J • ■ H ri +-> 4-> rt t/) e fn O O •H 4-1 T) C cti • H Ph w — CD 21 CO o o ■H 4-1 O o •H o 5h O CD +-> CD E +-> ?H O Q h 3 LU CO CJ3 z CJ3 ^^ LU Z z •H ^ < _l 1- 00 LU o < —1 a. Ci, < 2* < Li. X LU 00 cc Li. LL O —I LU o Li. Li. es LU LU O < O -1 H DC LL Li. o < o O o _l o o X < cc _l 1- o o o 5 00 DC CJ O -J o LU LU 5 cc o LU 1- 1- 2 cc O 1- cr 2 LU LU o H U K a. CC LU LU 2 a O z LU a. H 1- _i DC < CC o 1 _i 3 * o * 22 TAPS OBSERVATIONS SHIPS H COAST GUARD VESSELS (HOME PORTS) B R B a B V Figure 11. Location of patrol vessel ports. 1 TAPS OBSERVATIONS AIRCRAFT * ' \ \ v COAST GUARD MAPPING FLIGHTS 1972 \ Figure 12. Areas of coastal mapping flights 23 24 Coastal mapping aircraft. cooperative ships. Large area coverage for describing temperature fields at the sea surface and in the atmosphere, and cloud systems from which winds aloft can be estimated, will be provided by both polar orbiting and geo- stationary satellites. Oceanic areas where other platforms are inadequate for providing surface data needs and areas where subsurface data are needed will be monitored by various configurations of environmental data buoys. Appendix A lists the basic data needs for providing services. The monitoring system will utilize a variety of communication modes for data transmissions and will be dependent on their use in prediction, warning, and assessment. Platform communication modes for each platform was shown in table 3. The communication of data from the sensor platforms to the processing centers for preparation of service products will be through expansion and improvement of present environmental data communication systems used by the national weather services. These systems (see appendix B) include the Service C, 0, and RAWARC teletypewriter circuits; the forecast office facsimile network; the intra-Alaska facsimile network systems; the NOAA, Coast Guard, and Navy radio station network for cooperative ship reports; the NOAA west coast marine circuit; and the tsunami warning system network. The major planned improvements include use of the data relay system aboard the GOES satellite for the tsunami warning system, selected platforms including ships of opportunity, and extension of the west coast marine circuit from San Francisco to Anchorage. 25 IV. WARNING AND FORECAST PREPARATION The basic framework and structure for providing warning and forecast services are now available. However, certain shortcomings exist: • • Regional and local forecasting techniques need improvement and better data. Physical oceanographic forecasting techniques on all scales need development . Within the National Weather Service, three echelons of centers (fig. 14) exist to provide these services. The National Meteorological Center (NMC) will provide basic guidance products at a synoptic basis and long range forecasts on ocean basin or hemispheric scales for use by lower echelon centers. Planned improvements that will support the services for the marine leg of TAPS include the establishment of a marine forecast group at NMC. The NOAA Weather Service Forecast Offices (WSFO) provide the second echelon services. Marine Forecast Units already exist at San Francisco and Anchorage to provide warning and forecast services for the Northeast Pacific and Gulf of Alaska. Marine focal points are available or planned for WSFO's at Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Juneau. In addition to these WSFO's a special Marine Environmental Service Office (MESO) is being established at Valdez for support of TAPS. The third echelon centers are composed of Weather Service Offices (WSO) along the coast. Each coastal WSO (fig. 14) will have a marine focal point responsible for warnings and forecasts for harbor and anchorage conditions, coastal shipping and operations, and local shore side facilities. In addition to the warning and forecast centers described above special centers at Honolulu and Palmer, Alaska, will provide tsunami warnings. Dissemination of marine forecast and warning services will be made by voice, CW, and radio facsimile broadcasts, commercial radio telephone, VHF-FM, and commercial radio television broadcast stations. Government broadcasts will be through the facilities of NOAA, Coast Guard, and Navy (fig. 15). Additional facilities available for communication of both data and warning services are included in appendix B. 27 CD +-> o 4-> (/} o3 O CD Jh O t+H e 03 bO C •H c $1 o3 CO a, < C o Sh ■H > o e O o o o ■p bO 3 o +-> ■H +-> +-> 29 KING SALM D [] » ANCHORAGE DA ■ SEWARD OCEAN CAPE. y COLD BAY. .CAPE SARICHEF KODIAK D • D .JUNEAU * D BIORKA IS. TAPS ENVIROMENTAL MONITORING PRODUCTS RADIO DISSEMINATION .KETCHIKAN ANNETTE.* *Q D^ dm • CW-NAVY, COMMERCIAL & COAST GUARD D RADIOTELEPHONE [MFj-NOAA & COAST GUARD A RADIOTELEPHONE |HF]-COMMERCIAL ■ RADIOTELEPHONE (VHF-FM)-NOAA A FACSIMILE PORT ANGELES • .SEATTLE astoriaV ™ urn u " T COOS BAY □ EUREKA. DB * SAN FRANCISCO. ■ 4* IB .MONTEREY 2D 1 A LOS 2 ANGELES.^ lAJOLLAAA 2D SAN DIEGO" Figure 15. Radio stations broadcasting warnings and forecasts Tanker with ice breaking hull. 30 V. MARINE QUALITY ASSESSMENT The preservation and enhancement of the relatively pristine marine leg of TAPS will depend upon the establishment of a viable marine quality assessment service. • Pre-operational baseline description of contaminant concentrations. • Periodic assessment of environmental quality. In providing this service monitoring techniques will emphasize the method and frequency of contaminant introduction into the ocean and the mechanisms of transport within the marine environment. The evaluation of an effective environmental assessment service will rely upon recent actions, such as: the establishment of a Pacific Northwest Environmental Coordinator, located in Seattle, Washington; the initiation of a research program to determine hydrocarbon concentrations and their possible effects in the northeastern Pacific Ocean including Prince William Sound; development of standard sampling and analytical techniques for petroleum hydrocarbons; and initiation of ecosystem research planning for Puget Sound and Prince William Sound. Further work in support of TAPS will use available historical data and integrate governmental, industrial, and academic activities where pertinent. In order to provide a quality assessment service for the marine area of TAPS, sampling and analysis need to be made throughout the environment. • Biological indicators • Atmospheric transport • Water and sediment Biological indicators . — Biological indicators of petroleum hydrocarbons and other contaminants will be included for three reasons: (1) the biota is of immediate importance to man as food, and hence concentrations of pollutants may present health hazards; (2) they are useful as indicators of the spatial and temporal distribution of pollutants because marine organisms concentrate most contaminants; and (3) the biosphere represents an important reservoir and transport medium for pollutants. Organisms to be sampled will be chosen on the basis of several criteria, e.g., importance to man, ease of sampling, ecological "importance," and bio- chemical, physiological, and behavioral diversity. Sampling sites will be chosen to represent major coastal and oceanic habitats, each of which differs in ecosystem structure and function. Because of the patchiness of both spatial and temporal abundances and of variations in physiological and behavioral states and in age-frequency distribution, there can be expected large variances within habitat for all measured variables. Preliminary sampling studies at each of the sites and for 31 each of the species of organisms and pollutants will be conducted. Variance estimates, thus derived, can be of some use in the interpretation of subsequent samples taken during the operational program. For coastal monitoring , one contaminated and one "clean" site will be selected for each area of interest. Coastal species proposed for monitoring are as follows : Engraulis mordax (anchovy) , Micro stomus pacificus (Dover sole) , Oncrhynchus kisutch (silver, salmon) , Mytilus edulis , o r M. californicus (mussels) , Loligo opalescens (squid) , Cancer magister (dungeness crab) , and other subtidal and intertidal invertebrates . Open ocean species proposed for monitoring are: Thunnus albacares (yellow fin tuna) , Thunnus alalunga (albacore tuna) , Oncho rhynchus gorbuscha (pink salmon), Coryphaena hippurus (dolphin) Ommastrephes spp. (squid) , myctophids, macrozooplankton. Existing marine contaminant programs in the National Marine Fisheries Service and similar programs in other agencies will be periodically reviewed to determine expansion needed over several years to provide the necessary areal, species and chemical coverage for the TAPS area. Atmospheric transport . — The atmosphere is a major transport pathway for many contaminants found in the marine environment. The monitoring of atmospheric transport to the oceans will be approached in two ways. First, transport models will be used as guides for determining areas of interest. This will include established numerical models to predict the path and concentrations of pollutants. Second, field measurements of deposition and deposition rates will be made to understand actual pollution input. Each approach will complement the other in the overall ocean monitoring program. In the first instance, the results of numerical diffusion or trajectory models would be used to give guidance for a source inventory, measuring sites, and an overview of the contamination configuration. Field measurements will be accomplished in three steps: First, a system of land measuring sites near the coast will monitor the flux of pollutants that move into the ocean area, precipitation chemistry and high-volume filter samples. The second step will be designed to determine the feasibility of flux gradient methods for estimating the deposits of pollutants. Third, ocean platforms (described in section 3) will be used to measure the same parameters as the land stations for determining flux measurements and ocean deposition. Water and sediment contamination . — Samplings of marine waters and sediments will be used to provide long-term accounting of the accumulation of chemical contaminants in the marine environment and for information to determine pathways by which contaminants are distributed, both before and after they are deposited in the ocean. As general guidelines for ocean sampling, the following will be included: (1) Selected, strategically acquired, annual observations in the TAPS area in- cluding at least one deep series; (2) more closely spaced seasonal observations near the Continental Shelf with special emphasis off estuaries where important pollution problems are suspected, and along the axis of prevailing flow; (3) the capability to respond rapidly with a sampling program after a serious 32 oil spill; and (4) seawater samples and associated environmental data taken routinely with all biological samples An estuarine water sampling program will be initiated to assess the significance of certain estuaries as major pathways for the introduction of contaminants to the sea. In addition to the quantification of the estuarine output to the open ocean, goals of this portion of the program will include a basis for assessing any immediate estuarine related public health hazard and a provision for assessing water quality trends in the estuarine zone. Standard water sampling stations will be established in certain estuaries to evaluate major inputs to the estuarine system: rivers, industrial and municipal outfalls, and the atmosphere. As well, to assess the output to the open ocean regular samples will be collected in the major outlets to the sea. Summary . — The overall problem of maintaining a healthy marine environment is very complex and requires basic information about specific processes at specific sites. Programs yielding monitoring data on the marine environment have been, are being, and are planned to be conducted under widely varying guidance provided by local, State, or Federal agencies, by academic institutions, by scientific foundations and by industry. The implementation of the National Program for a Continuing Environmental Monitoring System for the Marine Leg of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System will integrate the resources of diverse activities including, but not limited to, NOAA, Coast Guard, EPA, AEC, Smithsonian Institution and the states of California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska to produce a focus on a problem of great national concern. Figure 16 shows major Federal facilities expected to be available for this program support. 33 — 2,— 8 H ci_- — .g — «■ » Tf? " 3Z *BB O C/J ca est ca ^e ea gR, tya ca —i < -S az — as u_ ■ — ■ as —± C9 as as. — «t — ' < z GO QC O < z 3 LU LU 1- UJ OO s CO !h CD +-> C 0) o CD CD •H > H co +J a" CD = G c H •H > C CD CD = •H (4 £ c/) < E- CD DO •H 34 VI. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN A significant portion of the program to provide continuing environmental monitoring for the marine leg of TAPS will be from ongoing basic Federal programs in marine environmental monitoring and prediction. In those program areas where the existing basic services are insufficient or nonexistent, new funds will be requested by NOAA. A description of the required program increases are shown in tables 4 and 5. Estimated costs for FY 1974-78 are $45K, $4055K, $6730K, $8055K and $7905K respectively. Recurring costs beginning in FY 79 are estimated at $5.5 million. However, it should be pointed out that these estimated costs are for planning purposes only, and do not represent a commitment in scheduling or funding. 35 c/j 5! 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