Project Research Activities

Thirty vessels on the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic Coasts are targeted for assessment in this project. The sampling pool is comprised of oilers (Fig 2a) and cargo vessels operated by or for the Military Sealift Command. Water quality measurements are made within the ballast tanks using a sensor bundle (Fig 2b). Concentrated biological samples are collected with 20-µm plankton nets (Fig 2c), while whole-water samples are collected with a controlled-fill, air displacement sampling canister (Fig 2d).