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Oil spill responders require information on the relative toxicity of dispersed and un-dispersed oil in order to make informed decisions regarding the use of chemical dispersants during spill events. Toxicity of the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) and the chemically-enhanced WAF (CEWAF; via the dispersant Corexit 9500) of weathered Prudhoe Bay crude oil was investigated using adult and embryonic topsmelt; topsmelt are an ecologically important atherinid in California bays and estuaries and an important indicator species. Following 96-h exposures, metabolite profiles were measured using 1D 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and compared via principal component analysis. Similar metabolic profiles were obtained between WAF- and CEWAF-exposed adults and embryos. Although metabolic changes, for the adults lacked significance, significant increasing and decreasing metabolic changes were observed for embryos directly exposed. Furthermore, no mortality was observed for embryos, exposed to WAF and normal development occurred, whereas CEWAF exposed embryos lead to mortality and cardiovascular abnormalities. Observed toxicological information, specifically for developing fish, can aide resource managers in the relative risk of treating oil spills with dispersant.

The Skerki Bank Project was the first interdisciplinary effort to determine the importance of the deep sea to the field of archaeology. Over a nine year period from 1988 to 1997, its various field programs resulted in the discovery of the largest concentration of ancient ships ever found in the deep sea. In all, eight ships were located in an area of 210 km 2 , including five of the Roman era spanning a period of time from 100 B.C. to 400 A.D., documenting the existence of a major trading route in the central Mediterranean Sea between ancient Carthage, Rome, Sicily, and Sardinia. The project involved the use of highly sophisticated deep submergence technologies including towed acoustic and visual search vehicles, a nuclear research submarine, and an advanced remotely operated vehicle. Precision navigation and control permitted rapid yet careful mapping, both visual and acoustic, of each site with a degree of precision never attained before. Advanced robotics permitted the recovery of selected objects for subsequent analysis without intrusive excavation. This multi-disciplinary effort of archaeologists, oceanographers, and ocean engineers demonstrated that deep water archaeology has great promise and can be done without the exploitation of ancient sites for private gains. The Project also demonstrated that in the absence of evolving laws of the sea, a great deal of human history may be at peril.