ABSTRACT
The term “marine pollution” can be broadly defined as the introduction into the marine environment of a diverse range of materials, derived from human activities, in such quantities that the environment is made less suitable for existing life forms (see e.g. Menzel, 1979). The impact of a pollutant on a marine system generally varies both spatially and temporally as a consequence of a large number of interacting factors related to the nature and quantity of the material which is introduced and hydrographical characteristics of the area receiving the discharge. In nearshore areas of the marine environment, especially semienclosed systems e.g. estuaries, sealochs, and fjords, the rates of water exchange are frequently relatively low and, as a consequence, such areas are generally observed to be most affected by pollutant inputs (Waldichuk, 1979). Most attempts at definition of pollutant effects have, therefore, related to nearshore areas.
