In 1961, H.S.H. Prince Rainier III of Monaco commissioned two small offices in the basement of the Museum of Oceanography to study the environment of the
ocean. Monday, almost 40 years later, Prince Rainier was on hand once again. Along with his son Prince Albert II, the new premises of the United Nations' Marine Environmental Laboratory were inaugurated.
The inauguration was part of opening day
ceremonies for the International Symposium on Marine Pollution. In honor of the U.N.'s Year of the Ocean 1998, the world's top experts on the ocean environment are meeting this week in Monaco.
Only the third session of this magnitude since 1959, the symposium marks the beginning of this international gathering to present marine pollution studies. More than 500 scientists from
80 countries are in attendance representing, as one delegate called them, "a small community with a large responsibility."
The lab, now called MEL, in the Museum of Oceanography was the beginning of what has
become a worldwide effort in marine pollution studies. In its early days, MEL occupied about 150 square meters. The new premises encompass more than 3,000 square meters and three floors.
Prince Rainier and Prince Albert spent more than an hour reviewing the modern facilities designed to study ocean effects such as marine radioactivity and pollution.
Two plaques honoring the monarch's lifelong influence on oceanic pollution studies were awarded by Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy
Association, and Mr. Yuji Ikeda, Japan's representative to the IAEA.
Already the symposium's delegates have challenged the way scientists as well as
regulators operate. Dr. R.S.S. Wu of the City University of Hong Kong introduced new technology to monitor toxic heavy metals in the environment. Wu's chemical indicator
(Chelex-100) replaces current methods of monitoring heavy metals dependent upon biological organisms such as mussels.
Biological monitoring has been criticized because of the wide variance in scientific
accuracy. If approved, chemical tracers could replace methods developed in the 1970s and still in use today by US Fish and Wildlife Services and other regulators. Chelex-100
and other chemical indicators represent profound advances in determining whether or not coastal waters are contaminated with heavy metals.
Dr. Gunnar Kullenberg of the International Oceanic Institute outlined problems being
faced by the international scientific community. In particular, he stressed that those who provide resources and financing, primarily governments, must communicate better
with those who do the research. By example he asked why ministers from sponsoring organizations such as the U.N. Environmental Programme were missing from the
symposium. Their absence in a symposium of critical scientific presentations means important policy makers do not learn what science deserves their attention.
Some of the major research organizations presenting Monday included the Scripps Institute of Oceanography represented by Dr. Lal, Lamont-Doherty Earch Observatory
of Columbia University represented by Dr. Schlosser and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts represented by Dr. Gagosian, director.
Dr. Gagosian summed up the symposium's task to the world: "The oceans are not just the beaches we play on with our children...it's much more vast...We must use and manage
the oceans wisely. Protecting them is not enough. If we want to manage, protect and use the oceans wisely however, we have to know how they work."
