In particular, shippers and carriers holding membership with the CCWG (representing 5-FU more than 60 percent of global container shipments) commit to the use of less-toxic or non-toxic antifouling coatings (Business Social Responsibility Report, 2011). To investigate the possibility of localized toxicity due to antifouling coatings, our next visit to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary container site will entail sampling

of mineral and composite materials, as well as benthic organisms, found on and around the container for toxicological analyses. JRT participated in the research cruise and sample processing, compiled and analyzed data, and drafted the manuscript. APD was a co-PI for the cruise and contributed to sampling design and processing, manuscript preparation, and funding. EJB, OF, PJW, CL, and KRB participated in the cruise and sample processing, and manuscript preparation. LL participated in the cruise, annotated and conducted preliminary analysis of video survey data. LAK participated in macrofauna sample processing and taxa identification, and manuscript preparation. JPB APO866 concentration was a co-PI for the cruise, led the research program and sampling design, and was involved in data analysis

and manuscript preparation. All authors have approved the final manuscript. The authors are thankful for macrofauna identification services by Loperamide expert taxonomists Leslie Harris (polychaetes) and Peter Slattery (crustaceans), and for support from the R/V Western Flyer crew, ROV Doc Ricketts pilots, and MBARI Video Lab. We are also grateful for funding by NOAA/ MBNMS, MBARI, and the David and Lucile Packard

Foundation. JRT is funded by MBARI and the MBNMS; LL, LAK, PJW, CL, KRB, and JPB are funded by MBARI; EJB, OF, and APD are funded by the MBNMS. “
“Frontal zones are important features in the ocean (Olson et al., 1994, Nakata et al., 2000, Kasai et al., 2002 and Longhurst, 2006). Oceanic frontal systems are frequently observed in estuaries, coastal regions and marginal seas due to several different physical mechanisms generating fronts, such as density gradients from terrestrial water discharge, tidal mixing, coastal wind-forced upwelling, and wintertime thermal convection (Belkin et al., 2009). These physical processes also greatly affect the chemical composition of oceanic frontal systems. For example, as a result of river freshwater discharge, river plume fronts are characterized by enriched terrestrial substances (Atkinson et al., 1983 and Belkin et al., 2009). Owing to terrestrial nutrient supply, river plume fronts are particularly important for phytoplankton growth in coastal ecosystems and are beneficial to the enhancement of local fisheries resources (Kingsford and Suthers, 1994 and John et al., 2001).