This award supports a three year project with Dr. D. Capone of U. MD Center for Esturine and Ecosystem Studies applies biotechnology to problems in biological oceanography. The investigators propose to examine the distribution and activity of nitrogen fixers in the sea with enzymatic and immunological assays. The potential importance of marine nitrogen fixers to nutrient cycling is unknown but suspected to be significant. This work will apply new techniques to the study of the distribution and activities of marine nitrogen fixation.