Sediment was fertilized with f/2 algal growth medium in situ and in the laboratory daily for one week. Sampling strategy incorporated two intertidal heights and two sites. Experiments were done in August and January. No significant changes in chlorophyll a or diatom community structure were observed after ten days of growth in either the field or the laboratory experiments. Laboratory experiments also showed slightly increased gross primary production (p<.10) and increased oxygen uptake (p<.01) associated with nutrient enrichment. Unlike planktonic diatoms, sediment-associated diatoms in Yaquina Bay show no nutrient limitation. Thus other factors probably control diatom growth in these sediments such as light intensity, photoperiod, intertidal height, sediment stability and organic content, and animal consumption. / Graduation date: 1982