Distributions of Surficial Sediment and Eelgrass in Great South Bay, New York (from Smith Point, West to Wantagh State Parkway)

摘要

Great South Bay is a bar-built estuary located along the south shore of Long Island. It is shallow and receives runoff from more than forty streams and rivers. In addition to being a seasonal recreational area, Great South Bay is noted for its tremendous harvest of hard clams and also has many varieties of finfish that support commercial and recreational fisheries. With increases in population along the shorelines, stresses on the bay have increased. The amounts of pollutants added to streams have intensified. Since many of these, including most metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons, are relatively insoluble in water, they are scavenged rapidly from solution near their points of introduction by suspended particulate matter. Many end up on the bottom of Great South Bay in channels and other areas where fine-grained sediments are accumulating. The objectives of this study were to map the texture of the surficial sediments, their organic content, and the distribution of eelgrass.