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Long Island Sound Environmental Synthesis
A synthesis of results from recent studies of Long Island Sound has been published
as a Thematic Section in the Summer-2000 issue of the Journal of Coastal Research.
This synthesis highlights the major findings of the Long Island Sound Environmental
Studies Project. The project was sponsored and funded by the USGS Coastal and Marine
Geology Program and was conducted in cooperation with the State of Connecticut
Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The primary objective of the multi-disciplinary research was to understand the
distribution of bottom contaminants and benthic habitats in the Sound, one of the
Nation's major urbanized estuaries.
The 10 papers in the Thematic Section focus on the regional processes, conditions,
and characteristics of the modern sea floor in the Sound. The first three present
overviews of the geologic, sedimentary, and hydrodynamic processes and framework
that largely control (either independently or together) the bottom character and
composition. The next four contributions outline the regional distribution of sediment
types and geochemical contaminants including trace metals and Clostridium perfringens
(a sewage indicator). The final three deal with infaunal benthic communities and
specific biologic indicators of environmental change.
Principal Investigators from the USGS WHFC who contributed to the Thematic
Section include Harley Knebel, Marilyn Buchholtz ten Brink, Ellen Mecray,
Larry Poppe, and Rich Signell. Co-authors include Amy Farris,
Erin Galvin, Polly Hastings, Jeff List, Barbara Seekins, and Dave Twichell.
Contributing PIs from other organizations include Ralph Lewis
(State Geologist of Connecticut), Johan Varekamp, Ellen Thomas, and
Kristina Beuning (Wesleyan University), and Roman Zajac (University of
New Haven). Additional co-authors are from the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Northeast
Utilities Environmental Laboratory, and the University of Connecticut.
Editorial duties for the Thematic Section were shared among Harley Knebel,
Ralph Lewis, and Johan Varekamp.
Several general implications emerge from the collection of papers in the
Thematic Section. First, because of its glacial origin and post-glacial
history, the Sound has a complex configuration and topography that significantly
affect the present hydrodynamic structure, producing a highly variable
distribution of bottom processes. Second, sediments derived from various
sources (natural as well as anthropogenic) have been superimposed on the
variable bottom regime, creating seafloor deposits that are both texturally
and compositionally complex. Third, the heterogeneous seafloor processes,
conditions, and characteristics largely control the biologic communities
and regional benthic ecology of the Sound. Finally, the collected results
provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of this complex
estuarine system that is invaluable in the prediction and abatement of
pollution, the management of biologic resources, and the documentation of
natural versus human change.
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October 2000
in this issue:
Florida Bay Red Grouper
Divers at Turners Falls
Long Island Sound
cover story:
Boston Harbor Clean-Up
Sea Floor Mapping DVD-ROM
Santa Cruz Shark Festival
Natural Systems Restoration
Mapping Tools for Fisheries
Alaska Geologic Mapping
Coral Reef Task Force
Gulf of Mexico Sediments
Viking Celebration
Iceland Lecture
Congratulations
Visitors
October Publications List
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
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