120 



BIOLOGICAL REPORT 31 



Stratification effectively isolates the lower waters 

 from the atmosphere, which in nutrient-rich systems 

 with high rates of oxygen consumption can result 

 in depletion of dissolved oxygen (Costa et al. 

 1 992: Taylor and Howes 1 994). The indirect ef- 

 fect of stratification is a significant impact to the 

 animal and plant communities of the receiving 

 water body. 



Building seawalls and armoring the coast in 

 the face of a continually rising bay and periodic 



storm events may provide a temporary local so- 

 lution to land loss by erosion and flooding. Over 

 the long term, however, the Buzzards Bay wa- 

 tershed will diminish in size, and the salt marshes, 

 barrier dunes, and beaches will continue the re- 

 treat that they began shortly after Buzzards Bay 

 first became an estuary. 



