CHAPTER 4 



Table 4-8. — Organic carbon data for Augusl-Seplemher 1976 — 

 conlinued 



Dissolved Particulate Total 

 Sample organic organic organic POC: 



Station' depth carbon carbon carbon Total 



' Station locations are shown in figure 4-16. 



samples from the Hucdson River mouth and Raritan Bay 

 as one, all those from stations 34, 41, 51, 76, 86, and 109 

 as the Apex, and stations 200 to 228 as the outer Bight. 

 These August-September 1976 values are compared in 



table 4-9 to other data, including March, April, June, and 

 July 1977 data from the southern portion of New York 

 Bight, which covers samples from between NMFS stations 

 213 and 219 south to about 38° 20'N. The NMFS cruise 

 and the last three TransX cruises were made when the 

 water was well stratified with a summer thermocline so 

 that bottom waters were distinctly different from surface 

 waters. Surface and deepwater values were averaged for 

 an overall picture and comparison. Monthly or 2-month 

 averages are also listed for a salt marsh at the mouth of 

 Delaware Bay (Canary Creek). It is obvious from table 

 4-9 that DOC values for the Apex are exceptionally high. 

 As a general reference, average DOC values for typical 

 estuarine and typical oceanic environments are respec- 

 tively 2.90 and 0.80 mgC/1 (Sharp 1975). The average of 

 4.41 mgC/1 for the Delaware marsh is higher than normal 

 estuarine values, partly because it represents output from 

 a shallow, tidal emergent marsh. The Hudson-Raritan 

 estuary values probably are not extraordinary, and the 

 outer Bight values seem a little high but understandable 

 when compared to the other coastal values given in the 

 table. A striking feature is that the Apex values are con- 

 siderably higher than those in the estuary. In contrast, 

 POC values do not appear to be exceptional; typical es- 

 tuarine and oceanic particulate values are respectively 

 about 2,000 and 150 jjig C/1 (Sharp 1975). 



August-September DOC data can be summarized in 

 another way. The samples in the photic zone are averaged 



Tablf. 4-9. — Comparison of organic carbon averages 



Study 



Area 



Time 



Dissolved 

 organic 

 carbon 



Particulate 

 organic 

 carbon 



Total 

 organic 

 carbon 



POC: 



Total 



117 



