Paper 17 



APfLICATION OF OXYGEN MODEL FOR 1976 



Assuming that the early warming and early spring river discharge 



in 1976 Pstaolished stratification t-o months earlier than usual 



(January instead of Inarch), and assuming ,t hat oxygen^ ^depletion 



progressed at typical 



concentrations was 



the normal trend 



c 



a 



t 



rates/ a trend for subpycnocline oxygen 



formulated (Fio. 17.4). In this formulation 



curve for the months of declinina oxygen 



concentrations were received from AOML ^ '^^ ^^"^ ^ ^^ °"?"°^,^^S^^ J 



Laboratories) surveys as part of the MtbA 



New York Bight Project. The 



AOML observations (Fig. 17.4) seems to 



conditions resulted from a 



and Net eoro logi ca I 



(Marine Ecosystems Analysis) 



correspondence with the 



sucDort the contention that u^^h 



teng?hened period of near stagnation in the bottom waters which. 

 In ?urn" was caused by the onset - e ....... ..t .on one to two 



months e?rliec than normal. 



anoxic 



of st rati f icat ion 



An additional feature during the summer of 1976 was the 

 occurren e of a distinctly larger than normal plankton PoP-Lation 

 t rourhout the Shelf Waters of the ^''-'''l^'l[J;'l',\,'Z]2 



cells on the New Jersey shelf, representing a larger than normal 



d 

 e 



ecayina biomass. The continued high rate of oxygen depletion of 

 llrlV sulleT and the maintenance of anoxic -"^^ ^ ;?"%J^^ ° ^/^ 

 Late summer may be attributed to the large mass of oecaying 



Cgrat i uffl. 



KEGIONAL ASPECTS OF THE 1976 FISH KILL 



fish kill 



.„o,ic condUions an. the cesuU^n, ^J,s.^ --..H:. ^^llZ'll 



Historical oxygen observations 



limited to the. Shelf Waters off 



292 



