172 
Nutrients associated with disposal aperatiors are o£ little direct concern 
to tne benthic or planktonic comnmity because no significazt uombders of 
phetosyathetic orgauisms ate present om or nea> the bottom. Nuttients weich 
do esc2pe from the sediments after disposal and enter the water colimm would 
be diluted below toxic levels within 10m of the disposal paint (Conner et al., 
1979). 
OXYGEN DEMAND 
Release of dredged material in water often causes a small initial 
dissclved-oxygen decrease which varies from 0.006 to 0.02 mg/liter/min (Lee et 
ee, USV/S)S During dredged-material disposal, Goeggel (1978) reported thas 
suritace dissolved-oxygen concentrations were reduced for a few minutes before 
returning to ambient levels. In other instances, oxygen reductions of lesser 
magnitudes were observed. Such short-term depressions are insignificant and 
will act have any adverse effects on the biota. - 
From Jume to October 1976, lower-then-normal dissolved-oxygen concen—. 
trations and extensive fish and shellfish mortalities were observed in the 
Bight. his anoxic phenomenon reflected natural, but extreme, meteorological 
and hydzsgrzaphic conditions occurring in the Bight during the moaths precedis g 
we 
the actual fish kill (Skarp, 1976), and was not associated with the dispose 
ef dredged szaterial. Falkowski ec al. (1980) reported that the chain ci 
events leading to the 1976 ancxia were: 
Woo. a warm winter with large smmoft, 2a low feeqauency of 
soring storm events, a deep summer thermocline, persistent 
southerly winds with few reversals, a large antochthonous 
carbon load (e.g., Ceratium tripvos), and low grazing 
pressure by zooplankton. Quz calculations suggest that 
° anoxia could have occurred off the New Jersey coast im the 
aummer of 1976 without any carbon loading from New York 
City, and that anoxia in this open shelf system cam result 
fom natural paysical forcing and biological response." 
TBACE METAL AND ORGANOHALOGEN ACCUMULATION a 
Toxic levels cf trace metals for most marine organisms have not been estab- 
lished, partially due to extreme variabilities im the sensitivities exhibited 
? © 
by organisms during their diiierent lite stages. The form o£ chemic2l 
