PREFACE 



This report is published to provide coastal engineers with a study 

 of the effects of suspended sediment on estuarine organisms, in the 

 continuing research on the ecological effects of engineering activities. 

 It presents the results of a 3-year laboratory study on the subject. 

 The work was carried out under the coastal ecology research program of 

 the U.S. Army Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) . 



This report is published, with only minor editing, as received from 

 the contractor; results and conclusions are those of the authors and are 

 not necessarily accepted by CERC or the Corps of Engineers. 



The report was prepared by Dr. J. A. Sherk, Jr., Dr. J.M. O'Connor, 

 and Mr. D.A. Neumann, while on the staff of the Natural Resources Insti- 

 tute, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, under CERC 

 Contract No. DACW72-71-C-0003. 



Mr. A.K. Hurme (CERC) made constructive and significant improvements 

 to that part of the original contract report pertaining to plankton. 

 Robert M. Yancey, Chief, Ecology Branch, was the CERC contract monitor 

 for the report, under the general supervision of R.P. Savage, Chief, 

 Research Division. 



Comments on this publication are invited. 



Approved for publication in accordance with Public Law 166, 79th 

 Congress, approved 31 July 1945, as supplemented by Public Law 172, 88th 

 Congress, approved 7 November 1963. 



JAMES L. TRAYEf 



Colonel, Corps'^of Engineers 



Commander and Director 



