however, may have been made shortly after a dump. The surface, mid-depth 

 and bottom iron concentrations in the water for the area are shown in 

 Figures 36, 37, and 38. These plots have sharp contours to the south 

 and southwest of the area of interest. The patterns of iron distribution 

 suggest spreading of iron-rich waste along the bottom by bottom currents. 

 A correlation has been suggested by SHL between the iron-rich water in 

 the disposal area and an increase in turbidity. 



4. Biological Characteristics 



A number of biological investigations of the Bight have been con- 

 ducted (Buelow, et al, 1968; Jeffries, 1959; Redfield and Walford, 1951; 

 Herman, 1963; Segal, 1970; Barber and Krieger, 1970). 



Biological studies were also undertaken by the Sandy Hook Laboratory 

 which included investigations of benthic life, zooplankton, and finfish. 

 Since August 1968, SHL began sampling (Figure 39) in the Bight with the 

 intent to pay particular attention to certain commercially valuable forms, 

 such as the surf clam, the American lobster, and the common cancroid, or 

 rock crab. These benthic species, however, were not studied adequately. 

 Additional studies of coliform and pathogenic microorganisms have been 

 carried out by numerous investigations. (Atlas, 1972; Mahoney, 1972; 

 Buelow, et al, 1968). The biological characteristics of an area of the 

 Bight, within and outside the diomping grounds, are discussed in the 

 following sections: 



a. Benthos . The study of benthic communities is considered the most 

 direct approach in assessing the effect of ocean waste disposal, as most 

 benthic organisms are immobile and their presence or absence reflects long- 

 term change in the marine environment. The distribution of benthic species 

 is related to many factors such as the sediment type, the presence of 

 toxic materials, water quality, nutrients, and pathogenic organisms. 

 Studies of benthic communities in the Bight and within the Harbor have 

 been undertaken by the SUNY-SB and the SHL. The results of these studies 

 are not in full agreement. 



A preliminary biological reconnaissance by SUNY found only a few 

 groups of pollution-tolerant organisms, such as nematodes and capitellid 

 worms, in abundance in the sediments of the inner Harbor. Numbers of 

 benthic animals in most of the Inner Harbor, were either drastically 

 diminished, or totally lacking. In the Lower Bay, benthic communities 

 were apparently less severely affected. Near the harbor entrance, the 

 Continental Shelf appeared to support near-normal communities of benthic 

 organisms . 



The SHL study found populations of benthic animals in the vicinity of 

 the dumping grounds severely impoverished. Nematodes, which are regarded 

 as a pollution-resistant group, were found in reduced numbers within the 

 dumping grounds. Areas peripheral to the sewage sludge dumping grounds 

 were dominated by Cerianthus, a burrowing type of sea anemone. Species 

 diversity of benthic organisms, which is often used as an index of 



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