the hurricane on the successional status of each mound again 

 suggested that the degree of bottom disturbance was related to the 

 different capping materials used. The sand cap appeared to reduce 

 the impacts of the hurricane on the benthic community. 



The distribution of Organism-Sediment Index values 

 showed lower OSI values at CS-1 (Figure 3-57) than at CS-2 (Figure 

 3-58) , reflecting the paucity of Stage III infauna at the CS-1 

 mound. As at STNH-S, the OSI values had not changed significantly 

 at either of the capped mounds since the August survey. Overall, 

 although the bottom was obviously physically disturbed by 

 Hurricane Gloria at CS-1 and CS-2, the infaunal benthic 

 assemblages were apparently not as "stressed" as the assemblages 

 at the STNH-N mound. This difference in the impacts of the storm 

 may reflect a gradient in the storm's physical effects or inherent 

 differences in the affected benthic communities. 



3.3.4 Mill-Quinnipiac River (MQR) 



August Survey 



REMOTS surveys have been performed at this mound in 

 January 1983, August 1983 and September 1984. The present survey 

 was conducted on 15 August 1985, approximately 27 months after the 

 disposal of Black Rock Harbor muds followed by capping with New 

 Haven Harbor muds. Earlier surveys, located on a N-S and E-W 

 sampling cross, showed that recolonization of this mound was 

 delayed relative to the other CLIS mounds. The August 1985 survey 

 consisted of an orthogonal grid with stations falling on the 

 quadrants located between the cross, so that the area affected by 

 disposal could be delineated in more detail. 



The major modal sediment grain-size was >4 phi 

 (silt-clay) with mixtures of 4-3 phi (very fine sand) . The 

 sediment grain-size major mode had not changed from previous 

 surveys conducted here. 



Near-surface patches of reduced sediment were evident at 

 only 9% of the MQR stations. Of the CLIS disposal mounds surveyed 

 in August 1985, this was the only mound which did not exhibit 

 widespread evidence of the redistribution of anoxic sediments to 

 the surface. This was most likely related to the mound's 

 low-order successional status. 



The major modal value of boundary roughness was at the 

 0.4 cm class interval (Figure 3-59). In August 1983, the major 

 mode for boundary roughness was 1.2 cm. The reduction in 

 small-scale roughness was probably related to smoothing of the 

 original disposal mound topography by currents. 



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