16 



methane is indicative of organic loading of the sediments and is easily discemable in 

 REMOTS® photographs because of an irregular, generally circular shape and glassy texture. 

 If methane is detected, the OSI calculation is decreased by 2. Thus, OSI values for MQR 

 took into account this factor. 



3.3.2 Low Dissolved Oxygen 



REMOTS® photographs are flagged when a condition of apparent low or nonexistent 

 dissolved oxygen (DO) exists at the sediment surface. This classification is based on the 

 presence of reduced, low reflectance sediment at the sediment- water interface. If a sample is 

 flagged due to low DO, the OSI calculation is decreased by 4; obviously this classification 

 can greatly affect the final calculation of OSI. 



None of the 1992 MQR stations were flagged as having low DO. Of the stations 

 within 200 meters of the June 1991 center station at MQR, 16% were flagged as having low 

 DO, while 2 replicates outside of this boundary (300E and 300W) also were flagged. All of 

 the flagged samples were associated with azoic conditions. 



Recolomzation of the Mill-Quinnipiac River Disposal Mound (MQR): Results of a REMOTS® Survey, August 1992 



