Figure 2.— New York Bight apex study area with station positions, 

 and dredging spoils (DS) and sewage sludge (SS) dump sites indi- 

 cated. 



16 15 14 13 . 12 11 10 9 ...8 —7 



18 19 \ 20" '21 22/~ 23- -24—25 26 27 28 



39 38 ; 37 .36 35 34 33/ 32 31 30 29 



I ! DS j / 



/ _ /^~~. '■.'.!. 



40 41 ' 42 43 44 ',45 i 46 47 48 49 50 



• I > i ' 



. .;■'". . U. \\ . . 



61 60 59 58 57 56 55 \ 54 53 52 51 



f \ \r\\ N 





62 63 64 65 66 > 



w 



1 \ w 



\ ii 



.-■ M \ 

 I." *: \ 



vN\ 'V 



••<»„7/»'r 



I I I I I L_i I I 1 L. 



Sediments 



Two 3.4 cm (inside diameter) sediment cores were removed from 

 each grab sample, one for standard geological analyses (percentage 

 oxidizable organics and grain size distribution) and the other for 

 heavy metals analyses. These cores were frozen before being ana- 

 lyzed. 



The percentage of oxidizable organic material in the sediments 

 was calculated by the hydrogen peroxide digestion method, and 

 grain size distribution was determined by processing each sediment 

 sample in a Rapid Sediment Analyzer (Cok)." Grain size, expressed 

 in the Wentworth scale (Wentworth 1922 after Udden 1898 as seen 

 in Shepard 1963) is given in 4> (phi) units, where = -log : rf, and 

 </ = partic!e diameter in millimeters. Sediment heavy metals analy- 

 ses for chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc were performed 

 using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer; details of these 

 methods are given in Greig et al. (1976). 



Sediment grain size, organic content, and heavy metals data were 

 combined and averaged using procedures similar to those used for 

 benthic fauna data. Mean grain size, expressed in 4> units, was con- 

 verted into sediment types based on the Wentworth scale. The cate- 

 gories thus established are as follows: -1 to + ld> = very 



4 Anthony Cok. Department of Earth Sciences. Adelphi University, Garden City, 

 NY 1 1530. pers. commun. June 1973. 



coarse-coarse sand; +1 to +20 = medium sand; +2 to 

 + 40 = fine-very fine sand: +4 to +60 = coarse to medium silt. 

 These are mapped in Figure 5. 



Sediment organic content was divided into three categories: 

 <3% represents low organic areas; 3-5% represents medium 

 organic areas; and >5% represents high organic areas (Fig. 6). 



Average concentrations (ppm) for five heavy metals— chromium, 

 copper, nickel, lead, and zinc — are presented in Figures 7-1 1. 



The data file and benthic samples, upon which much of the infor- 

 mation presented in this paper is based, are stored at the Northeast 

 Fisheries Center. Sandy Hook Laboratory. 



NEW YORK BIGHT APEX STUDY AREA 



Environmental Characteristics 



The oceanography of the New York Bight depends on larger scale 

 processes of the entire Middle Atlantic Bight. Water depths in the 

 Bight apex range from intertidal to approximately 62 m in the Hud- 

 son Shelf Valley. East coast continental shelf waters, in general, 

 flow to the south at average speeds between 5 and 10 cm/s. how- 

 ever, storms can cause movements of 25-30 cm/s. Waters of the 

 inner New York Bight exhibit estuarine circulation typical of 

 coastal areas where discharge of river water exceeds evaporation. 

 Near-surface waters move generally seaward, while near-bottom 

 waters move generally landward (Beardsley et al. 1976). 



