Figure 1.— RV Challenger survey, 1966-67. Locations of transects and collecting stations. Station D-l is at the mouth of Jones' 



Inlet. 



We used a 0.0624 m- Petersen grab (Fig. 2) to 

 collect samples at each station. Each sample was 

 washed through two screens, with 2- and 1-mm mesh 

 openings. All organisms collected on both screens 

 were stored together in a jar and fixed with 10% 

 Formalin buffered with borax. Later the samples 

 were transferred to 70% ethanol for permanent pre- 

 servation. 



Loran navigation was the principal method used 

 for positioning the Challenger on collecting stations. 

 We increased accuracy when possible, by use of 

 radar, land ranges, and by visual sightings of buoys 

 and light towers. 



After primary sorting into major phyletic groups, 

 each sample was processed separately and or- 

 ganisms identified to species, whenever possible, 

 and counted. The responsibility of species identifi- 

 cation was assumed by the senior author with the aid 

 of authorities listed in the acknowledgment. Alpine 

 Geophysical Associates, Inc., Norwood, N.J., 

 analyzed sediments collected at each station during 

 the period June through September. 



February to November 1966 (Alpine Geophysical 

 Associates, 1967) are nearly constant on all transects 

 with the exception of salinity values on A transect. 

 Mean bottom water temperature ranged seasonally 

 from a minimum of 1 .5°C in February to a maximum 

 of 20.0°C in September and declined to ll.TC in 

 November. The salinity near the bottom was gener- 

 ally uniform east of Rockaway Inlet, ranging from 

 31.0 to 32. 3%f during the 10-mo survey. Bottom 

 salinities obtained from the far western part of the 

 survey area, including A transect (near the mouth of 

 the Hudson River), were consistently lower and 

 fluctuated from month to month; bottom salinity 

 there ranged from 27.3 to3 1.2 %c during Hhe 10 mo 

 sampled. Dissolved oxygen values of the bottom 

 water ranged from a high of 7.5 ppm (parts per mil- 

 lion) in February to a low of 4.2 ppm in July, then 

 rising slowly to 5.6 ppm in November. The dissolved 

 oxygen values for the western transects were gener- 

 ally lower than those of the eastern portion during 

 the summer months, July and August, with a low 

 value of 3.5 ppm found on Transect A during July. 



RESULTS 



Hydrography 



Monthly mean values (bottom and surface) for 

 water temperatures, salinity, and dissolved oxygen 

 for the survey transects, available for the period 



Sediments 



Analysis showed a predominantly medium to 

 coarse sand bottom at most stations with the excep- 

 tion of Transect B where all of the stations were 

 characterized by finer sediments (Appendix Table 

 2). 



