are composed of rock hardened Miami oolite, a limestone formed via chemical 
precipitation rather than biological deposition. The productivity of these communities 
with regard to fish and wildlife reflects: (1) the diversity and type of habitats 
available to species that are potentially capable of exploiting them, (2) the degree of 
alteration of these habitats by man and natural forces, and (3) historical, biogeographic 
and random factors that restrict organisms to specific environments or prohibit them 
from exploiting a potential habitat. 
1982 
Sorensen, C. E. (1985) Quantitative analysis of the carbonate sediments in Shell Key Basin, 
Florida Bay. The Compass . 62(2):97-105. 
Sediment and water samples were collected from a small basin in Florida Bay to 
elucidate the process of carbonate sediment genesis. At each sample station various 
environmental parameters were measured: depth, temperature, salinity, dissolved 
carbon dioxide, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Grain-size analysis was conducted on the 
sediment samples. The resultant data set was subjected to various statistical analyses, 
principal-component analysis, and a regression analysis. The factor and regression 
analysis indicated that the strongest predictive variables for the dominant grain-size 
class are salinity, concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide, and concentration of 
dissolved oxygen. The stronger predictive relationship exhibited between dissolved 
oxygen and the dominant grain-size class suggests that algae play a larger role in 
sediment production than mollusks in Shell Key Basin. The strong inverse relationship 
displayed between depth and pH suggests that the shallow marine mudbanks maintain 
their relief by higher organic activity than the deeper parts of the Basin. Temperature 
may play a larger role than previously hypothesized in the distribution of grain sizes in 
Shell Key Basin. 
1982 
Sorensen, C. E. (1985) A study of active processes affecting grain-size and chemical 
distribution in three selected basins of Florida Bay, Florida. M. S. Thesis. Wichita State 
University, Wichita, KS. 146 pp. 
Sediment and water samples were collected and analyzed in three basins of Florida Bay 
to determine whether biological or physical processes control grain size. The sediments 
were analyzed for weight percent of Ca, Mg, Ti, Si, Al, Sr, Fe, and K using x-ray 
fluorescence. Water samples were analyzed in situ by a portable chemical analysis kit 
for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, dissolved carbon dioxide, salinity, and 
turbidity. Populations of benthonic flora and fauna were estimated at the 45 sampling 
stations. X-ray diffractometry determined mineralogical content present for each 
sediment sample. Statistical parameters were calculated to elucidate any relationships. 
Parameters indicated that physical processes controlled grain-size distributions in 
Shell Key and Crab Key Basins, but biological processes controlled grain-size 
distributions in the northernmost basin: Madeira Bay. Interpretation of the Sr analyses 
inferred that most of the sediment in the basins was derived from mollusks, rather 
than algae as previously believed. Chemical conditions above the sediment-water 
interface were not favorable for inorganic, physicochemical precipitation of calcium 
carbonate at the time the measurements were taken. The expected significant negative 
correlation between Thalassia density and the percentage of coarse grains was present 
in only one basin. Sampling took place in 1982. 
1982 0 
Ullman, W. J., and R. C. Aller (1982) Diffusion coefficients in nearshore marine sediments. 
Limnol. Oceanoar. . 27(3):552-6. 
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