reached double the seawater value at depths >50 cm, in some cases. Highest B 
concentrations corresponded to high dissolved silica concentrations of >1 mM. Also, 
dissolved B and silica production rates, observed during anoxic sediment incubation 
experiments were directly related, showing a decrease with depth into the sediment. 
When the sediment was spiked with solid silicic acid, and pore waters rapidly achieved 
saturation with respect to amorphous silica (1.5 mM), dissolved B production was 
completely inhibited. These data imply that B production in these sediments is caused by 
dissolution of biogenic opal, the dominant silica-bearing phase. Laboratory experiments 
show that, when normalized to BET surface area, B consumption by solid silicic acid at 
pH 8 was comparable to that observed for clay minerals like kaolinite and smectite. The 
tendency for solid silicic acid to remove B from solution was lowered by nearly an 
order of magnitude when the pH was lowered to pH < 7. These data suggest that B 
production in biogenic sediments primarily reflects the large pH difference between 
overlying waters (pH = 8), where plankton grow and incorporate boron, and the 
sedimentary environment (pH < 7), where net dissolution of opaline plankton tests 
occurs and boron uptake is least favorable. 
1988 0 
Merriam, D. F. (1988) Some recent developments in the study of Florida Bay geology. The 
Compass . 65(30): 157-74. 
[DATE OF SAMPLING UNKNOWN OR NOT APPLICABLE.] Recent work in Florida Bay has 
kindled a resurgence of interest in this classic example of a dynamic lime-mud factory. 
History of work in the area can be subdivided into three periods: (1) early exploration 
and description (1850 - 1953), (2) general stratigraphy and sedimentology (1953 - 
1977), and detailed in-depth studies (1977 - present). Since 1977, much effort has 
gone into the study of generation, distribution, accumulation, and preservation of the 
lime mud on the drowned Miami Limestone (Pleistocene) surface during the past 5,000 
yrs. Sea-level change has been refined with additional data. Physical features in the 
Bay - islands, mudbanks, basins (lakes); chemical features - sediment and water; and 
biological features - fauna and flora, including sediment generation, have received 
considerable attention. Some work has been done on outline environmental sub divisions 
in the Bay by hydrographic, faunal, and sediment budget factors. Much new data have 
become available on the 'bedrock' geology with drilling of core holes in the Bay. 
Compaction and geochemical studies of the sediment have provided information on 
diagenetic changes during the lithification process. With the vast amount of data now 
available, it is possible to stimulate processes operational in the Bay and predict 
changes. Stimulation utilizing basin configuration, sea-level change, and sediment- 
generation rates show that the Bay is infilling from the west and north, and that sea- 
level change is the dominant factor in shaping the end result. Future research should be 
directed toward a better description and understanding of features in the Bay, their 
development, and subsequent change through time, and the Pleistocene and Recent 
geologic history with projections into the future of short-and long -range changes both 
natural and man-made. 
1988 0 
Ogden, J. C., and A. Sprunt (1988) Population trends and reproductive strategies by south 
Florida wading birds. Wildlife in the Everglades and Latin America Wetlands . 1985. G. W. 
Dalrymple, W. F. Loftus, and F. S. Bernardino (eds.). Florida International University, 
Miami, FL. 6. 
[DATE OF SAMPLING UNKNOWN OR NOT APPLICABLE.] This citation is a discussion of 
population trends and reproductive strategies by wading birds. Historical data is 
discussed. 
317 
