Reports
Animal-sediment relationships: a case study of the Patapsco River
1981, Reinharz, E.
Open-File Report 6
Introduction
Tributary estuaries of Chesapeake Bay may support high concentrations of industrial sites and domestic activities. Furthermore, these subestuaries may function as closed basins trapping sediment-borne toxicants. The present study of a potentially contaminated area, the Patapsco River, was designed to augment similar research conducted earlier in the main Bay.
The objectives of the study were to
- a) describe benthic community distribution patterns in the Patapsco River compared to a reference area, the Rhode River,
- b) characterize bioturbation levels and sedimentary structures in the two areas,
- c) define sediment deposition rates in both subestuaries, and
- d) examine the histopathology of the clam Macoma balthica throughout the riverine systems.
