Carmans, Patchogue, and Swan Rivers
Estuaries and Coasts: J CERF DOI 10.1007/s12237-007-9010-y Temporal and Spatial Variations in Water Quality on New York South Shore Estuary Tributaries: Carmans, Patchogue, and Swan Rivers Lori Zaikowski & Kevin T. McDonnell & Robert F. Rockwell & Fred Rispoli Received: 9 April 2007 /Revised: 23 August 2007 /Accepted: 14 September 2007 # Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 2007 Abstract The chemical and biological impacts of anthro- magnitude higher than SR and CR sediments. Benthic pogenic physical modifications (i.e., channelization, dredg- invertebrate assessment of species richness, biotic index, ing, bulkhead, and jetty construction) to tributaries were and Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera richness assessed on New York’s Long Island South Shore Estuary. indicated that PR was severely impacted, SR ranged from Water-quality data collected on Carmans, Patchogue, and slightly to severely impacted, and CR ranged from non- Swan Rivers from 1997 to 2005 indicate no significant impacted to slightly impacted. Diversity and abundance of differences in nutrient levels, temperature, or pH among the plankton were comparable on SR and CR, and were rivers, but significant differences in light transmittance, significantly higher than on PR. The data indicate that dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, and sediments were nutrients do not play a major role in hypoxia in these observed. Patchogue River (PR) and Swan River (SR) were estuarine tributaries but that physical forces dominate. The significantly more saline than Carmans River (CR), PR and narrow inlets, channelization, and abrupt changes in depth SR had less light transmittance than CR, and both exhibited near the inlets of PR and SR foster hypoxic conditions by severe warm season hypoxia.
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