2004 Harbor Report
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2005 Boston Harbor benthic monitoring report Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Environmental Quality Department Report ENQUAD 2006-24 Citation: Maciolek, NJ, RJ Diaz, DT Dahlen, and IP Williams. 2006. 2005 Boston Harbor Benthic Monitoring Report. Boston: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Report ENQUAD 2006-24 87 pages plus appendices. 2005 Boston Harbor Benthic Monitoring Report Submitted to Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Environmental Quality Department 100 First Avenue Charleston Navy Yard Boston, MA 02129 (617) 242-6000 prepared by Nancy J. Maciolek1 Robert J. Diaz2 Deirdre Dahlen3 Isabelle P. Williams1 1ENSR Marine & Coastal Center 89 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543 2Diaz and Daughters 6198 Driftwood Lane Ware Neck, VA 23178 3Battelle 397 Washington Street Duxbury, MA 02332 December 15, 2006 Report No. 2006-24 2005 Harbor Benthic Monitoring Report December 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... IV 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 BACKGROUND........................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1.1 History of Discharges to Boston Harbor ............................................................................................. 1-1 1.1.2 Benthic Studies in Boston Harbor........................................................................................................ 1-2 1.2 REPORT OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 1-3 2. 2005 HARBOR FIELD OPERATIONS ....................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 SAMPLING DESIGN.................................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 FIELD PROGRAM RESULTS ........................................................................................................................ 2-1 2.2.1 Survey Dates and Samples Collected................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2.2 Vessel and Navigation ......................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2.3 Sediment Profile Imagery (SPI)........................................................................................................... 2-5 2.2.4 Grab Sampling..................................................................................................................................... 2-6 3. 2005 SEDIMENT PROPERTIES.................................................................................................................. 3-1 3.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 METHODS ................................................................................................................................................. 3-1 3.2.1 Laboratory Analyses for Ancillary Measurements .............................................................................. 3-1 3.2.2 Data Terms and Analyses .................................................................................................................... 3-2 3.3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................... 3-3 3.3.1 Grain Size 1991–2005 ......................................................................................................................... 3-4 3.3.2 Total Organic Carbon 1991–2005....................................................................................................... 3-6 3.3.3 Clostridium perfringens 1991–2005.................................................................................................... 3-9 3.3.4 Sediment Correlations ....................................................................................................................... 3-12 3.4 CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................................................................... 3-13 4. 2005 SPI: LONG-TERM TRENDS OF BENTHIC HABITATS ............................................................. 4-1 4.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.2 METHODS ................................................................................................................................................. 4-2 4.3 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................... 4-2 4.3.1 Regional Harbor Trends...................................................................................................................... 4-2 4.3.2 Trends Linked to Changes in Loadings from Wastewater ................................................................. 4-10 4.4 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................................ 4-16 5. 2005 SOFT-BOTTOM INFAUNAL COMMUNITIES............................................................................... 5-1 5.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 METHODS ................................................................................................................................................. 5-1 5.2.1 Laboratory Analyses............................................................................................................................ 5-1 5.2.2 Data Analysis....................................................................................................................................... 5-1 5.3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................... 5-3 5.3.1 Species Composition of 2005 Samples and 1991–2005 Taxonomic Summary .................................... 5-3 5.3.2 Benthic Community Analysis for 2005................................................................................................. 5-7 5.3.3 Multivariate Community Analysis of the 2005 Data.......................................................................... 5-11 5.3.4 Long-term Monitoring (1991–2005): Annual Harborwide Changes................................................. 5-17 5.3.5 Long-term Changes in the Infaunal Communities ............................................................................. 5-36 6. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................... 6-1 i 2005 Harbor Benthic Monitoring Report December 2006 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 2-1. LOCATIONS OF BOSTON HARBOR GRAB AND SPI STATIONS SAMPLED IN 2005...................................... 2-2 FIGURE 3-1. TERNARY PLOT SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF PERCENTAGES GRAVEL + SAND, SILT, AND CLAY AT STATIONS T03 (●), T04 (○), AND T05A (□) FROM 1991 TO 2005, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SURVEYS ONLY. .......... 3-4 FIGURE 3-2. SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PERCENT FINES AT STATION T02 FROM 1991 TO 2005, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SURVEYS ONLY .................................................................................................................................................. 3-5 FIGURE 3-3. SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON CONTENT AT STATIONS T01 AND T03 FROM 1991 TO 2005, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SURVEYS ONLY ...................................................................................................... 3-7 FIGURE 3-4. STATION MEAN AND GRAND STATION MEAN VALUES OF TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON CONTENT AT T04 AND T06 FROM 1991 TO 2005, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SURVEYS ONLY........................................................................ 3-8 FIGURE 3-5. STATION MEAN ABUNDANCES OF NORMALIZED CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS IN BOSTON HARBOR FROM 1991 TO 2005, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SURVEYS ONLY....................................................................................... 3-10 FIGURE 3-6. STATION MEAN ABUNDANCES OF NORMALIZED CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS AT OUTER HARBOR STATIONS T01, T03, AND T05A FROM 1991 TO 2005, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SURVEYS ONLY........................................... 3-11 FIGURE 3-7. SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN NORMALIZED ABUNDANCES OF CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS AT T02 AND T08 FROM 1991 TO 2005, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER SURVEYS ONLY............................................................................. 3-11 FIGURE 4-1. SPI SHOWING:R07 FOR 2001 ................................................................................................................. 4-6 FIGURE 4-2. HISTOGRAM SHOWING THE PERCENTAGE OF STATIONS WITH AMPELISCA SPP. TUBE MATS (BOTTOM PORTION OF BAR) AND THE TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF STATIONS WITH AMPELISCA SPP. TUBES.............................. 4-9 FIGURE 4-3. HISTOGRAMS DEPICTING THE CHANGE IN ODDS FOR AMPELISCA SPP. TUBE MATS, OTHER TUBES, AND BURROWS MOVING FROM TAYLOR