![]() The object of the survey was to determine impact of marine aggregate dredging on community composition, the extent of impact outside the boundaries of the dredge site, and the rate of recolonization and recovery of the fauna following cessation of dredging. Detected differences in benthic community parameters can be attributed to natural physical processes within the estuary, such as wind-driven circulation and sediment resuspension and prevailing salinity gradients, and do not appear to be present as a consequence of maintenance dredging open-water disposal practices.A survey of benthic macrofauna in the vicinity of a coastal marine aggregate dredging site off the south coast of UK was carried out in 1999. ![]() Bay-wide surveys of benthic habitats yielded little evidence of cumulative effects of open-water disposal on benthic communities. ![]() All effects were confined to within 1,500 m of the discharge point, and recovery of the benthos occurred within 12 weeks. Substantial effects were observed in terms of reduced benthic biomass, reduced redox potential discontinuity depth, and altered surface sediment relief. Sediment profiling imagery was used in conjunction with conventional benthic grab samples to determine boundaries of a dredged material overburden and its effects on benthos immediately after disposal and at intervals of several months thereafter. Abstract: Investigations were conducted to assess the spatial and temporal extent of impacts on benthic resources caused by open-water disposal of maintenance dredging materials in Mobile Bay, Alabama.
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