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ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RARITAN BAY, A POLLUTED ESTUARY 1
Author(s) -
Jeffries Harry P.
Publication year - 1962
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1962.7.1.0021
Subject(s) - bay , estuary , salinity , environmental science , plankton , oceanography , hydrology (agriculture) , nutrient , shore , geology , ecology , biology , geotechnical engineering
Temperature, salinity, dissolved O 2 , PO 4 ‐P, and NO 3 ‐N in Raritan Bay, N. J. were determined over a 16‐month period. Each reflects the circulation pattern in which sea water floods along the northern shore, enters a region of mixing with river discharge in the head of the bay, and then ebbs out along the southern shore. At the mouth of the bay, salinity was higher on the northern than on the southern side. The mean annual monthly difference at the surface was 1.27‰; departures from the mean were related to river flow. Surface and bottom dissolved O 2 content were minimal in August and highest during winter. Low concentrations occurred in the Raritan River, especially during the summer preceding operation of a trunk sewer. The primary source of NO 3 ‐N was outflow from the Raritan River. Prior to operation of a trunk sewer, the river may have discharged significant quantities of PO 1 ‐P into the bay. Throughout spring and summer, PO 4 concentrations rose and NO 3 decreased. It is postulated that the resultant low N:P ratio was partially due to an efficient nutrient regeneration mechanism that favored the rate of P renewal. A combination of rich nutrient supplies arising from natural and domestic sources, plus a sluggish circulation, efficient nutrient regeneration mechanism, and scarcity of macroscopic algae combine to form an estuarine environment capable of supporting extremely dense plankton populations.