Use Impairments and Ecosystem Impacts of the New York Bight

The New York Bight is perhaps one of the most used and abused coastal areas in the world as a consequence of urbanization and the disposal of the waste of some 20 million people who reside by its shores and surrounding bays and estuaries. A variety of sources, including those associated with sewage wastes, industrial wastes, contaminated dredged material, urban runoff, and atmospheric fallout contaminate these coastal waters. Many of the stresses of excess population and industrialization as measured by pollutant loadings and ecosystem impacts can be crudely quantified in terms of use impairments-use impairments that have measurable social and economic relevance. Five broad categories of impairment attributed to pollution in the Bight that are causing significant losses of ecological, economic, or social values are: beach closures, unsafe seafoods, hazards to commercial and recreational navigation, loss of commercial and recreational fisheries, and declines in birds, mammals and turtles. These impairments are generally caused by floatable wastes, nutrients, toxicants, pathogens and habitat loss. Measures of such impairments are not standard, nor in many cases totally quantifiable. We have examined specific subsets of these impairments in terms of their spatial and temporal changes and as a first approximation determined the economic and social significance of these changes. the cost of these impaired uses of the Bight are measured in terms of billions of dollars annually for New York and New Jersey.     

Genetic structure of asexually reproducing Enteromorpha linza (Ulvales: Chlorophyta) in Long Island Sound

Heterotrophic bacterial uptake and turnover of glycolate were measured in the water column of the New York Bight apex during four seasonal cruises over almost a one-year period between May 1977 and March 1978. Glycolate turnover was most rapid in May and July, when primary productivity and estuarine runoff were high. Extremely rapid glycolate turnover times (<1 h) were detected at some stations during these months. Increased bacterial glycolate tunover did not accompany increased primary productivity in March, when water temperatures were lowest. Glycolate flux calculations indicate that the measured rates of glycolate consumption by bacteria always exceeded estimated glycolate production by phytoplankton, except in March. This excess may reflect an underestimation of phytoplankton production or the input of glycolate from other sources, such as estuarine runoff. Glycolate utilization appears to be seasonally important to bacteria in the New York Bight apex, coinciding with fluctuations in phytoplankton primary productivity.     

Monitoring and management of the coasts of Lake Peipsi,Eastern Europe

Lake Peipsi is of great economic significance, first of all, in terms of water transport, fishery and energy production. Its bottom deposits hold great reserves of curative mud and building materials, and its waters cool the huge kettles of the Baltic and Estonian Thermal Power Plants and drive the turbines of the Narva Hydropower Station. The beaches of the lake, especially in the northern and eastern parts, have a high recreational value. The lake is shared between Estonia and Russia. The sparsely distributed population is mainly engaged in fishery and agriculture. Long-term observations have shown that the water level in L. Peipsi fluctuates greatly. This complicates water transport, shore protection and recreational possibilities around the lake. Both, water erosion and hummocky ice have changed the coasts, but differently in every year. Due to the uneven glacioisostatic uplift of the lake basin the water masses are steadily retreating southward, which means that in the coming future erosion of the northern coast will diminish and large areas on the southern coast will be flooded. Sustainable development of L. Peipsi integrates social, economic, cultural and environmental concerns. Recommendations for the protection and management of the coastal zone are presented.     

Parasitism and ecological relationships among deep-sea benthic fishes

We have studied the metazoan parasite fauna of 52 species of deep-living benthic fishes from depths of 53 to 5000m off the New York Bight (39–49°N; 70–72°W). 17144 parasites were recovered from 1712 fishes. The infestation rate was 80%, with an average of 12.5 worms per host. Percentage occurrence by group among all fishes was Monogenea 12.9%, Digenea 48%, Cestoda 22.1%, Nematoda 54.5%, Acanthocephala 3.8%, and Copepoda 4.5%. Differing composition of the parasite fauna in different fish species reflects differences in diet. Specialized feeders are rather distinct; generalized feeders, which predominate, show overlaps in parasite fauna. In individual species, changes in diet with growth are reflected in changes in the parasite fauna. Infestation rate is directly related to abundance of the free-living fauna; hence, fish from within the submarine canyon are more heavily infested than those living without. Although it contains fewer families and genera than shallow faunas, the deep-sea parasite fauna is not extremely unusual in terms of its abundance, diversity, or host specificity. At the greatest depths, parasite abundance and diversity dramatically decline.     

The Effects of Ocean Disposal of Sewage Sludge On the Relative Abundance of Benthic Megafauna

Disposal of sewage sludge in the New York Bight Apex (12-Mile Dump Site) ceased at the end of December 1987. Previous efforts to quantify the effects of sludge were hindered by the inability to obtain true replication. the cessation of dumping afforded the opportunity to apply the technique of replication in time, also known as a Before/After, Control/Impact design. Conditionally, this method allows one to separate treatment effects from the natural differences that confound many environmental impact studies. the Environmental Processes Division of the Northeast Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service sampled the benthic environment of the New York Bight Apex from June 1986 through September 1989 using a sample design based on the technique of replication in time.

Three dominant species (rock crab, Cancer irroratus; little skate; Raja erinacea; and winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and total demersal finfish, collected by otter trawl, showed no statistically significant response to the cessation of disposal. American lobster (Homarus americanus) increased in local abundance, but this result was possibly confounded by a change in fishing effort.     

The Effects of Ocean Disposal of Sewage Sludge On the Relative Abundance of Benthic Megafauna

Disposal of sewage sludge in the New York Bight Apex (12-Mile Dump Site) ceased at the end of December 1987. Previous efforts to quantify the effects of sludge were hindered by the inability to obtain true replication. the cessation of dumping afforded the opportunity to apply the technique of replication in time, also known as a Before/After, Control/Impact design. Conditionally, this method allows one to separate treatment effects from the natural differences that confound many environmental impact studies. the Environmental Processes Division of the Northeast Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service sampled the benthic environment of the New York Bight Apex from June 1986 through September 1989 using a sample design based on the technique of replication in time.

Three dominant species (rock crab, Cancer irroratus; little skate; Raja erinacea; and winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and total demersal finfish, collected by otter trawl, showed no statistically significant response to the cessation of disposal. American lobster (Homarus americanus) increased in local abundance, but this result was possibly confounded by a change in fishing effort.     

Towards a common Mediterranean framework for beach nourishment projects

Integrated Coastal Zone Management as a strategy for achieving conservation and sustainable multiple use of the coastal zone includes various types of management initiatives. Due to natural phenomena such as tides and winds and to social and economic activities, coastal areas undergo transformation. Coastal erosion and the disappearance of beaches as a result of wrong planning decisions and lack of effective legislation are among the most damaging effects and to reverse them requires application of a series of engineering techniques. Beach nourishment projects as a way towards shore protection and utilization through recreational purposes in the Spanish and Italian coasts are noteworthy in this respect. In beach nourishment projects, the roles of various entities, both public and private, should be clearly indicated and in the evaluation and execution stage a series of questions should be answered for the successful completion of any nourishment project. Past projects in the Mediterranean and experiences from recent Italian projects in Anzio and Nettuno confirm this. For example, dredging of the entrance channel of the port of Anzio enabled middle-sized ferryboats once again to enter the port (which had not been possible before). This will in turn increase the tourism potential of the town. Nourishment of two beaches at these sites prevented further erosion and provided more area for recreational purposes. Expected economic contribution of beach nourishments to the regional authority was estimated for Nettuno and Anzio; the resulting theoretical payback period was found to be 3 yr for the former and 15 yr for the latter.     

Relevance of crowding effects in a coastal National Park in Germany: results from a case study on Hamburger Hallig

Coastal environments are popular sites for tourism and faced with an increasing recreational demand. Most of European coastal areas attract numerous visitors annually. In recreation research this management problem can be described in terms of carrying capacity which expresses the ability of a site or region to absorb recreational use without deterioration of natural resources and the quality of the visitor experience. As social aspects of recreation in Europe still have received little attention, the purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of the concept of social carrying capacity in a German coastal national park. The article addresses if the relationship between perceived visitor encounters, crowding perception and visitor characteristics is applicable by using data from an on-site survey (N?=?509) of visitors conducted on Hamburger Hallig, Germany. It examines whether effects of overcrowding are measurable on a popular daytrip destination with established approaches. Results demonstrate that visitors to Hamburger Hallig are characterised by a heterogeneous visitor composition of local residents and domestic tourists with different motivations and who mainly visited the area for hiking or cycling. Study findings show that valuation for reported encounters and perceived crowding differed substantially among origin of visitors and sampling dates. All in all, respondents report a high level of encounter with others and in contrast a very low level of perceived crowding.     

Portuguese coastal zones and the new coastal management plans

Coastal zones in Portugal, as interface areas between land and sea, have problems related to the growing human pressure in terms of changes in land use associated with urban and industrial occupation, new accessibility (ports, motorways) and traffic flows, intensification of recreational use (beaches, water sports) and excessive fishing. Impacts include deterioration of water quality and sediments; alteration and degradation of natural habitats; new hydrodynamic situations; major landscape changes: and rapid changes in habits and way of life of the local populations and increased exposure of populations and assets to natural and induced risks (storms, accidents, spills, explosions). Plans for the Management of the Coastal Zone (POOC) have been developed and seven of them have been approved, while two similar plans are at a final stage of preparation. Together they cover the entire coast of Portugal. Their implementation and assessment could be a first step towards an integrated management of the Portuguese coastal zones. River Basin Management Plans (PBH) have been concluded and recently approved for the whole country. However, these plans do not consider estuarine systems and some other issues related to coastal systems. The National Water Plan (PNA) is under public presentation and discussion. Several ‘key messages’ are presented in this paper as a contribution for assessment of the proposals of this plan on issues related with coastal waters.     

Glycolate metabolism by Pseudomonas sp., strain S227, isolated from a coastal marine sediment

Glycolate excreted by phytoplankton is a potentially important nutrient for bacteria in coastal and estuarine environments. The metabolism of glycolate by Pseudomonas sp., strain S227, originally isolated from the New York Bight Apex, has been studied. The specific growth rate for this strain on glycolate is 0.156 doublings h^-1. The apparent V_max and K_m for glycolate uptake are 83.6 nmol min^-1 mg cell protein^-1 and 7.4x10^-8 M, respectively. The preferential respiration of the carboxyl carbon (C-1) and the incroporation of the hydroxymethyl carbon (C-2) suggest that the glycerate pathway is used for growth on glycolate. Alternatively, another pathway can be utilized which results in the complete catabolism of glycolate. Glycolate and lactate metabolism are also closely linked either by a common metabolic pathway or a common transport system other than the monocarboxylate transport system. The magnesium ion concentration is also important in glycolate metabolism. The characteristics of glycolate metabolism observed in Pseudomonas sp., strain S227, are advantageous in coastal and estuarine environments where glycolate production is intermittent, and the concentrations are low.