Spatial Extent Of Degraded Sediment Quality In Puget Sound (Washington State, U.S.A.) Based Upon Measures Of The Sediment Quality Triad |
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Authors: | Edward R Long Margaret Dutch Sandra Aasen Kathy Welch M Jawed Hameedi |
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Institution: | (1) Environmental Assessment Program, Washington State Department of Ecology, Olympia, Washington, U.S.A.;(2) National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, NOS/NCCOS/CCMA, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | A survey was designed and conducted to determine the severity, spatial patterns, and spatial extent of degraded sediment quality
in Puget Sound (Washington State, USA). A weight of evidence compiled from results of chemical analyses, toxicity tests, and
benthic infaunal analyses was used to classify the quality of sediments. Sediment samples were collected from 300 locations
within a 2363 km2 area extending from the US/Canada border to the inlets of southern Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Degraded conditions, as indicated
with a combination of high chemical concentrations, significant toxicity, and adversely altered benthos, occurred in samples
that represented about 1% of the total area. These conditions invariably occurred in samples collected within urbanized bays
and industrial waterways, especially near the urban centers of Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, and Bremerton. Sediments with high
quality (as indicated by no toxicity, no contamination, and the presence of a relatively abundant and diverse infauna) occurred
in samples that represented a majority (68%) of the total study area. Sediments in which results of the three kinds of analyses
were not in agreement were classified as intermediate in quality and represented about 31% of the total area. Relative to
many other estuaries and marine bays of the USA, Puget Sound sediments ranked among those with minimal evidence of toxicant-induced
degradation. |
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Keywords: | Puget Sound sediment quality triad weight of evidence |
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