ISSN:
1573-2959
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
Notes:
Abstract Since 1975, pollution surveys have been carried out along the South African south and west coasts as part of a monitoring program of unpolluted areas and known and anticipated impact areas. To evaluate these data a reference or baseline level was needed. In unpolluted beaches a close relationship between meiofauna and sediment grain size was found and granulometric analysis was found to be important. This relationship was used to evaluated perturbation effects. It was found that contamination by chemical effluent depressed numbers of the nematodes and harpacticoids drastically. Mechanical perturbation increased the number of harpacticoid copepods but did not affect nematode densities. Oil in beaches decreased the number of harpacticoids, while normal nematode densities were found. Organic enrichment increased the number of nematodes, harpacticoid numbers remained normal while the perturbation effect due to sewage increased the number of both taxa. Explanations for these effects are given, together with related chemical analyses. The application of these results to other sandy beaches elsewhere is discussed briefly.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00394031
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