The Relationship of Emerita talpoida to Beach Characteristics.
Abstract
A model was developed which described the spatial and temporal variations of Emerita talpoida populations as a function of environmental and biologic factors and geomorphic attributes of the foreshore. The model was tested through field sampling at the Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) Field Research Facility, Duck, North Carolina, and at selected sites along the mid-Atlantic coast. The data indicate that the model accurately describes the spatial and temporal variations of E. talpoida. The spatial distribution on the foreshore is influenced by environmental and geomorphic factors. E. talpoida populations generally increase in density across the foreshore toward the step. High density cells frequently lie within areas of reduced wave energy such as cusp troughs. Structures extending across the foreshore, e.g., the CERC pier, cause redistribution of E. talpoida and beach sediment as a result of their interaction with incident wave energy; the distribution is a function of the dominant wave regime. The depth distribution of Emerita was roughly lenticular with few Emerita found at depth high on the foreshore and the numbers increasing toward the step.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA099985
Entities
People
- Michael Lowell Bowman
Organizations
- University of Virginia