Environmental Impact Research Program. A Workshop to Investigate Techniques to Analyze Physical and Biological Effects of Commercial Navigation Traffic
Abstract
A workshop on commercial navigation traffic was held to review and discuss procedures for measuring physical and biological effects of commercial traffic in navigable waterways. Passage of commercial vessels through a waterway can cause water drawdown, waves, and brief periods of turbulence and elevated suspended solids. At the workshop it was determined that there is no evidence that commercial traffic negatively affects biota throughout navigable waterways. However, there is evidence that traffic can impact significant resources at specific sites. In addition, aquatic resources were altered by first-time dredging, channel realignment, and lock and dam construction. Preliminary physical effects studies (changes in water velocity and direction) should be conducted to identify experimental and references sites. A study should be designed to collect data on one or more of the following parameters: characteristics of individual species (physical condition indices), characteristics of dominant populations (evidence of recent recruitment and density), or community characteristics (species richness and diversity). Data from well-replicated studies can be used to evaluate existing conditions and to predict the environmental effects of incremental increases in traffic. Keywords: Shipping; Environmental impact.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA209570
Entities
People
- Andrew C. Miller
- Barry S. Payne