Effects of Anthropogenic

Proximity on Sediments
and Estuarine Species
Dawn Parry
Courtney Tierney

Figure 1. Sediments and species were sampled at Tuscarora Avenue at coordinates 18S 4402203
569257 and the Lighthouse Center at 18S 4402576 569492 to determine the difference in nutrient
levels and species diversity at the two locations.

Figure 2. Sediment samples were taken from Tuscarora Avenue (shown at left on
September 18, 2014) and the Lighthouse Center (shown at right on September 18,
2014).

Figure 3. Dried sediment samples taken on September 18, 2014 from Tuscarora Avenue (shown at
left) and the Lighthouse Center (shown at right) were analyzed to determine if there is a difference in
sediment type between the two sites.

Figure 4. U.S.A. Standard Testing Sieve numbers 4, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 70 were used to analyze
sediment samples from Tuscarora Avenue and the Lighthouse Center on September 23 and 24, 2014.

Figure 5. Sediment samples Tuscarora Avenue and the Lighthouse Center were shaken through U.S.
A. Standard Testing Sieves in a Rotap for three minutes on September 23 and 24, 2014.

Table 1. Sand composition of samples taken on

September 18, 2014 from Tuscarora Avenue and the
Lighthouse Center.

Table 2. Sand nutrient values analyzed from

the samples taken at Lighthouse Center and
Tuscarora Avenue on September 18, 2014.
Nutrients:

Lighthouse

Tuscarora

Sulfide (LR)

0 ppm

0 ppm

Phosphate

.023 ppm

.107 ppm

Nitrate-Nitrogen
(LR)

0 ppm

.04 ppm

Sulfate (HR)

218 ppm

167 ppm

pH

6.4

6.5

Salinity

1.9 ppt

4.0 ppt

Figure 6. Species were sampled with kick seines 40 feet from shore (shown at left on November
23, 2014) and 4 feet from shore (shown at right on November 13, 2014) throughout October and
November 2014.

Figure 7. A green crab (Carcinus maenas) on right, and a Northern Pipefish (Sygnathus fuscus) and
Brackish Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) on left found at the Lighthouse Center on October
5, 2014.

Figure 8. A Naked Goby (Gobiosoma bosci) and a juvenile

Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) (left, middle)
found at Tuscarora Avenue on November 2, 2014.

Figure 9. A three-spined stickleback

(Gasterosteus aculeatus) found at the
Lighthouse Center on November 2,
2014.

Figure 10. An Eelgrass Isopod (Erichsonella attenuata) was found at Tuscarora Avenue on November
23, 2014.

Figure 11. Formulas for Shannons Equalability (EH), Sorenson-Dice (QS), Simpsons (D), Jaccards
(J), and Shannons (H) diversity indices.

Table 3. Estuarine species were sampled from the Lighthouse Center (D= 0.284, H=1.553, EH=0.301)
and Tuscarora Avenue (D= 0.283, H=1.635, EH=0.427) throughout October and November, 2014.

Figure 12. The Lighthouse Center had five species unique to that site, and Tuscarora Avenue had
three unique species. The sites had seven species in common (J=0.467, QS=0.636).

Figure 13. Scenic picture of double-crested

cormorants at the Lighthouse Center on October 5,
2014.

*No species were harmed during the process of this

project, all specimen collected were released after
being tallied.

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