[Coral-List] Research Advice Needed

[Vanese Flood]

Chris,

While I cannot advise you on the methodologies
specifically, I would advise that you use a protocol
that will be easily replicated after the dredge to
make a more meaningful comparison.  If there is
already a body of work related to the area you are
monitoring you could use those methodologies,
depending on what they are, so that you will have a
long term data-set.

You may want to look at the Carricomp protocols. 
While some people say these have their limitations,
they are at least a standard by which your data may be
compared to other areas in the Caribbean.

I would also be very careful about the dredging
--specifically, if grain size will be altered and
water flow reduced or rerouted. If this is the case,
you may not see recovery for a long time, if ever.
Please see: Flood, Pitt and Smith, MPB 51(2005)
545-557.

Kind regards,
Vanese




--- Chris Zuidema <cmz7 at cornell.edu> wrote:

> Hello Coral-List
> 
>  I am conducting a small-scale environmental impact
> assessment on a bay 
> of South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands,
> Caribbean, that is about to 
> undergo dredging. I am writing for some advice from
> the experts.
> 
> I would like to create a habitat map of the bay
> which has an area of 
> about 1 to 1.5 km^2 and a depth range of 0.5 to 9 m.
> Habitat categories 
> within the bay include: seagrass beds, algal plains,
> sand plains and 
> reef flats. My question is: what would be the best
> method to accurately 
> map out these habitats so as to be able to confirm
> change after dredging?
> 
>  My resources include boat, GPS, manta-tow, scuba
> and three people.
> 
>  Thank you for the help,
> 
>  Chris Zuidema
> 
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> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
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> 




 
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