The influence of the Cape Fear River on characteristics of shelf sediments in Long Bay, North Carolina
- UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Michael P. Slattery (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )
- Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/
- Advisor
- Lynn Leonard
Abstract: The Cape Fear River (CFR) is a low discharge river, which drains the largest area
of any rivers fully contained within North Carolina. The river is formed in the Piedmont
by the convergence of the Haw and Deep Rivers and then flows southeast through the
state terminating into Long Bay in the Atlantic Ocean.
Long Bay is the most southern in a series of bays along the North Carolina coast.
mud drapes observed in the bottom sediment deposits of Long Bay are unique in that no
such deposits are found in Onslow Bay to the North. The CFR is the most reasonable
source of this material, though no relationship has been shown between discharge from
the river and variations in sediment composition and texture. The nature of these muds
(permanent or mobile) is important as mud particles can provide a substrate by which
pollutants can be transported into the coastal ocean. If these deposits, then, are stable
they could serve as a sink for these pollutants while if they are mobile they may act to
continually reintroduce these materials into the water column. Bi-monthly sampling of
both TSS concentrations in the water column and surficial bottom sediment deposits at
seven sites (site 1, site 2, site 5, site 6, site 7, site 8 and site 9), starting in the mouth of the
river and moving southwest away from the river mouth, occurred from September 2003
through November 2004. Physical parameters like discharge, precipitation and wind
were obtained from outside data sets collected by NOAA, the USGS, the Coastal Ocean
Research and Monitoring Program, and the State Climate Office of North Carolina.
Results show that when compared to the control site (site 1) located directly in the
mouth of the river, mean TSS concentrations at those two sites located closest to the Cape
Fear River mouth (sites 2 and 6) were significantly correlated. The organic content of bottom sediments at sites 2 and 6 was significantly and positively correlated to mud
content of bottom sediments. In addition bottom sediment mud and organic content was
significantly and positively correlated to three TSS concentration parameters. It would
appear then that at least for those sites proximal to the river mouth a definitive
relationship between the TSS concentrations and bottom sediment deposits becomes
more clear.
Those sites more distal from the mouth showed little if any variation in both TSS
concentrations and sediment composition except in rare occasions specifically following
peak discharge events related to an extratropical storms. The infrequency of the sampling
made characterization of these more distal four site (site 5, site 7, site 8, and site 9)
difficult, though with an increased frequency it may become possible to define the nature
of variability seen at these locations. Site 7 especially would be expected to be defined as
a site impacted by the river derived materials.
The influence of the Cape Fear River on characteristics of shelf sediments in Long Bay, North Carolina
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters of Science
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- Cape Fear River Basin (N.C.), Marine sediments--North Carolina--Long Bay, Sedimentation and deposition
- Subjects
- Marine sediments -- North Carolina -- Long Bay
- Cape Fear River Basin (N.C.)
- Sedimentation and deposition