Water quality

Water Resources (WR) agencies have recently shifted to holistic management approaches that combine the use of watersheds and ecoregions as complimentary tools. However, the classification of data is based on land used and land cover detection. In contrast, this research is concerned with inferring WR quality from the landscape using satellite imagery and aerial photography combined with collateral data. To conduct the study, three major procedures were devised: (1) construction of a classification system for regional coastal WR, (2) delineation of WR units based on the interpretation of water quality parameters (e.g. land use/cover, soil, vegetation, etc.), and (3) development and implementation of a water quality rating system. The results showed that this technique can be utilized effectively to monitor WR. The distribution of beneficial water quality was correlated with anthopogenic activities and modifications. Temporal events such as sea surface temperature had a short, but detrimental impact on water quality.

Bimonthly benthic samples (April, 1972 to March, 1973)
taken at eleven stations provide quantitative reference data
on the benthic macrofaunal communities of Lake Worth in Palm
Beach County, Florida. Distribution and structure in relation
to sediment types and sources of pollution are discussed. One hundred seventy-one taxa were identified. The five
top-ranked species were the bivalve Mulinia lateralis; the
polychaetes Spiochaetopterus oculatus, Paraprionospio pinnata,
and Glycinde solitaria; and the amphipod Cerapus sp. Stations
were grouped as sand, silty-sand, mud, and outfall stations
based on similarity of faunal composition and sediment type. The sand and silty-sand stations had the highest diversity (H') and species richness (spp/180) values. The mud and outfall
stations had low H' and spp/180 values which were similar to
values reported for pollution-stressed areas in other studies.
The outfall station was dominated by the pollution-tolerant
polychaete Capitella capitata.