Coastal upwelling off the Rías Bajas, Galicia, Northwest Spain. II. Benthic studies

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In situ monitoring of the effects of water quality on benthic detrital decomposition

Detrital decomposition is an important marine benthic process which contributes to the fertility of seas, particularly in estuarian and coastal waters. The process involves a complex community of microorganisms and small animals which interact with each other in a manner similar to that which occurs in forest litter and in composts. Plastic chambers for measuring decomposition rates of Spartina alterniflora were placed on the bottom of the sea at four sites in the northeast: Towd Point, Southampton, New York; the effluent quarry of the Millstone power plant on Niantic Bay, Long Island Sound; Winsor Cove, Cataumet, Massachusetts (the site of an oil spill); and Sippewissett marsh, Falmouth, Massachusetts (a control site for Winsor Cove). The stations were visited monthly. By various means we measured the rates of decomposition and growth of sediment microbial and animal populations