Dredge Sites Research Articles

Assessing the ecological effects of low-intensity marine aggregate extraction in a strong-hydrodynamic, coarse environment context: A case study of the GIE GMO site (English channel)

Marine aggregate extraction represents an opportunity to face the depletion of terrestrial aggregate resources. The environmental effects of this activity have been assessed in several studies, leading to the formulation of recommendations to mitigate its effects. This study investigates its environmental impacts in a coarse, high-current environment with low-intensity extraction, a unique scenario not extensively studied before. Employing multivariate analyses and a trophic group approach, it examines complex responses at both species and community levels. Results indicate a decline in biodiversity, promoting the establishment of r-selected species, particularly filter feeders. Although site restoration timelines remain uncertain, initial indications suggest rapid recovery (2–3 years) for this site. The study also discusses methodological challenges in sampling these low-intensity dredged sites and emphasizes the need for new indices tailored to this pressure and coarse sediments under strong hydrodynamics. These insights offer valuable directions for future research.

Changes in maerl-associated macroalgal community dynamics as evidence of anthropogenic pressure.

Maerl-associated communities have received considerable attention due to their uniqueness, biodiversity and functional importance. Although the impacts of human activities are well documented for maerl-associated macrofauna, the spatio-temporal variations of macroalgae have comparatively been neglected, and the drivers that influence their dynamics are poorly known. We investigate the links between maerl-associated macroalgal communities, anthropogenic pressures and environmental conditions, and hypothesize that sites under human pressure would exhibit different dynamics when compared to reference sites. To better understand community variation through space and time, four subtidal maerl beds under different pressures were consistently monitored over one year in the bay of Brest, Brittany, France. Both macroalgae community monitoring and environmental data were acquired through field sampling and available models. Higher macroalgal biomass was observed within eutrophic sites, especially in summer (more than ten times higher than in the Unimpacted site), caused by free-living forms of opportunistic red macroalgae. The Dredged site also exhibited distinct macroalgal communities during summer from the Unimpacted site. Nutrient concentrations and seasonality proved to be key factors affecting the macroalgal community composition, although dredging and its effects on granulometry also had a strong influence. Over the long term, fewer than half of the species identified during historical surveys were found, indicating major temporal changes. Human pressures have strong impacts on maerl-associated macroalgal communities. Nutrient concentrations and dredging pressure appear as the main anthropogenic factors shaping maerl-associated macroalgal communities. Additionally, our results suggest historical changes in maerl-associated macroalgal communities over 25 years in response to changes in local human pressure management. This study suggests that maerl-associated macroalgal communities could be used as indicators of anthropogenically driven changes in this habitat.

Dieback and dredge soils of Phragmites australis in the Mississippi River Delta negatively impact plant biomass

Phragmites australis is exhibiting extensive dieback in the Lower Mississippi River Delta (MRD). We explored the potential for restoration of these marshes by (1) characterizing the chemical profiles of soils collected from healthy and dieback stands of P. australis and from sites recently created from dredge-disposal soils that were expected to be colonized by P. australis and (2) experimentally testing the effects of these soil types on the growth of three common P. australis lineages, Delta, Gulf and European. Soil chemical properties included Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Zn, % organic matter, % carbon, % nitrogen, and pH. Dieback soils were characterized by higher % organic matter, % carbon, % nitrogen, and higher S and Fe concentrations, whereas healthy soils had higher Cu, Al, P and Zn. In comparison, dredge sites were low in nutrients and organic matter compared to healthy soils. Rhizomes of each P. australis lineage were planted in each soil type in a common garden and greenhouse and allowed to grow for five months. Aboveground biomass was 16% lower in dieback and 44% lower in dredge soils than in healthy soils. However, we could detect no significant differences in response to soil types among lineages. Although dredge and dieback sites are not optimal for P. australis growth, plants can thrive on these soils, and we recommend restorative measures be initiated as soon as possible to minimize soil erosion.

Rapid Formation of the Ellice and Osbourn Basins and Ontong Java Nui Breakup Kinematics

AbstractBreakup of the proposed greater Ontong Java Nui large igneous province during the Cretaceous Normal Superchron can be constrained by the opening of the Ellice Basin (EB) separating the Ontong Java and Manihiki Plateaus and the Osbourn Basin separating the Manihiki and Hikurangi Plateaus. Dating of recovered dredged samples using plagioclase 40Ar/39Ar and zircon U/Pb geochronology methods indicates that spreading was well underway in the EB by 118 Ma with full spreading rates up to 3X faster than any observed today of 30–45 cm/yr and spreading likely continued until 112‐108 Ma. Ellice Basin samples show diverse geochemical affinities ranging from mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB) or Ontong Java‐like to more enriched OIB‐like. Pb and Nd isotopes from six samples contain varying influences from Pacific MORB and possibly Ontong Java. The geochemistry shows a lack of a clear mantle plume influence despite EB's close temporal and spatial relationship to Ontong Java, while some data resemble the Louisville Seamounts. This compositional diversity complements morphological differences among dredge sites and shows that both in situ MORB and younger overprinted features related to the nearby Tuvalu Seamounts were sampled. 40Ar/39Ar geochronology confirms the age of International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1365 near the Osbourn Trough (OT) to be 102.60 ± 0.26 Ma (2σ, n = 18). This age constrains the timing of a spreading reorientation event observed in the OB to coincide with a global plate reorganization event around 105 Ma and estimates the cessation of spreading at the OT to 96 Ma.

Investigation of natural dewatering of dredged sediments incorporating evaporation and drainage

Whether driven by the need to dispose of contaminated sediment, a reduction in the size of confined disposal areas, or a lack of land adjacent to dredge sites, dewatering practices have gained prominence over the past few years. It is necessary to dewater these dredged sediments so that they can be used for beneficial purposes, such as industrial or construction backfill material. This study explores the natural dewatering method that reduces the water content of dredged sediment through evaporation and drainage. This research implemented two types of dredged sediments from different origins to determine the effects of sediment type on both evaporations as well as dredging. First, the effects of diameter on the rate of evaporation (ROE) and the potential of evaporation (POE) were investigated. The measured POE was then compared to the predicted POE using Rohwer’s and Penman’s models. In order to improve the handling of these dredged sediments prior to beginning the valorization process, a correlation between the decrease in water content and the increase in shear strength is discussed. This research will improve the handling of these sediments for transportation and indirect management of dredged sediment valorization.

A younger and protracted emplacement of the Ontong Java Plateau

The submarine volcanic emplacement of the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) is the suggested cause of Ocean Anoxic Event 1a (OAE 1a). However, no precise timing and duration exists for the formation of OJP, and its connection to OAE1a relies mainly on proxies in the sedimentary record. We provide high-precision 40 Ar/ 39 Ar data from OJP drill and dredge sites that considerably improve OJP’s eruptive history. The ages determined from this work are as much as 10 million years younger than previous dates and indicate a protracted formation over at least 6 million years. OJP now appears too young to have caused OAE1a, but we suggest that it may have had a role in the later OAE1b. The protracted eruptive sequence has implications for the emplacement dynamics of OJP and other large igneous provinces.

Sharks associated with a large sand shoal complex: Community insights from longline and acoustic telemetry surveys.

Offshore sand shoals are a coveted sand source for coastal restoration projects and as sites for wind energy development. Shoals often support unique fish assemblages but their habitat value to sharks is largely unknown due to the high mobility of most species in the open ocean. This study pairs multi-year longline and acoustic telemetry surveys to reveal depth-related and seasonal patterns in a shark community associated with the largest sand shoal complex in east Florida, USA. Monthly longline sampling from 2012-2017 yielded 2,595 sharks from 16 species with Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), blacknose (Carcharhinus acronotus), and blacktip (C. limbatus) sharks being the most abundant species. A contemporaneous acoustic telemetry array detected 567 sharks from 16 species (14 in common with longlines) tagged locally and by researchers elsewhere along the US East Coast and Bahamas. PERMANOVA modeling of both datasets indicate that the shark species assemblage differed more across seasons than water depth although both factors were important. Moreover, the shark assemblage detected at an active sand dredge site was similar to that at nearby undisturbed sites. Water temperature, water clarity, and distance from shore were habitat factors that most strongly correlated to community composition. Both sampling approaches documented similar single-species and community trends but longlines underestimated the shark nursery value of the region while telemetry-based community assessments are inherently biased by the number of species under active study. Overall, this study confirms that sharks can be an important component of sand shoal fish communities but suggests that deeper water immediately adjacent to shoals (as opposed to shallow shoal ridges) is more valuable to some species. Potential impacts to these nearby habitats should be considered when planning for sand extraction and offshore wind infrastructure.

Detailed 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology of the Loyalty and Three Kings Ridges Clarifies the Extent and Sequential Development of Eocene to Miocene Southwest Pacific Remnant Volcanic Arcs

AbstractThe 2015 VESPA voyage (Volcanic Evolution of South Pacific Arcs) was a seismic and rock dredging expedition to the Loyalty and Three Kings Ridges and South Fiji Basin. In this paper we present 33 40Ar/39Ar, 22 micropaleontological, and two U/Pb ages for igneous and sedimentary rocks from 33 dredge sites in this little‐studied part of the southwest Pacific Ocean. Igneous rocks include basalts, dolerites, basaltic andesites, trachyandesites, and a granite. Successful Ar/Ar dating of altered and/or low‐K basalts was achieved through careful sample selection and processing, detailed petrographic and element mapping of groundmass, and incremental heating experiments on both phenocryst and groundmass separates to interpret the complex spectra produced by samples having multiple K reservoirs. The 40Ar/39Ar ages of most of the sampled lavas, irrespective of composition, are latest Oligocene to earliest Miocene (25–22 Ma); two are Eocene (39–36 Ma). The granite has a U/Pb zircon age of 23.6 ± 0.3 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar lava ages are corroborated by microfossil ages from associated sedimentary rocks. The VESPA lavas are part of a >3,000 km long disrupted belt of Eocene to Miocene subduction‐related volcanic rocks. The belt includes arc rocks in Northland New Zealand, Northland Plateau, Three Kings Ridge, and Loyalty Ridge and, speculatively, D’Entrecasteaux Ridge. This belt is the product of superimposed Eocene and Oligocene‐Miocene remnant volcanic arcs that were stranded along and near the edge of Zealandia while still‐active arc belts migrated east with the Pacific trench.

Deformation beneath Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean: From mantle flow to mantle shear in a sparsely magmatic spreading zone

Mantle deformation processes leading to seafloor spreading are often difficult to infer due to the highly serpentinized and weathered state of most abyssal peridotites. We investigated the development of high-temperature crystal-plastic deformation and lower temperature mylonitization processes in relatively fresh (<50% modal serpentine) and ultra-fresh (<1% serpentine) mantle peridotites derived from the heterogeneous mantle in the sparsely magmatic zone of ultraslow-spreading Gakkel Ridge system by analyzing 12 peridotites from two dredge sites (<1 km apart). Microstructurally, these 12 peridotites consist of seven high-T deformed samples and five mylonites. Modally, the 12 samples include harzburgites, lherzolites, an olivine websterite, and a plagioclase-bearing lherzolite. Based on their mineral major and trace element compositions, the lherzolites, harzburgites, and olivine websterite are residual peridotites. The lherzolites containing clinopyroxenes with flat REE patterns likely underwent refertilization with a high influx of melt. The plagioclase-bearing lherzolites probably formed by subsolidus reaction after the partial melting process. Microstructural observations support that high-T crystal-plastic deformation (most likely at temperatures exceeding 1000 °C) was active in the peridotites of the high-T deformation group, accommodating mantle flow beneath the Gakkel Ridge. The identified melt refertilization process may have contributed to the formation of [010]-fiber olivine fabrics in these peridotites. Mylonitic microstructures, decreasing fabric strength and grain-size reduction of olivine suggest that mylonitization occurred under relatively low-temperature mantle conditions (~800 °C) and probably accommodated strain localization. Water did not greatly affect the peridotites during the development of the shear zones, although amphibole with “dusty” zones developed in one mylonitic peridotite after mylonitization, indicating that late-stage metasomatism occurred locally within the shear zone. This low-T mylonitization is likely to have affected mantle peridotites of this region independently of petrogenetic processes. The development of these deformation processes in Gakkel Ridge suggests a shift from flow in the uppermost mantle to shear zone formation in the rift valley walls.

Multi-Variate Analyses of Coral Mortality From the 2014–2015 Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Outbreak Off Miami-Dade County, Florida

Environmental compliance monitoring associated with the Port Miami dredging project (2013–2015), designed to assess the impact of project-generated sediments on the local coral community, fortuitously captured a thermal bleaching event and the first reports of an emergent, highly contagious, white-plague-like coral disease outbreak in the fall of 2014. The disease, now termed stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), has decimated reefs throughout Florida and is now spreading across the Caribbean. The high prevalence of disease, the number of affected species, and the high mortality of corals affected suggests SCTLD may be the most lethal coral disease ever recorded. Previous analyses of the dredge monitoring data have reached mixed conclusions about the relative impact of dredging on coral mortality and has often parsed out disease susceptible individuals to isolate the impacts of dredging only. We use multi-variate analyses, including time-based survival analyses, to examine the timing and impacts of dredging, coral bleaching, and disease on local coral mortality. By examining the status of corals monthly from the October 2013 to July 2015 observational period, we found that coral mortality was not significantly affected by a coral’s proximity to the dredge site or sediment burial. Instead, coral mortality was most strongly impacted by disease and the emergence of SCTLD during the monitoring period. During the 2-year monitoring period, 26.3% of the monitored corals died, but the only conditions significantly affected by the dredge were partial burial and partial mortality. The strongest link to mortality was due to disease, which impacted coral species differently depending on their susceptibility to SCTLD. The focus on disturbances associated with dredging created a circumstance where the greater impacts of this emergent disease were downplayed, leading to a false narrative of the resulting mortality on the local coral communities. The results of this study reveal that while local events such as a dredging project do have quantifiable effects and can be harmful to corals, regional and global threats that result in mass coral mortality such as thermal stress and disease represent an existential threat to coral reefs and must be urgently addressed.

Decadal shoreline erosion and recovery of beaches in modified and natural estuaries

Sandy beaches in estuaries and bays (BEBs) are common landforms on the coasts of many major cities. They exist under a wide range of settings and their morphology is controlled by their distance from the estuary/bay entrance, exposure to different types of waves (e.g., ocean swells vs locally generated wind waves), proximity to flood-tide delta/shoals, and anthropogenic interventions (e.g., dredging, groynes). Both swell waves propagating into estuaries/bays and locally generated wind waves can erode BEBs. However, more understanding of BEB storm erosion and recovery over decadal timescales is needed, as they typically respond slower than open coast beaches. Here we present decadal shoreline behaviours of nine BEBs from two estuarine systems in SE Australia are presented in this study, using 76 years of aerial imagery (1941–2017). We quantify and compare decadal behaviour between beaches, developing a new typology of BEBs based on shoreline evolution. We identify four decadal behaviours: prograding, quasi-stable, retreating and storm relict – and assess the influence of flood-tide deltas, river mouths, distance from the ocean entrance, and anthropogenic interventions. Swell-exposed BEBs near the entrance are quasi-stable and recover after storms at rates comparable with open coast beaches (<3 years). In contrast, BEBs further from the entrance and those with less swell exposure, have slower recovery timescales (3–15 years) and will only be quasi-stable if storms are sufficiently infrequent. Thus, long-term behaviour is controlled by storm return timescales. Prograding BEBs are typically far from the entrance, where fluvial and tidal processes dominate and erosion events due to wind waves are less pronounced. Whether BEBs recover (quasi-stable), partially recover between storms (retreating) or never recover (storm relict) relates to storm frequency, recovery rates and proximity to sediment sources and sinks (e.g., dredge sites, flood-tide deltas, tidal channels) and anthropogenic interventions. Findings will help to better understand and manage BEB shorelines in major cities.

The Long-Term Effects of Dredging on Chromium Pollution in the Sediment of Meiliang Bay, Lake Taihu, China

Sediment dredging is a common remediation tool for polluted water bodies. However, the long-term effects of dredging on chromium (Cr) contamination remain unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of sediment dredging on Cr contamination in Lake Taihu, six years after dredging was performed. In this study, high-resolution equilibrium dialysis (HR-Peeper) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) sampling techniques were used for sampling total dissolved Cr and DGT-labile Cr(VI) at the sediment water interface. The results show that the vertical averaged concentrations of total dissolved Cr in summer (112.6 ± 28.8 μg/L) and winter (115.3 ± 29.9 μg/L) in the non-dredged site were above the fisheries water quality standard (AEPC, 2002). They were 38% lower in overlying water and 20% lower in sediment pore water in the dredged site in winter, while in summer the reduction was not evident. The concentration of total dissolved Cr in the dredged site was significantly higher in spring and autumn than those in the non-dredged site, which was probably caused by the large rainfall and river discharge during the two seasons. The vertically averaged concentrations of DGT-labile Cr(VI) in both the non-dredged and dredged sites did not exceed the drinking water quality standard requirements (WHO, 1993). Modeling of DGT-induced fluxes from sediment into overlying water showed a higher response time (Tc) and lower adsorption rate (k1) and desorption rate (k−1) in the dredged site except in summer, indicating that sediment dredging decreased Cr mobility in sediments. Overall, these results confirm that sediment dredging decreased the risk of Cr contamination in winter in Lake Taihu.

Failure to respond to a coral disease epizootic in Florida: causes and consequences

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was first observed in September 2014 near Virginia Key, Florida. In roughly six years, the disease spread throughout Florida and into the greater Caribbean basin. The high prevalence of SCTLD and high resulting mortality in coral populations, and the large number of susceptible species affected, suggest that this outbreak is one of the most lethal ever recorded. The initial recognition and management response to this catastrophic disease in Florida was slow, which delayed the start of monitoring programs and prevented coordinated research programs by at least two years. The slow management response was a result of several factors that operated concurrently. First, the Port Miami dredging project was ongoing during the coral disease epidemic and dredging rather than SCTLD was blamed by some managers and local environmental groups for the extreme coral losses reported in the project’s compliance monitoring program. Second, this blame was amplified in the media because dredging projects are intuitively assumed to be bad for coral reefs. Third, during this same time State of Florida policy prohibited government employees to acknowledge global warming in their work. This was problematic because ocean warming is a proximal cause of many coral diseases. As a result, the well-known links between warming and coral disease were ignored. A consequence of this policy was that the dredging project provided an easy target to blame for the coral mortality noted in the monitoring program, despite convincing data that suggested otherwise. Specifically, results from the intensive compliance monitoring program, conducted by trained scientific divers, were clear. SCTLD that was killing massive numbers of corals throughout Florida was also killing corals at the dredge site – and in the same proportions and among the same suite of species. While eradication of the disease was never a possibility, early control measures may have slowed its spread or allowed for the rescue of significant numbers of large colonies of iconic species. This coral disease outbreak has similarities to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and there are lessons learned from both that will improve disease response outcomes in the future, to the benefit of coral reefs and human populations.

Shimajiri Group equivalent sedimentary rocks dredged from sea knolls off Kume Island, central Ryukyus: Implications for timing and mode of rifting of the middle Okinawa Trough back‐arc basin

AbstractThe late Cenozoic geohistory of the Ryukyu arc is closely related to the rifting history of the Okinawa Trough. The submarine geology and stratigraphy of areas around Kume Island, which is situated near the eastern rifted margin of the middle Okinawa Trough, provide key constraints to understand the timing and mode of Okinawa Trough rifting. Here we report the lithology of sedimentary rocks dredged along slopes of ~1000‐m‐deep sea knolls located north and northwest off Kume Island, and their depositional ages determined by calcareous nannofossils and strontium (Sr) isotope analyses. Various types of sedimentary rocks, such as siltstone, very fine‐grained sandstone, medium‐grained sandstone, fossiliferous coarse‐grained sandstone, and tuffaceous sandstone, were recovered at two dredge sites. These sedimentary rocks are lithologically similar to those in the Aka Formation and a part of the Maja Formation of the Shimajiri Group in nearby Kume Island. Calcareous nannofossils and Sr isotope analyses indicate their depositional ages from the early Pliocene to the early Pleistocene, which are generally consistent with those of the Aka Formation. The finding of the dredged rocks similar in lithology and ages to the Aka Formation indicates that marine deltaic area continued toward north and northwest from Kume Island during these periods. The presence of the Shimajiri Group equivalent sedimentary rocks at the dredge sites are likely related to the main rifting of the Okinawa Trough after ca. 2 Ma in the central Ryukyus.

Preliminary Framework for Sustainable Beneficial use of Dredged Materials in Yangon River, Myanmar

Yangon river has been facing with a problem of high rate of sedimentation as the reasons of deforestation, riverbank erosion, and flooding. A hundred million tons of sediments has been being dredged over 50 yr to maintain Yangon river waterway. Sediments daily produced from dredging work are directly dumped at a designated disposal area about 200 m far from dredging site to flash out these sediments by strong river flow. It may increase disposal-related turbidity disturbing sediment-settling into riverbed, and perhaps have a tendency to re-accumulate these materials into original dredging site because of the complex river flow at dredging site, known as inner bar area, where is close to a confluence of rivers and creek. This paper examines how to minimize the dredged amount at inner bar area by means of beneficial use. Therefore, sediment characteristics are needed to analyze because fine-grained sediments can easily attach pollutants giving an adverse effect to marine environment. Sediment samples from three different locations around inner bar area were collected with hand corer by diver, and analyzed U.S EPA methods: 10 129, 10 067, and 8000 for organic matters, inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometer for heavy metals, gas chromatography with mass spectrometer for persistent organic pollutants, and laser diffraction particle size analyzer. 14% of sand, 32% of silt, and 54% of clay were determined. The water contents in samples were 40.73%, 40.28%, and 31.40%. Lower values of harmful pollutants in samples than international standards were found. Therefore, sediments from inner bar may be supposed non-contaminated ones giving a better quality applied for beneficial use. Thus, without additional pollution-control treatments, appropriate technologies such as particle separation and dewatering techniques are described to produce commercial products, and to apply for engineering uses and environment enhancement as a sustainable practice.

Eocene nephelinite and basanite from the Fairway Ridge, North Zealandia

A widely recognised feature of the continent of Zealandia is its areally-extensive, low-volume, non-hotspot related, Late Cretaceous to Holocene intraplate magmatism. While samples are readily available from onshore regions, the offshore extent of the province, especially in northernmost Zealandia, remains poorly known. In July 2016, the ECOSATII research voyage on the RV Investigator (IN2016T01) recovered c. 240 kg of limestone-cemented volcanic breccias from three dredge sites on the Lansdowne Bank and Fairway Ridge, part of a NW-SE trending bathymetric high near New Caledonia. The breccias are mostly hyaloclastite with clasts of holocrystalline titanaugite ± olivine ± hornblende porphyritic mafic lavas. Whole rock geochemical analyses indicate the lavas are alkali basalt, basanite and nephelinite. Early to Middle Eocene (52.3–43.6 Ma) and Late Pliocene (3.3–2.6 Ma) planktic foraminifera from the breccias provide age constraints on the volcanism. These new samples add to the small but growing collection of compositionally extreme lavas from Zealandia, which result from low-percentage mantle melting beneath stretched and submerged continental crust. The age and location of the lavas suggests a link between volcanism and dynamic mantle disturbances triggered by Eocene subduction initiation.

Project Evaluation Review Technique Model to Dredging Operations in Niger Delta

This research applies Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) model to estimate acceptable duration for execution of each activity having random variable of time and some probability distribution for sand dredging operation in Niger Delta. The study takes into account proper planning, scheduling, controlling and allotment of dredging activities time using a project network model PERT. The model evaluated how acceptable time and saving cost could be achieved in a scenario of activities having random time variables. Readily available data of activities time from 2014 – 2017 were used to analyze the time estimate for various activities at a selected dredge site Aleto-Eleme in Port Harcourt metropolis Rivers State-Nigeria. The PERT was applied for the data analysis, to construct the PERT scheme for the dredging operations. Finally, parametric control for project evaluation and review techniques of acceptable time for the dredging activities were determined.

Project Evaluation Review Technique Model to Dredging Operations in Niger Delta

This research applies Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) model to estimate acceptable duration for execution of each activity having random variable of time and some probability distribution for sand dredging operation in Niger Delta. The study takes into account proper planning, scheduling, controlling and allotment of dredging activities time using a project network model PERT. The model evaluated how acceptable time and saving cost could be achieved in a scenario of activities having random time variables. Readily available data of activities time from 2014 – 2017 were used to analyze the time estimate for various activities at a selected dredge site Aleto-Eleme in Port Harcourt metropolis Rivers State-Nigeria. The PERT was applied for the data analysis, to construct the PERT scheme for the dredging operations. Finally, parametric control for project evaluation and review techniques of acceptable time for the dredging activities were determined.

Age and origin of Researcher Ridge and an explanation for the 14° N anomaly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge by plume-ridge interaction

Researcher Ridge is a 400 km long, WNW-ESE oriented chain of volcanic structures, located on ~20 to 40 Ma old oceanic crust on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) at ~15° N. Researcher Ridge has been little studied, and its age and origin are currently unclear. At roughly the same latitude (14–15° N), the MAR axis is bathymetrically elevated and geochemically enriched (hereafter referred to as the 14° N MAR anomaly). This study presents 40Ar/39Ar age data, major and trace elements, and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic compositions of volcanic rocks dredged from several seamounts of the Researcher Ridge. In addition, new geochemical data of MORBs from two 13–14° N dredge sites on the MAR are also presented. The results reveal that Researcher Ridge lavas have geochemically enriched ocean island basalt compositions (chondrite-normalized [La/Sm]N = 1.7–5.0, and [Ce/Yb]N = 1.58–11.3) with isotopic signatures (143Nd/144Nd = 0.51294–0.51316, 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70266–0.70405, 206Pb/204Pb = 19.14–19.93, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.57–15.63, 208Pb/204Pb = 38.82–39.17, and 176Hf/177Hf = 0.28307–0.28312) trending towards the FOZO or HIMU mantle end member composition. Based on the new age and geochemical data, Researcher Ridge is interpreted as a classic hotspot track, albeit formed by a relatively weak melting anomaly. The lavas from the 14° N MAR anomaly have an enriched E-MORB type composition ([La/Sm]N = 1.81–2.29, [Ce/Yb]N = 1.6–3.9). Their isotopic compositions (143Nd/144Nd = 0.51298–0.51313, 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70250–0.70282, 206Pb/204Pb = 18.90–19.31, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.52–15.58, 208Pb/204Pb = 38.45–38.95, 176Hf/177Hf = 0.28315–0.28320) plot at the enriched end of the local MORB array and partly overlap the Researcher Ridge lava compositions, suggesting a genetic relationship. We propose that the 14° N MAR anomaly is caused by deflection of upwelling Researcher Ridge plume material towards the westward migrating MAR, causing the production of E-MORBs with similar isotopic compositions to the Researcher Ridge lavas. Once the plume was captured by the spreading ridge, off-axis hotspot track volcanism ceased, resulting in a seamount gap between the eastern end of the Researcher Ridge and the 14° N MAR anomaly.

Spatiotemporal occurrence of green sturgeon at dredging and placement sites in the San Francisco estuary

We used acoustic telemetry to determine the spatial and temporal overlap between adult Green Sturgeon movements and areas affected by dredging within the San Francisco Estuary. Autonomous receivers were deployed for 3 years within the lower Estuary at priority locations to assess the potential for adverse effects on Green Sturgeon. Green Sturgeon were present at the designated placement sites during all months of the year but more were detected during two time periods (February–March and June–September). Of the 134 tagged fish detected in the estuary, 109 (81%) were detected at one or more dredged or dredged material placement sites. The median duration of residence at dredged material placement sites was 72.5 min near the Carquinez Strait, 141.1 min in San Pablo Bay, and 37.1 min near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The median duration of residence at the dredged San Pablo Channel was 77.5 min. Nine fish were detected with depth sensing transmitters. The majority of detections (95.2%) from these fish were at depths greater than five meters. Combined with information regarding the specific impacts of dredging on Green Sturgeon (e.g., suspended sediments, toxicity, entrainment, and behavior changes), these spatiotemporal data could be used to make recommendations for reassessing best management practices.