. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Searching the shelf for geologic clues Sea Hunt BY SARAH FRIDAY Stan Riggs, Scott Snyder and Al Hine are on a treasure hunt. The loot is not gold coins or precious jewelry. These Sea Grant geologists are searching the bottomlands off North Carolina's coast for reef- type structures that hold a wealth of natural resources. The structures, called "hard- grounds," lie anywhere from just beyond the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf throughout the East Coast. These underwater mesas occur
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Searching the shelf for geologic clues Sea Hunt BY SARAH FRIDAY Stan Riggs, Scott Snyder and Al Hine are on a treasure hunt. The loot is not gold coins or precious jewelry. These Sea Grant geologists are searching the bottomlands off North Carolina's coast for reef- type structures that hold a wealth of natural resources. The structures, called "hard- grounds," lie anywhere from just beyond the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf throughout the East Coast. These underwater mesas occur in association with sediments rich in heavy minerals and phosphate. In addition, they serve as attachment sites for food sources for fish. For their research, the team chose Onslow Bay as a study site. "Most of Onslow Bay is a hard- ground with very little sand on it," says Riggs. "What we're trying to do is understand what are the dif- ferent kinds of hardgrounds? Where do they occur? What is their geologic nature?" With this information, Riggs be- lieves the researchers will be able to tell why certain hardgrounds attract more organisms than others. And in the long run, he hopes that the sediments, or substrate, where these hardgrounds develop can be made more productive. Riggs believes that someday it may be possible to "plow" the shelf floor to build ridges of rock above the abrasive flat sands. These ridges will create more outcroppings that attract flora and fish, much like artificial reefs do today. "We can modify the land to pro- duce crops," says Riggs. "That's what agriculture is. Man has learn- ed how to manipulate the soils, tend the soils. And it's no different. Scarps like this on the underwater mesas of Onslow Bay collect a variety of corals, other organisms and, eventually, fish. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
