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APPLICATION OF COMPUTER-AIDED TOMOGRAPHY (CAT) AS A POTENTIAL INDICATOR OF MARINE MARCO BENTHIC ACTIVITY ALONG POLLUTION GRADIENTS
Citation:
Davey, E W., K T. Perez, J A. Cardin, R L. Johnson, AND K J. Rocha. APPLICATION OF COMPUTER-AIDED TOMOGRAPHY (CAT) AS A POTENTIAL INDICATOR OF MARINE MARCO BENTHIC ACTIVITY ALONG POLLUTION GRADIENTS. Presented at American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Albuquerque, NM, February 12, 2001.
Description:
Sediment cores were imaged using a local hospital CAT scanner. These image data were transferred to a personal computer at our laboratory using specially developed software. Previously, we reported an inverse correlation (r2 = 0.98, P<0.01) between the average sediment x-ray attenuation (SXA) for cores and the pollution gradient in Narragansett Bay. However, at that time, we could not provide direct evidence for the causal mechanism of this relationship.
Since our last report, we have developed computer techniques to visualize all "phases"(e.g., gas, water, sediment, shell and rock) of sediment cores in 3 dimensions. These techniques have also provided some evidence for the contribution of marine macro benthic activity to SXA. We believe that the application of CAT maybe used as an effective management tool to assess and monitor anthropogenic effects on benthic communities in Narragansett Bay and similarly impacted water bodies.