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Research about Boston, Massachusetts

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Boston, Massachusetts.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2025

Salting behaviors influence urban stream conductivity in Boston, Massachusetts (USA)

Freshwater salinization is a major concern in temperate climates where road salt is used as a deicer to manage snow and ice on roadways. In urban and suburban areas, wastewater, weathering of infrastructure, and salting on parking lots and sidewalks can also contribute to salt contamination, but little is known about how well these sources explain variation in stream conductivity and what factors may mitigate high conductivity in streams. We collected specific conductance samples seasonally over 1 y at 100 stream sites in the greater Boston (Massachusetts, USA) metropolitan area, which reflected a gradient of land use/cover and sociodemographic variables. We also continuously monitored specific conductance over 1 y (November 2021–December 2022) at 3 streams with different levels of impervious cover. Baseflow conductivity from grab samples was best explained by % impervious cover (positive relationship) and season (highest median conductivity in summer and early autumn) ( r 2 = 0.47, p < 0.001). At high impervious cover, watersheds with higher housing vacancy had lower conductivity, suggesting that resident salting behavior may affect conductivity. Continuous conductivity varied with discharge, with spikes in conductivity coincident with increases in discharge in the winter, likely due to the influx of road salt into waterways. In the summer, higher discharge was linked with sharp decreases in conductivity, suggesting that storm flows dilute high baseflow conductivity, although combined sewer overflows caused secondary conductivity pulses. Overall, conductivity was highest during winter storm pulses, but elevated conductivity levels persisted throughout the year, especially in more impervious watersheds. Our research suggests that reduced salt application and street sweeping may reduce conductivity but will not prevent continued salinization. Temporal patterns of conductivity highlight the importance of seasonal road-salt application (winter), seasonal climate (low-flow summers), and precipitation (storm events, droughts) in influencing stream conductivity and can guide monitoring design, policymaking, and management decisions under climate uncertainty.

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USGS2025

Spatial and temporal variation in dissolved organic matter in urban streams in metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts (USA)

Urban riverine systems are heterogeneous, and the substantial variability in impervious cover, riparian cover, wetlands, and wastewater and stormwater infrastructure affect sources and transport of dissolved organic matter (DOM), of which dissolved organic C (DOC) is a substantial component. An understanding of the quantity, bioavailability, and timing of DOM inputs (a key energy source for food webs and a component of nutrient cycling) to streams within cities can help to better evaluate drivers of DOM variability. We sampled 100 stream sites in the greater Boston (Massachusetts, USA) area spanning a range of land cover, riparian vegetation, stream size, housing and infrastructure age, and sociodemographic characteristics. Water samples collected during 4 seasonal synoptic events in 2021 and 2022 were analyzed for DOC concentration and DOM characteristics (using fluorescence excitation–emission matrices and absorbance spectra). Temporally, we observed more-autochthonous DOM and lower DOC concentrations in the summer, possibly due to low precipitation and streamflow disconnecting streams from humic wetland and soil C sources. Consistent with other studies, we observed that more-urbanized streams had DOM that was less humic and more autotrophic. Higher wetland cover was associated with more-humic, higher-molecular-weight DOM and was the strongest predictor of DOM characteristics, suggesting that managers should consider the impacts of development on DOM, stream ecological functions, and CO 2 emissions. Interestingly, except during the very dry summer, sites downstream of combined sewer outfalls showed distinctly higher concentrations of protein-like DOM, suggesting the influence of sewage overflows and highlighting the potential for monitoring wastewater contamination using protein-like DOM. Although sociodemographic variables were not strong predictors of DOM composition, we observed a possible association between lower-income areas with less canopy cover and more-autochthonous DOM and between areas with older housing, more canopy cover, and more-humic DOM. These patterns suggest that equitable repair of wastewater infrastructure and restoration of riparian vegetation is needed.

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USGS2015

Seabed maps showing topography, ruggedness, backscatter intensity, sediment mobility, and the distribution of geologic substrates in Quadrangle 6 of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region offshore of Boston, Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuary Program, has conducted seabed mapping and related research in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) region since 1993. The area is approximately 3,700 square kilometers (km 2 ) and is subdivided into 18 quadrangles. Seven maps, at a scale of 1:25,000, of quadrangle 6 (211 km 2 ) depict seabed topography, backscatter, ruggedness, geology, substrate mobility, mud content, and areas dominated by fine-grained or coarse-grained sand. Interpretations of bathymetric and seabed backscatter imagery, photographs, video, and grain-size analyses were used to create the geology-based maps. In all, data from 420 stations were analyzed, including sediment samples from 325 locations. The seabed geology map shows the distribution of 10 substrate types ranging from boulder ridges to immobile, muddy sand to mobile, rippled sand. Mapped substrate types are defined on the basis of sediment grain-size composition, surface morphology, sediment layering, the mobility or immobility of substrate surfaces, and water depth range. This map series is intended to portray the major geological elements (substrates, topographic features, processes) of environments within quadrangle 6. Additionally, these maps will be the basis for the study of the ecological requirements of invertebrate and vertebrate species that utilize these substrates and guide seabed management in the region.

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USGS2014

Surface wave site characterization at 27 locations near Boston, Massachusetts, including 2 strong-motion stations

The geotechnical properties of the soils in and around Boston, Massachusetts, have been extensively studied. This is partly due to the importance of the Boston Blue Clay and the extent of landfill in the Boston area. Although New England is not a region that is typically associated with seismic hazards, there have been several historical earthquakes that have caused significant ground shaking (for example, see Street and Lacroix, 1979; Ebel, 1996; Ebel, 2006). The possibility of strong ground shaking, along with heightened vulnerability from unreinforced masonry buildings, motivates further investigation of seismic hazards throughout New England. Important studies that are pertinent to seismic hazards in New England include source-parameter studies (Somerville and others, 1987; Boore and others, 2010), wave-propagation studies (Frankel, 1991; Viegas and others, 2010), empirical ground-motion prediction equations (GMPE) for computing ground-motion intensity (Tavakoli and Pezeshk, 2005; Atkinson and Boore, 2006), site-response studies (Hayles and others, 2001; Ebel and Kim, 2006), and liquefaction studies (Brankman and Baise, 2008). The shear-wave velocity (VS) profiles collected for this report are pertinent to the GMPE, site response, and liquefaction aspects of seismic hazards in the greater Boston area. Besides the application of these data for the Boston region, the data may be applicable throughout New England, through correlations with geologic units (similar to Ebel and Kim, 2006) or correlations with topographic slope (Wald and Allen, 2007), because few VS measurements are available in stable tectonic regions. Ebel and Hart (2001) used felt earthquake reports to infer amplification patterns throughout the greater Boston region and noted spatial correspondence with the dominant period and amplification factors obtained from ambient noise (horizontal-to-vertical ratios) by Kummer (1998). Britton (2003) compiled geotechnical borings in the area and produced a microzonation map based on generalized velocity profiles, where the amplifications were computed using Shake (Schnable and others, 1972), along with an assumed input ground motion. The velocities were constrained by only a few local measurements associated with the Central Artery/Tunnel project. The additional VS measurements presented in this report provide a number of benefits. First, these measurements provide improved spatial coverage. Second, the larger sample size provides better constraints on the mean and variance of the VS distribution for each layer, which may be paired with a three-dimensional (3D) model of the stratigraphy to generate one-dimensional (1D) profiles for use in a standard site-response analysis (for example, Britton, 2003). Third, the velocity profiles may also be used, along with a 3D model of the stratigraphy, as input into a 3D simulation of the ground motion to investigate the effects of basin-generated surface waves and the potential focusing of seismic waves. This report begins with a short review of the geology of the study area and the field methods that we used to estimate the velocity profiles. The raw data, processed data, and the interpreted VS profiles are given in appendix 1. Photographs and descriptions of the sites are provided in appendix 2.

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USGS2012

Modeling tidal exchange and dispersion in Boston Harbor

Tidal dispersion and the horizontal exchange of water between Boston Harbor and the surrounding ocean are examined with a high-resolution (200 m) depth-averaged numerical model. The strongly varying bathymetry and coastline geometry of the harbor generate complex spatial patterns in the modeled tidal currents which are verified by shipboard acoustic Doppler surveys. Lagrangian exchange experiments demonstrate that tidal currents rapidly exchange and mix material near the inlets of the harbor due to asymmetry in the ebb/flood response. This tidal mixing zone extends roughly a tidal excursion from the inlets and plays an important role in the overall flushing of the harbor. Because the tides can only efficiently mix material in this limited region, however, harbor flushing must be considered a two step process: rapid exchange in the tidal mixing zone, followed by flushing of the tidal mixing zone by nontidal residual currents. Estimates of embayment flushing based on tidal calculations alone therefore can significantly overestimate the flushing time that would be expected under typical environmental conditions. Particle-release simulations from point sources also demonstrate that while the tides efficiently exchange material in the vicinity of the inlets, the exact nature of dispersion from point sources is extremely sensitive to the timing and location of the release, and the distribution of particles is streaky and patchlike. This suggests that high-resolution modeling of dispersion from point sources in these regions must be performed explicitly and cannot be parameterized as a plume with Gaussian-spreading in a larger scale flow field.

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USGS2011

Effectiveness of catch basins equipped with hoods in retaining gross solids and hydrocarbons in highway runoff, Southeast Expressway, Boston, Massachusetts, 2008-09

Stormwater mobilizes litter and other debris along the roadway where it is transported to the highway drainage systems. Initial treatment for stormwater runoff typically is provided by catch basins in highway settings. Modification of catch basins to include hoods that cover the catch-basin outlet is intended to enhance catch-basin performance by retaining floatable debris and various hydrophobic organic compounds that tend to float on the water surface within the sump of the catch basin. The effectiveness of six deep-sump off-line catch basins equipped with hoods in reducing the mass of gross solids greater than 0.25 inches in diameter and concentrations of oil and grease (OG) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) was examined along the Southeast Expressway, in Boston, Massachusetts. Two deep-sump catch basins were equipped with cast-iron hoods. Three were equipped with molded plastic hoods, known as an Eliminator, and a single catch basin was equipped with a fiberglass anti-siphoning hood, known as a Snout. Samples of gross solids greater than 0.25 inches in diameter, excluding gravel and metallic materials, were routinely collected for a 6-month period from a collection structure mounted at the end of each catch-basin outlet pipe. After about 6 months, all floatable, saturated low-density and high-density solids were removed from each catch basin. In addition to the collection of samples of gross solids, samples of sump water from five catch basins and flow-weighted composite samples of stormwater from the outlet of one catch basin were collected and analyzed for concentrations of OG and TPH. A mass balance approach was used to assess the effectiveness of each catch basin equipped with a hood in retaining gross solids. The effectiveness of the deep-sump catch basins fitted with one of three types of hoods in retaining gross solids ranged from 27 to 52 percent. From 45 to 90 percent of the gross solids collected from the catch-basin sumps were composed of materials made of high-density plastics that did not float in water, and as a result, the effect that the catch-basin hoods had on these materials likely was marginal. The effectiveness for the deep-sump hooded catch basins, excluding the mass of high-density materials identified in the solids collected from the outlet pipe and the sump of the catch basins, ranged from 13 to 38 percent. The effectiveness for each catch basin, based solely on the material that remained floating at the end of the monitoring period, was less than 11 percent; however, these values likely underestimate the effectiveness of the hooded catch basins because much of the low-density material collected from the sumps may have been retained as floatable material before it was saturated and settled during non-storm conditions. The effectiveness of the catch basins equipped with hoods in reducing gross solids was not greatly different among the three types of hoods tested in this study. Concentrations of OG and TPH collected from the water surface of the catch-basins varied from catch basin to catch basin and were similar to concentrations of flow-weighted composite samples collected during storms. Comparisons indicate concentrations of OG and TPH in flow-weighted composite samples collected at the outlet of a catch basin equipped with an Eliminator hood were not substantially different from concentrations of the respective constituents in flow-weighted composite samples collected during a previous study from catch basins containing cast-iron hoods in the same study area. The similarity between these flow-weighted concentrations and the concentrations of the respective constituents in a vertical profile sample collected from the catch-basin sump indicates that OG and TPH are emulsified in the sump of each catch basin during storms and circumvent the hoods.

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USGS2005

Two-dimensional advective transport in ground-water flow parameter estimation

Nonlinear regression is useful in ground-water flow parameter estimation, but problems of parameter insensitivity and correlation often exist given commonly available hydraulic-head and head-dependent flow (for example, stream and lake gain or loss) observations. To address this problem, advective-transport observations are added to the ground-water flow, parameter-estimation model MODFLOWP using particle-tracking methods. The resulting model is used to investigate the importance of advective-transport observations relative to head-dependent flow observations when either or both are used in conjunction with hydraulic-head observations in a simulation of the sewage-discharge plume at Otis Air Force Base, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. The analysis procedure for evaluating the probable effect of new observations on the regression results consists of two steps: (1) parameter sensitivities and correlations calculated at initial parameter values are used to assess the model parameterization and expected relative contributions of different types of observations to the regression; and (2) optimal parameter values are estimated by nonlinear regression and evaluated. In the Cape Cod parameter-estimation model, advective-transport observations did not significantly increase the overall parameter sensitivity; however: (1) inclusion of advective-transport observations decreased parameter correlation enough for more unique parameter values to be estimated by the regression; (2) realistic uncertainties in advective-transport observations had a small effect on parameter estimates relative to the precision with which the parameters were estimated; and (3) the regression results and sensitivity analysis provided insight into the dynamics of the ground-water flow system, especially the importance of accurate boundary conditions. In this work, advective-transport observations improved the calibration of the model and the estimation of ground-water flow parameters, and use of regression and related techniques produced significant insight into the physical system.

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USGS2002

Effectiveness of three best management practices for highway-runoff quality along the Southeast Expressway, Boston, Massachusetts

Best management practices (BMPs) near highways are designed to reduce the amount of suspended sediment and associated constituents, including debris and litter, discharged from the roadway surface. The effectiveness of a deep-sumped hooded catch basin, three 2-chambered 1,500-gallon oil-grit separators, and mechanized street sweeping in reducing sediment and associated constituents was examined along the Southeast Expressway (Interstate Route 93) in Boston, Massachusetts. Repeated observations of the volume and distribution of bottom material in the oil-grit separators, including data on particle-size distributions, were compared to data from bottom material deposited during the initial 3 years of operation. The performance of catch-basin hoods and the oil-grit separators in reducing floating debris was assessed by examining the quantity of material retained by each structural BMP compared to the quantity of material retained by and discharged from the oil-grit separators, which received flow from the catch basins. The ability of each structural BMP to reduce suspended-sediment loads was assessed by examining (a) the difference in the concentrations of suspended sediment in samples collected simultaneously from the inlet and outlet of each BMP, and (b) the difference between inlet loads and outlet loads during a 14-month monitoring period for the catch basin and one separator, and a 10-month monitoring period for the second separator. The third separator was not monitored continuously; instead, samples were collected from it during three visits separated in time by several months. Suspended-sediment loads for the entire study area were estimated on the basis of the long-term average annual precipitation and the estimated inlet and outlet loads of two of the separators. The effects of mechanized street sweeping were assessed by evaluating the differences between suspended-sediment loads before and after street sweeping, relative to storm precipitation totals, and by comparing the particle-size distributions of sediment samples collected from the sweepers to bottom-material samples collected from the structural BMPs. A mass-balance calculation was used to quantify the accuracy of the estimated sediment-removal efficiency for each structural BMP. The ability of each structural BMP to reduce concentrations of inorganic and organic constituents was assessed by determining the differences in concentrations between the inlets and outlets of the BMPs for four storms. The inlet flows of the separators were sampled during five storms for analysis of fecal-indicator bacteria. The particle-size distribution of bottom material found in the first and second chambers of the separators was similar for all three separators. Consistent collection of floatable debris at the outlet of one separator during 12 storms suggests that floatable debris were not indefinitely retained. Concentrations of suspended sediment in discrete samples of runoff collected from the inlets of the two separators ranged from 8.5 to 7,110 mg/L. Concentrations of suspended sediment in discrete samples of runoff collected from the outlets of the separators ranged from 5 to 2,170 mg/L. The 14-month sediment-removal efficiency was 35 percent for one separator, and 28 percent for the second separator. In the combined-treatment system in this study, where catch basins provided primary suspended-sediment treatment, the separators reduced the mass of the suspended sediment from the pavement by about an additional 18 percent. The concentrations of suspended sediment in discrete samples of runoff collected from the inlet of the catch basin ranged from 32 to 13,600 mg/L. Concentrations of suspended sediment in discrete samples of runoff collected from the outlet of the catch basin ranged from 25.7 to 7,030 mg/L. The sediment-removal efficiency for individual storms during the 14-month monitoring period for the deep-sumped hooded catch basin was 39 percent. The concentrations of 29 inorganic constituents in bottom sediments were typically higher for the size fraction less than 0.062 mm in diameter. Concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC) were similar for the size fraction less than 0.062 mm in diameter and the fraction greater than 2.00 mm in diameter. Concentrations of total polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were larger in the fraction greater than 2.00 mm in diameter than in the size fractions less than 2.00 mm in diameter. Since PAHs and PCBs are commonly associated with TOC (including organically coated sediment), it is believed that the PCB and PAH concentrations in the solid fraction less than 0.062 mm in diameter were similar to the concentrations in the solid fraction greater than 2.00 mm in diameter, if not greater because of the effects of the surface area. The estimated annual suspended-sediment load for the entire study area was about 29,000 kg. Approximately 24,000 kg discharged directly to Malibu Beach and Tenean Beach embayments, and the remaining 5,000 kg discharged to the land surface. These loads do not include an estimated 2,000 kg of suspended sediment retained by the five oil-grit separators in the area. Mechanized street sweepers were used on the pavement three times during the study. Samples of sweepings were collected each time for the analysis of particle size. The first mechanized street sweeping had no observable effect on subsequent storm loads of suspended sediment. Following the second sweeping, a net increase of the suspended-sediment load was observed at one station and a net decrease of the suspended-sediment load was observed at the second station. These effects, however, were only temporary. The third time the highway was swept was after continuous monitoring was terminated. The particle-size distribution in sweeper samples for the size fraction less than 4 mm in diameter was similar to the particle-size distribution in bottom sediment in the catch basin. The concentration of particles greater than 0.5 mm in diameter was higher in sweeper samples than in samples from the separators, so the sweepers were successful in removing the larger particles. Because the highway lacks curbing that would provide a physical boundary to trap debris and sediment, and the equipment was inefficient in trapping particles less than 0.062 mm in diameter, pavement sweeping provided few water-quality benefits for the Southeast Expressway. The primary factor controlling the efficiency of each structural BMP in removing suspended sediment was retention time. Examination of constituent-sediment relations suggests that the retention time for many highway-related constituents was short; these constituents either were dissolved and not subject to treatment by simple gravity separation, or were associated with particles less than 0.062 mm in diameter, which commonly passed through the BMPs. Thus, the potential effectiveness of the separators and the catch basins to reduce loads of inorganic and organic constituents was much less than their ability to reduce loads of suspended sediment. The average relative percent difference (RPD) between concentrations of trace metals in stormwater samples from the inlets and the outlets of the separators ranged from 15 to 30 percent. The average RPD for concentrations of organic constituents was commonly less than about 10 percent and negative in several cases. The separators did not affect the concentrations of dissolved solids as they passed through their chambers. The average RPD between the event mean concentrations for trace metals in samples collected from the inlet and outlet of the catch basin during storms was about 25 percent. The average RPD for concentrations of organic constituents was typically less than 20 percent and even negative in several cases, except for oil and grease, which was near 30 percent. The observed ranges of the RPDs for both types of BMPs were probably larger than the actual ranges because the particle-size and concentration of suspended sediment sampled in the BMP inflows during the four storms introduced a bias in favor of higher concentrations. Concentrations of fecal and Enterococci bacteria were found throughout the storms at the inlets of the two continuously monitored separators; this result indicated that the pavement washoff process was inefficient or that there was a continuous source of bacteria in the drainage area. The efficiency of the structural BMPs tested in this study in reducing fecal-indicator bacteria concentrations was not quantified; each BMP chamber is likely to retain a quantity of fecal-indicator bacteria proportional to its storage volume after a storm. Removal of bacteria from the BMP is dependent on how well the bacteria survive until the next storm and the potential for bacterial export during the next storm.

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USGS2001

Sea floor maps showing topography, sun-illuminated topographic imagery, and backscatter intensity of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region off Boston, Massachusetts

This data set contains the sea floor topographic contours, sun-illuminated topographic imagery, and backscatter intensity generated from a multibeam sonar survey of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region off Boston, Massachusetts, an area of approximately 1100 square nautical miles. The Stellwagen Bank NMS Mapping Project is designed to provide detailed maps of the Stellwagen Bank region's environments and habitats and the first complete multibeam topographic and sea floor characterization maps of a significant region of the shallow EEZ. Data were collected on four cruises over a two year period from the fall of 1994 to the fall of 1996. The surveys were conducted aboard the Candian Hydrographic Service vessel Frederick G. Creed, a SWATH (Small Waterplane Twin Hull) ship that surveys at speeds of 16 knots. The multibeam data were collected utilizing a Simrad Subsea EM 1000 Multibeam Echo Sounder (95 kHz) that is permanently installed in the hull of the Creed.

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USGS2001

Photographs of the sea floor in western Massachusetts Bay, offshore of Boston, Massachusetts, July, 1999

This CD-ROM contains photographs and sediment sample analyses of the sea floor obtained at 142 sites in western Massachusetts Bay (Figure 1) during a research cruise (USGS cruise ISBL99024) aboard the Fishing Vessel (FV) Isabel S. (Figure 2) conducted July 18-21, 1999. These photographs and samples provide critical ground truth information for the interpretation of shaded relief and backscatter intensity maps created using data collected with a multibeam echo sounder system (Butman and others, in press, a, b, c; Valentine and others, in press, a, b, c). Collection of these photographs and samples was undertaken in support of a large project whose overall objective is to map and describe the sea floor of Massachusetts Bay.

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USGS2001

Shallow ground-water quality in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area

Analyses of water samples collected from 29 wells across the Boston metropolitan area indicate that shallow ground water in recently urbanized settings often contains trace amounts of nutrients, fuel, and industrial-based organic compounds. Most of the samples that contained detectable amounts of organic compounds also had elevated levels of iron and total dissolved solids. Nitrate was detected in 83 percent of the samples, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) drinking-water standard of 10 milligrams per liter nitrate was exceeded in just one sample. Low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in 76 percent of the samples, with as many as 13 different VOCs detected in a single sample. The concentration of methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in one sample was 267 micrograms per liter, which exceeds the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection drinking-water guideline of 70 micrograms per liter. Chloroform and MTBE were the two most frequently detected VOCs. MTBE was detected at the same frequency in ground water in the Boston metropolitan area as in other urban areas of New England. Chloroform is detected at higher frequency in old, densely populated areas in New England than in more recently developed, less densely populated areas. Pesticide detections were few, but only at trace concentrations, and none of the concentrations exceeded any drinking-water standard.

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USGS1999

Contaminated-sediment database development and assessment in Boston Harbor

Bottom sediments have been regarded as memory banks for contaminant inputs to urban waterways. Bottom sediments accumulate by the addition of particles that enter the waterway from many sources (U.S. National Research Council, 1989). Sediments include solid contaminants, as well as contaminants from the water column that are adsorbed on organic matter or soil (rock) particles. Sediments from Boston Harbor and adjacent parts of Massachusetts Bay are now among the most intensively studied in the Nation in terms of chemical composition. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Woods Hole, Mass., undertook a pioneering effort to assemble a database from all available sources of information on chemicals in sediments of the Boston Harbor study area. The database was created to help understand the distribution of sediment contaminants and their sources, transport, and other processes and to support environmental management. The work involved collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and other organizations. More than 100,000 sediment measurements from more than 3,000 samples were gleaned from 1,500 references. New approaches were developed to scientifically edit and validate data from heterogeneous sources. The compiled data included inorganic and organic chemical information and physical parameters like sediment texture (grain size), as well as documentation to minimize a userđs need to track down hard-to-find reports.

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