A comparison of a 1976 bathymetric survey of Kaneohe
Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, with that of a 1927 survey indicates
that there has been an average shoaling of the lagoonal
area by 3.3 feet. Shoaling for the north and middle bay
at 1.4 ft/49 years is at a considerably lower rate than
for the south bay at 5.2 ft/49 years. Sedimentological
studies, based on dredging history and detailed chemical,
mineralogical and grain-size analyses of 251 bottom samples,
suggest that the total volume of fill into the bay during
the 49 year period is approximately 25,500,000 cubic yards.
Of this amount, approximately 63% is carbonate detritus
from the barrier, fringing, and patch reefs as well as
by the living corals, 11% is dredging spoils, and the
remaining 27% is attributed to terrigenous detritus. The
terrigenous fraction, contributed primarily by stream loading
and sheet-wash, brings approximately 69,300 tons of
sediment to the lagoon per year. Seismic reflection profiles,
which span the length of the bay and include additional lines in
the south bay, show that most of the infilling material is unconsolidated
sediment trapped between and burying coralline
structures built during ancient, lower stands of the sea.
All information suggests that shoaling rates within the bay
have increased since 1927 due to higher stream loads from
increased urbanization as well as to extensive dredging and disposal operations. This is particularly evident in
the area of the south bay. / Typescript. Thesis (M. S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1977. Bibliography: leaves 140-145.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UHAWAII/oai:scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu:10125/16331 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Hollett, Kenneth J |
| Publisher | University of Hawai'i, Honolulu |
| Source Sets | University of Hawaii at Manoa Libraries |
| Language | en-US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Text |
| Format | 157 pages |
| Rights | All UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner. |
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