Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

To examine the possible eutrophic status and a description of surrounding land usage, this research looks at patterns of sediment and nutrient deposition in the Crim Dell pond located in Williamsburg, VA. The Crim Dell pond has a rich history on the College of William & Mary’s campus and was originally erected to support Virginia’s native plants. Since then, the land surrounding it has undergone multiple rounds of construction and repurposing. Four cores were used to evaluate the parameters: organics, water content, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Results revealed a strong correlation between most nutrients and the core depth, except for phosphorus. The persistent amount of phosphorus indicates a consistently eutrophic pond with turbidity caused by algal blooms. The eutrophic state is representative of the patterns within the nearby Lake Matoaka as well as the entire Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. Cores showed a consistent pattern of high nutrient concentrations at the top of the core that continuously decreased. The high amount of nutrients on the top portion of the core could be due to poor construction runoff management. Additionally, a number of similar sedimentary patterns were observed in the cores that could be attributed to large rainfall and hurricane events or to insufficient dredging. Analysis of these sediments is necessary for documenting large storm events, showing the eutrophic status of the Crim Dell pond, and making suggestions for how to monitor the surrounding land.

Date Awarded

2016

Department

Geology

Advisor 1

Randy Chambers

Advisor 2

Christopher M. Bailey

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