The objective of the study was to assess the use of these different functional metrics, some incorporating biological traits analysis, to investigate the rate of recovery in ecosystem function after dredging impact.
As for damage, Mr. Kriege said that the dredges' impact on the riverbed was "like fluffing a pillow," and that the recent removal of nearby Gold Ray dam had turned the river into "chocolate milk," creating more temporary turbidity than any dredger.
Farmers in Somerset claim a lack of river dredging worsened the impact of the flooding that hit the region in January 2014.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality today released a roadmap for improving federal efforts to restore Gulf Coast ecosystems ravaged by decades of drilling, dredging, and other human impacts.
Several lawsuits by environmental and conservation groups have raised questions about increased air pollution due to expansion of port terminals (for example, in Charleston ) and environmental impacts of dredging (for example, in Savannah, Georgia ).
Objections include lack of knowledge about the long-term impact of fishing; accidental catch of endangered sharks and turtles; and the impact of dredging or seafloor trawling on bottom-living species.
There are also concerns about the environmental impact on the reef caused by dredging, the impact hundreds of kilometres of rail work and mining sites will have on local biodiversity, the impact of using so much groundwater from the basin, as well as the effect the mine could have on agriculture.
The owners of the Ernest E. Pierce, Clearwater Fine Foods Inc., claim the technology drastically reduces the impact of dredging.
But there has been relatively little other work done to assess the impact of dredging on the reef.
The Great Barrier Reef plays host to six species of turtle, which are threatened by boat strikes, water pollution and the direct impact of dredging.
