The benthic ecology and community structure in Lyttelton Harbour ...

1.
SECTION 1
LYTTELTON HARBOUR; GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND SAMPLING
METHODS
1.1 Introduction
Lyttelton Harbour, one of the many shallow, muddy
bottomed inlets around the New Zealand coast, has a number
of unusual features that affect the enclosed waterG The
harbour's location and the volcanic origin of Banks
'PeninsUla affect the water temperatures, turbulence,
turbidity, and the current directions and intensity, (Fig.~).
These are detailed in the following chapters.
The volcanic material, along with the loess coating
the hills around the harbour, has a controlling effect
on the amount and type of sediment on the seafloor, The
fauna living in and on the substrate must be considered
in relation to the, physical characteristics of the
environment before any conclusions on the existence of
possible communities may be formulated. The first section
details the methods used in the analysis of these
characteristics and the equipment used to sample the fauna.
1.2 Description of the Study Area:
Lyttelton Harbour is 13km long and covers an
area of 44 square km~
It lies in two adjoining basalt
domes formed by the Lyttelton and Akaroa volcanos which
were active in the Cretaceou~.
This was followed by a
~
period of deposition of marine sandstones and greensands
in the mid-Tertiaryo
Further eruptions in the Oligocene
buried these. Subsequent sub-aerial erosion reduced the
area to an erosion cauldera which was drowned, thus
forming the present basin. (Brod 1955)