Environmental Studies of Anthropologic Discharges in the Coastal Zone:

Particle size distributions provide insights into sediment transport pathways and processes for both water-column suspended particulate matter and bottom sediments. Decomposition of these distributions, by distribution component analysis, reveals complex assemblages of subcomponents that can act as quantitative source signatures and tracers. In this example, the three colored subcomponents provide a signature and tracer for sewage material historically dumped in the New York Bight Apex