All these records relate to "Jensen, Collins, Ovenden (1991) - Benthic survey of Wytch Lake and Channel, March 1991" A copy of the report is held at BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd, Wareham, Dorset.
This survey was carried out following a spill of water-soluble degreasing agent on 8th March 1991 in Wytch Lake, a narrow creek off Wytch Channel. This latter channel opens into Poole Harbour. Shortly after the spill the sediments of the Lake and Channel were sampled at 14 stations. The Department of Oceanography, University of Southampton, was commissioned to report on the benthic infauna and sediment granulometry of the samples. Thirteen stations were sampled in Wytch Lake and Wytch Channel plus a control station (Station 15) in Redhorn Lake. Samples were taken during second high water using a small box corer. The surface area sampled at each site was 0.0225 m sq. It was not possible to sample site 10. Station 15 was selected as a control station, but as it contained a number of species not recorded at Wytch Lake and the sediment granulometry was markedly different, it was not used as a comparison for this assessment. Samples were sieved using a 500 micrometre sieve. N.B. Co-ordinates of stations not given, so locations estimated from schematic map of sampling sites in the report.
