Graphic showing percent changes in 3 Mobile Bay box cores

Changes in the percent agglutinated foraminifers in three dated box cores from Mobile Bay, Alabama. Faunal and geochemical analyses show that dredging and spoil disposal caused reduced circulation resulting in the replacement of calcareous with agglutinated foraminiferal specimens. Prior to construction, beginning in 1880, agglutinated foraminifers were a minor component of the assemblage. Currently they are the dominant form throughout the bay (Osterman and Smith, 2012).