MAFLA (Mississippi-Alabama-Florida) Benchmark Program

The MAFLA study is currently entering into its third year of the BLM-OCS program. The initial program, conducted in May-July, 1974, established benchmark values for a wide variety of chemical, biological, geological and selected physical parameters in the lease tract areas. The southern zone is a pristine area with low trace metal and hydrocarbon concentrations in the water, sediment, biota, a carbonate type of geology and a wide infaunal diversity. The northern area is strongly influenced by the Mississippi River system. Chemical parameters (trace metals and hydrocarbons) are higher and more variable in concentration, the sediments are dominated by the presence of silts and clays, and the biota, while still abundant, is less diverse.