www.longislandsoundstudy.net October/November 2009 e-newsletter of the Long Island Sound Study (LISS)
LISS News l Around the Sound l Water Web Links LISS News:
Dissolved Oxygen Levels Improved This Summer
This summer, LISS’s Long Island Sound Monitoring Program, operated by staff from the CT Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP), determined the duration of hypoxia to be 45 days, well below the 23 year average of 58 days. Hypoxic conditions began around July 19 and ended around Sept. 1. The greatest area of hypoxia in the bottom waters of the Sound measured at its worst point this summer was 169 square miles, well below the 199 sq. mi. average. Hypoxia in the Sound occurs when dissolved oxygen levels are at or below 3 mg/L. Hypoxic events, which are more likely to occur in the summer, may force some fish and invertebrates to scatter, and others to be more susceptible to disease. The cool wet start to this summer and frequent wind events contributed to some observed remixing of the water column and minimized the impacts of hypoxia to the aquatic life of LIS. For more information visit CT DEP’s LIS Water Quality Monitoring Web site.
The map shows dissolved oxygen levels in Long Island Sound from Aug. 18-19. DO levels were below 3 mg/L in the red and orange areas.
International Nutrient Remediation Workshop Set for December
LISS is bringing together an international roster of experts to discuss new and innovative technologies to address the management of eutrophication and hypoxia in the Sound. The workshop will be held at UConn/Stamford from Dec. 3-4, and will explore the potential application of extractive aquaculture technologies of seaweed and shellfish cultivation for nutrient mitigation in the near shore estuarine environments of the Sound. These emerging technologies would complement existing nutrient source control programs. The workshop program is designed to bring experts in seaweed and shellfish cultivation, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), resource economics and coastal modeling together with local partners to discuss the potential benefits of these technologies to the Sound and other urban estuarine environments. Goals of the workshop include: increased awareness of alternatives for nutrient management on the part of federal/state/municipal agencies and coastal managers; an assessment of the local feasibility of this approach including suggestions for pilot projects and locations; and the identification of opportunities for economic incentives for bioextraction through nitrogen credit trading or other practices. A synthesis report of speaker and panel recommendations for implementation of these technologies in the coastal environment will be developed and made available after completion of the workshop. To see an agenda and registration information, visit the bioextractive workshop page on LISS’s Web site.
2007-2008 LISS Biennial Report is On-line
Protection and Progress, LISS’s 2007-2008 biennial report, is now available on-line at LISS’s Web site. The report describes the efforts of a wide-range of government agencies, universities, non-profit and private organizations, and citizens to restore and protect the Sound. Highlights include the reports on the collaborative efforts to protect and enhance stewardship areas in New York and Connecticut, innovative ways grassroots organizations are managing watersheds, and how scientists are applying research on invasive species to prevent harmful algal blooms in the Sound. Hard copies of the report are also available. Call the LISS office at 203-977-1541 for a copy.
Graduate Students Join LISS as Fellows
In October, PhD candidates Amina Schartup Traore of University of Connecticut/Avery Point and Jim Rice of Queens College/City University of New York began one-year LISS fellowships. The fellows provide staff support for LISS’s Science and Technical Advisory Committee, and also provide the STAC with research on a topic important to the management of the Sound’s environment. The fellowship program is co-sponsored by the EPA Long Island Sound Office and the CT and NY Sea Grants. The focus of Traore’s doctoral research is on how organic matter, which can be produced in Long Island Sound or released by water treatment facilities into the Sound, affects the conversion of inorganic forms of mercury (least toxic) into organic forms (most toxic) that accumulate and magnify in the food chain. Rice is studying the effect of climate change on biogeography. His STAC fellowship will allow him me to focus on updating the record of zooplankton abundance and diversity within the Sound and expanding it into a spatial product. |
| | Around the Sound LISS Staff participates in World Water Monitoring Day
This September, LISS outreach coordinators joined with local groups around the Sound to commemorate World Water Monitoring Day on Sept. 18. WWMD is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies. More than 60 children and teen-agers learned the basics of water monitoring at stations along the Oyster River in Old Saybrook, CT; the Mill River in Stamford, CT, the Bronx River in the Bronx; the Nissequogue River in Smithtown, NY and at a pond in the campus of Stony Brook University. In addition, four news publications reported on the events. Visit WWMD’s Web site for more information about the program. www.worldwatermonitoringday.org 
Addy Guance, Rocking the Boat’s On-Water Program Director, left, teaches high school volunteers about water monitoring sampling at Hunts Point Riverside Park along the Bronx River. The WWMD event was co-sponsored by Rocking the Boat, the Interstate Environmental Commission, and LISS.
Bar Beach Lagoon Restoration—Phase I completed
On Sept. 21, LISS, NOAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State agencies, the Town of North Hempstead, and other partners celebrated the completion of Phase I of the Bar Beach Lagoon restoration project in Hempstead Harbor. This project included the removal of invasive plants and 3,000 cubic yards of soil and solid waste debris and the planting of more than 8,000 native marsh wetland plants, coastal grasses, shrubs, and trees. LISS, through the Sound Futures Fund, has funded Phase II of this project which will continue re-establish native plants along the bank of the lagoon and reconfigure a stormwater outflow pipe to minimized stormwater impacts. For more on this event, visit NOAA or LISS’s habitat restoration database.
A restored shoreline at Bar Beach Lagoon
Fisheries Open House at NOAA’s Milford Lab
The public can learn about aquaculture and the Long Island Sound fishery at NOAA’s Fisheries Lab Open House on Saturday, Oct. 17. During the Open House
Lab tours will be conducted, scientists will be on hand to answer questions,
presentations related to aquaculture and Long Island Sound habitats will be given, and a touch tank filled with local marine organisms will be available. Visit NOAA Milford’s open house Web page for more information, or call Mark Dixon at (203) 882-6564.
Talk on Balancing Community Life with Nature
Michael Klemens, PhD, a research conservationist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, will be giving a free lecture on “Managing the Ecological Footprint: Creating Human Communities in Harmony with Nature" on Nov. 4 at a monthly lunch time series sponsored by the South Western Regional Planning Agency in Stamford. Klemens is the founder of the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance (MCA), which tries to bridge the gap between conservation science and land use planning. Visit swrpa for more information about the series.
|
| | Water Web Links Pharmaceutical Take-back Guide Available On-line
The NY Sea Grant publication “How to hold a successful pharmaceutical
take-back event without outside funding” provides a detailed explanation about an event that was held in Suffolk County, NY—including partners involved, pre- and post-
survey results, lessons learned, and useful resources. This Guide
includes New York contacts, but will also serve as a useful guide
for any organization or individual that is interested in holding an
unwanted medicines collection event. The report, prepared by Larissa J. Graham, LISS’s NY outreach coordinator, is available at Sea Grant’s Web site.
Find Out Where to Hike and Walk in CT
On Sept. 15, the WalkCT Web site was officially
launched. The goal of the site is to provide information on quality
walking opportunities within 15 minutes of every citizen of Connecticut.
Walking or Event information can be submitted online by going to the
bottom of the WalkCT.org page and clicking on "Register Location or
Event." | | | Please note: This email message is being sent to subscribers of the Long Island Sound Study E-Newsletter. PLEASE DO NOT REPORT THIS MESSAGE AS SPAM. Unsubscribe or update your subscription at http://www.longislandsoundstudy.net/cgi-bin/list.htm |
|
Long Island Sound Study EPA Long Island Sound Office
888 Washington Boulevard
Stamford, CT 06904-2152 Phone: (203) 977-1541 Fax: (203) 977-1546
|
|
