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This Science Night series will consider Environmental
Concerns that directly impact
Long Island and Metropolitan New York.
Link here to be placed on the mail or e-mail list to receive
announcements.
Directions to ESS
Building at Stony Brook University
Teachers and Professional Geologists can receive
In-service Credit
Link to previous offerings Fall
2007
Long-term monitoring in
western Long Island Sound:
Temperature changes, but maybe not what you'd expect
Prof. R. Lawrence
Swanson
Director of the Waste Reduction and Management Institute
Long Island Sound has suffered a 60 year decline in
dissolved oxygen in its bottom waters. During late summer the levels of
oxygen may be so low in the western area that bottom dwelling organisms
cannot survive. It was generally thought that these low oxygen contents
(hypoxia) were a result of inadequately treated sewage discharged into the
Sound. This sewage encourages algae growth during early summer. Later in
the summer the algae die and settle to the bottom. There they decay using
up the dissolved oxygen. However, this six-decade decline continues
despite New York City having eliminated routine raw discharge of sewage,
upgraded sewage treatment to nearly complete secondary, and introduced
nitrogen reduction.
In looking for potential causes for this continuing
decline we found that long-term changes in physical oceanographic
processes are having an impact. If there is a relatively large difference
in temperature between the warmer surface waters, rich in oxygen, and the
cooler bottom waters there is restricted mixing of the two due to the
density difference. Wind, however, influences the extent of mixing. We
have found a 60-year (1946-2006) decline in summertime bottom water
temperature of the western Sound. The difference between surface and
bottom water temperatures begins earlier each year. This increase in
differences in temperature is a result of changes in wind direction over
western Long Island Sound during the summer which has reduced the amount
of mixing. Thus, hypoxia may continue to be a problem in western Long
Island Sound in spite of the considerable efforts that have been made to
upgrade the sewage treatment plants which discharge treated sewage to the
Sound.
R.
Lawrence Swanson received his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from Oregon
State University in 1971. Since 1987, he has been the director of the
Waste Reduction and Management Institute (WRMI) of the Marine Sciences
Research Center (MSRC), Stony Brook University, and since 2003 has been
the Associate Dean of MSRC. Dr. Swanson was a Senior Executive Fellow at
the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Prior to his
appointment at SBU, he was with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and served in a variety of capacities including Project
Manager of the Marine Ecosystems Analysis Program for the New York Bight;
Director of the Office of Marine Pollution Assessment; and the Executive
Director of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
The Forge River
Testimony to our Indifference or Model for our Resolve
Kevin McAllister
Peconic Baykeeper
Sunday
March 9, 2008
The Forge River, running between
Mastic and Moriches is the largest tributary feeding Moriches Bay. The
Forge was abruptly thrust into the public spotlight in June 2005 when a
whitish-gray plume consumed the river emitting foul odors. Fish and crab
carcasses floated on the water as juvenile eels rose from the depths to
breath and blue crabs scuttling ashore to survive. The Forge, once
fertile spawning and fishing grounds is a river in distress.
As a catalyst for action,
Peconic Baykeeper successfully petitioned the Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) to classify the Forge River and its
tributaries as Impaired Waters for failure to support its best
usage, namely shellfish growing, fish survival and contact recreation.
While the Forge’s recent distinction is indeed regretful, this designation
has been the impetus to reverse decades of degradation. Already it has
prompted action at many levels, with the initial focus on an analysis of
the factors that have led to its decline.
The crisis on the Forge calls for
nothing less than our greatest resolve to advance meaningful nutrient and
pathogen reduction strategies as defined in the pending watershed
restoration plan and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Our legacy for the
Forge will either be a model of success or a reminder of our neglect and
indifference.
Kevin McAllister, a Long Island native, was selected in 1998 to
fulfill an increasingly important role as a full-time professional
dedicated to safeguarding the ecological integrity of our local
estuaries. As the Peconic Baykeeper and President for his organization,
Kevin serves as an advocate, community educator and guardian for the bays
while attending to the day-to-day business of managing a not-for-profit
organization.
Prior to his current position,
Kevin was employed in South Florida as an Environmental Analyst working in
shoreline protection and habitat restoration. His responsibilities
included; development and implementation of coastal resource policy,
shoreline stabilization and habitat enhancement projects. Kevin also
served as a coastal management advisor to local government and provided
extensive inter-agency coordination, landowner education and coordination
of volunteer restoration projects.
Kevin’s academic record includes
undergraduate degrees in Natural Resources Conservation and Biological
Sciences. In addition, he earned a Master’s of Science degree in Coastal
Zone Management. As a well-trained coastal biologist with over 20 years
of professional employment experience, Kevin is an asset to the field of
Coastal Zone Management.
Protecting Long Island's Groundwater
Nicholas Valkenburg
Arcadis
Sunday
April 13, 2008
Long Island obtains all of its
drinking water and water for industrial and commercial use from aquifers
which are geologic formations that contain groundwater. The aquifer
system supplying Long Island contains a very large quantity of water that
is capable of supplying our needs for the foreseeable future. While
current withdrawal rates can be sustained well into the future, the
quality of groundwater has become degraded in many areas. To protect
water quality, several special groundwater protection areas have been
established by the NYSDEC. Many types of contaminants affect groundwater
quality; the sources of which have historically been septic tanks, cess
pools, fertilizers, and industrial and commercial establishments. Several
new compounds are emerging as issues. Standard and recently developed
technologies are used to cleanup contaminated groundwater ranging from
pumping and treatment systems to in place remedial technologies that do
not require the extraction of groundwater. Experience has shown that the
best way to protect groundwater is to prevent contaminants from migrating
to the water table. Groundwater cleanups take many years and are costly.
I will discuss Long Island’s groundwater aquifers, how contaminants enter
the groundwater system, what kinds of contaminants have an impact, and how
to cleanup contamination problems, including a local case history.
Nicholas Valkenburg is an expert
hydrogeologist with over 30 years experience in managing supplies and
cleaning up groundwater contamination. He is a Vice President at ARCADIS,
an international environmental engineering firm and heads its New York and
New England operations. Mr. Valkenburg obtained a BS in Earth and Space
Sciences from SUNY at Stony Brook and an MS in Geology from the University
of Toledo, Ohio. He has worked on projects in many areas of the United
States.
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