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State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

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Governor's Barnegat Bay Action Plan 9 Comprehensive Research

Final - Research Reports

On December 9, 2010, Governor Christie announced a comprehensive action plan to address the health of Barnegat Bay. As a part of that plan the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s - Office of Science, working with the NJDEP Science Advisory Board, State Universities, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the Barnegat Bay (National Estuary Program) Partnership, developed and funded ten research projects designed to fill in data gaps, address the improvement of water quality, and advance habitat restoration on the bay. These studies were designed to collect data for three years in order to address year-to-year natural variability in the bay’s ecosystem (e.g., Superstorm Sandy came ashore at Barnegat Bay in the fall of 2012 between year 1 and 2 data collections). The studies were also designed to address the multiple stressors impacting the bay for the development of targeted and appropriate regulatory management strategies (See table below).

The ten projects started in January of 2012 and continued in 2013 and 2014. Please click on the links below to view the final reports for each project.

 

 
Research Project
Nutrient
Bio-Criteria Development
Water Quality Modeling
Nuclear Power Plant Closure
Tourism& Recreation Support
Food
Safety Assessment
Comprehensive Baseline/Data Gaps
1 X X X     X
2 X X       X
3     X X   X
4     X X   X
5     X X   X
6 X X   X X X
7 X X       X
8           X
9           X
10       X   X

The Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH) Estuary is heterogeneous with respect to environmental variables that are well known to affect benthic community composition. Salinity and sediment particle size vary throughout the system. Salinity varies locally along the main axis of the estuary in response to ocean water sources (notably at Barnegat Inlet, Beach Haven Inlet, and the Point Pleasant canal) and fresh-water sources (notably Toms River, Metedeconck River, and Cedar Creek). Long-term data collected by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring show that salinity tends to be lower in northern Barnegat Bay (range 0-20) than in central and southern Barnegat Bay and in Little Egg Harbor (range 20 to >28). Sediment particle size, and the inversely correlated sediment organic content, varies from east to west, with fine-grained sediments predominantly present in the western half and coarser sediments in the east. Sediment organic matter content is likely to also vary in response to variations in nutrient loadings throughout the system. Our objective is to develop quantitative measures to relate benthic community structure to variation in these and other environmental properties in BB-LEH Estuary.

Benethic Invertebrate Community Monitoring and Indicator
Development for the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary


Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three | Year Four

 

Barnegat Bay Diatom Nutrient Inference Model

Dr. Marina Potapova, Academy of Natural Science of Drexel University, Principal Investigator
Nina Desianti, David Velinsky, Jerry Mead, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Co-Principal Investigators
Project Managers: Dr. Mihaela Enache and Dr. Tom Belton, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: To develop biologically based water quality endpoints or criteria for the ecological integrity of Barnegat Bay, as well as
nutrient criteria (nitrogen and phosphorus) using periphyton, bottom living algae called diatoms. Algal diatoms are robust
indicators of environmental stress, specifically from nutirents. A model using diatoms can be used to assess the ecological
condition of Barnegat Bay.


Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three
Appendix One- Year Two | Appendix Two- Year Two

 

Hard Clams as Indicators of Suspended Particulates in Barnegat Bay

Monica Bricelj, Rutgers University, Principal Investigator
John Kraeuter, Rutgers University, Co-Investigator
Gef Flimlin, Rutgers University, Co-Investigator
Project Manager: Bruce Ruppel, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: To characterize the quality and quantity of suspended particulate matter used as food by the hard clam, a shellfish species that once supported major commercial and recreational fisheries in BBay. This project will assess the seasonal growth and condition of hard clams in relation to the food supply (i.e., algae and particulate organic matter). The hard clam fishery in NJ (recreational and commercial) is a multimillion dollar industry vital to tourism and food supply. The stocks have been in decline since the 1980s for a number of reasons; fishing pressure resulting in low density of adult clams and thus poor recruitment; or changes in the food supply that may have negatively affected clam reproduction and recruitment. The former is due to over-fishing, the latter to a possible number of environmental factors (e.g., nutrients and warming waters). Future management decisions on stock enhancement of hard clam populations in this ecosystem may partially depend on the results obtained in this study.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three

 

Assessment of Fishes and Crabs Responses to Human Alteration of Barnegat Bay

Dr. Ken Able, Rutgers University, Principal Investigator
Dr. Paul Jivoff, Rider University, Co-Investigator
Dr. Thomas M. Grothues, Rutgers University, Co-Investigator
Roland Hagan, Rutgers University, Quality Assurance Officer
Project Manager: Bruce Ruppel, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: To determine whether fish respond to urbanization in Barnegat Bay sampling was done along a north (highly urban) to south (low urban) gradient of urbanization. Fish and blue crabs of varying age classes were sampled via trawling, nets, and traps at stations both inside creeks and out in Barnegat Bay across seasons.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three

 

Assessment of Stinging Sea Nettles (Jellyfishes) in Barnegat Bay

Dr. Paul Bologna, Montclair State University, Principal Investigator
Project Manager: Joe Bilinski, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: To measure sea nettle jellyfish population and spatial distributions in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor and to create a predictive model of adult blooms. Important drivers of the shift towards greater abundance of jellyfish in BBay include the construction of hard surfaces (i.e., bulkheads, docks) that provide habitat for polyps; nutrient eutrophication that fuels hypoxia (e.g., jellyfish are highly tolerant of low DO); over fishing (loss of fish and shellfish that eat jellyfish); and the cooling water intake of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, which traps and removes both predators and competitors of jellyfish from the bay waters.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three

 

Baseline Characterization of Phytoplankton and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Dr. Ling Ren, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Principal Investigator
Project Manager: Dr. Mihaela Enache, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: To provide baseline information on the spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton, its bloom patterns, and dominant species transitions in Barnegat Bay. Understand hydrological (flow), chemical (nutrients) and biological (grazing) stressors on phytoplankton especially the occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) like brown and red tides.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three

 

Baseline Characterization of Zooplankton in Barnegat Bay

James Nickels and Ursula, Monmouth University, Principal Investigators
Thomas Noji and Jennifer Samson, NOAA Fisheries, Co-Investigators
Project Manager: Dr. Bob Hazen, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: To sample water column zooplankton (e.g., shrimps, larval crabs and fish, jellyfish, etc.), which are the main grazers of phytoplankton but also serve as food prey to upper food chain organisms (adult fish and crabs) which play an important role in the estuarine food webs. In addition, the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station will close in 2019. It is unclear how this will affect the bay’s ecology as millions of tiny zooplankton are entrained every day into the power plant through it cooling intake or impinged upon its traveling screens. These are important to the food web in Barnegat Bay so a zooplankton baseline for comparison is necessary since the last comprehensive survey was done in the early 1970s.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three

 

Multi-Trophic Level Modeling of Barnegat Bay

Olaf Jensen, Rutgers University, Principal Investigator
Heidi Fuchs and Jim Vasslides, Rutgers University, Co-Investigators
Project Manager: Dr. Tom Belton, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: To develop an ecosystem-based management model that will show how natural and human induced changes could affect the structure and function of the bay’s natural resources (i.e., fish, crabs, and clams) and develop strategies for their utilization in a sustainable manner.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three

 

Tidal Freshwater and Salt Marsh Wetland Studies of Changing Ecological Function and Adaptation Strategies

Dr. David Velinsky, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Principal Investigator
Tracy Quirk, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel Universtiy, Principal Investigator
Michael Piehler and Ashley Smyth, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina, Co-Investigators
Project Manager: Dorina Frizzera, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: Over 28% of Barnegat Bay salt marshes have been lost to development, however, a recent NJDEP-OS study has shown that wetlands in the bay can adsorb and bury 80 % of the waterborne nitrogen entering the marshes from upland sources. This will buffer the waters from potential eutrophication effects (e.g., harmful algal blooms, anoxia, fish kills). This current study will measure what happens to the buried nitrogen and its potential for microbial denitrification and release as gaseous nitrogen to the atmosphere.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three
Nutrient and Ecological Histories in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

 

Ecological Evaluation of Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone

Dr. Paul Jivoff, Rider University, Principal Investigator
Project Manager: Joe Bilinski, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health, NJDEP

Goal: In spite of its designation as a Marine Conservation Zone by the Tidelands Council in 2001 and the requirement that NJDEP develop a management plan for the zone, there has been no significant scientific inventory of this environmentally sensitive area. Using blue crabs as a surrogate the zone was assessed in 2012 and again in 2013 using the population structure and reproductive potential of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus.

Full Reports
Year One | Year Two | Year Three