Wetlands

The endocrine system in animals produce hormones to regulate essential life processes, such as metabolism, tissue function, reproduction, and development. A large group of natural and synthetic chemicals are known to disrupt endocrine function. Examples include plant hormones, plastic components, flame retardants, surfactants, fragrances, pesticides, etc. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs...

Scientists from the NJ WSC, Leetown Science Center and New Jersey Pinelands Commission recently initiated a 4 year study designed to characterize the point and non-point sources of endocrine disrupting compound (EDCs) and their potential effects on fish and frogs in the NJ Pinelands.

The New Jersey Water Science Center in collaboration with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission and Montclair University, conducted a 4 year study to assess the functional equivalency of ponds and stormwater basins in the New Jersey Pinelands by comparing indicators of hydrologic condition, water quality (including pesticides) and biological metrics (amphibian pathogens).

NJ WSC and Leetown Science Center scientists in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were tasked with characterizing endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass from New Jersey.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, or Pinelands National Reserve (PNR), is a vast and unique ecosystem comprising approximately a 938,000-acre area of southern New Jersey. It spans portions of seven counties (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean), and all or part of 56 municipalities. It is home to dozens of rare plant and animal species, and the Kirkwood-Cohansey...

The study examines the structure and function of the hydrologic system supporting Pinelands aquatic and wetland communities and the hydrologic and ecological response to groundwater-withdrawal stress. USGS components of the study focus on various aspects of the hydrologic system that controls groundwater and surface-water flow, depth of water in wetlands, and interactions between the groundwater...

The County of Monmouth recently purchased a parcel of land in a rapidly urbanizing area of Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Monmouth County Park System (MCPS) in partnership with the Manasquan River Watershed Association (MRWA) plans to return the land to a more natural state and has received funding from the New Jersey State Wetlands Mitigation Council for a stream restoration project on an...

The NJDEP is responsible for the review of proposals for wetlands mitigation and restoration submitted to the Wetland Mitigation Council. They have expressed concern that the failure of various wetland mitigation projects may be a result of problems with the hydrology of the sites. The goal of this project is to Assess the extent of hydrologic data and information that are used in typical wetland...

Wetlands restoration projects have often been unsuccessful because the effects of changes in the hydrology and water quality on plant communities are poorly understood. The overall goal of the project is to evaluate the effects of the modification of the flow regime in an urban wetlands area on the hydrogeology, water quality, soil characteristics, and plant communities over a thee-year period...

NJDEP, in cooperation with the Passaic TMDL Work Group, has determined that riverine water quality modeling of phosphorus and nitrogen in the Passaic River basin will be required to support several TMDL efforts underway. Water quality in the Passaic River basin is affected by complex river system hydraulics, groundwater-surface water interactions, non-point source runoff from mixed land uses and...

Groundwater withdrawals in the New Jersey (NJ) Coastal Plain, as well as other parts of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain, have increased significantly with the increase in population in recent decades. Future water-supply demands will cause a continuing increase in groundwater withdrawals. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between changes in base-flow and groundwater...

The NJDEP is responsible for the review of proposals for wetlands mitigation and restoration submitted to the Wetland Mitigation Council. They have expressed concern that the failure of various wetland mitigation projects may be a result of problems with the hydrology of the sites. The goal of this project is to Assess the extent of hydrologic data and information that are used in typical wetland...