Barnegat Bay Restoration Science
Science Center Objects
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and other partners, is conducting an extensive, coordinated study of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary. The study integrates findings of teams from the USGS New Jersey Water Science Center and USGS Coastal and Marine Science Centers in St. Petersburg, Florida and Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Results of the study will help inform resource managers as they evaluate plans and actions designed to improve water-quality conditions and restore the estuarine ecosystem. The study is funded primarily by the NJDEP. Federal funding is being utilized to match some of the state funding from the NJDEP.
FLOW AND WATER-QUALITY MONITORING
Flow is measured continuously at strategic locations, providing detailed information on freshwater inputs to the estuary and the circulation of brackish water through the estuary. USGS water-quality monitoring stations measure spatial and temporal variations in water-quality. The stations are part of a coordinated monitoring network operated by several partner agencies that will provide the data needed for modeling water circulation and water-quality conditions in the estuary.
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Heat map showing the Bathymetry of Barnegat Bay near Mantoloking, New Jersey(Public domain.)
BOTTOM CHARACTERIZATION
The USGS Coastal and Marine Science Centers in Saint Petersburg, Florida and Woods Hole, Massachusetts are conducting comprehensive geophysical surveys of Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor. Boat-based mapping in deeper parts of the estuary (> 1.5 m) includes
- Bathymetric sonar
- Sidescan sonar
- Subbottom seismic-reflection profiler
Aircraft-based laser topobathmetry in shaller areas (< 1.5 m) will utilize Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL). The geophysical data and interpreted bathymetric surface will provide the framework for models of estuarine circulation and water quality.
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Map indicating the depth of the models developed for the Barnegat Bay Restoration(Public domain.)
CIRCULATION AND WATER-QUALITY MODELING
Models are being developed to simulate water circulation and water-quality conditions in the estuary. The USGS Woods Hole team is developing a hydrodynamic model based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to simulate water velocities, circulation patterns, mixing and dispersion, temperature, sediment distribution, and density stratification. The USGS New Jersey Water Science Center team is using the Water Quality Analysis Simulation program (WASP) to simulate estuarine water quality, including
- dissolved oxygen
- oxygen demands
- nutrient speciation
- sediment diagenesis
- phytoplankton dynamics
Output from the hydrodynamic model will be used as boundary-forcing conditions for the water quality model.
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SEDIMENT STUDIES
Sediment plays an important role in the estuarine ecosystem. Studies are being conducted by USGS to quantify
- sediment chemistry and associated toxicity to benthic organisms
- sediment transport and resuspension
- exchange of nutrients between sediment and the estuary water column
- sediment oxygen demand
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Intensity map of Nitrogen loads entering the Barnegat Bay (Public domain.)
QUANTIFYING NUTRIENT LOADS TO THE ESTUARY
Excessive inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus to the estuary contribute to algal blooms, detrimental growth of macroalgae, and other related problems. Sources of nutrients include fertilizer, septic systems, leaky sewer pipes, animal manure, natural nitrogen-fixation processes, and atmospheric deposition. The USGS is quantifying nutrient loads to the estuary and working with other partners to understand the relative importance of different nutrient sources and the relations of nutrient loads to biotic responses in the estuary.
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USGS Barnegat Bay Restoration Science Team
New Jersey Water Science Center
Ronald Baker, Vincent DePaul, Jacob Gibs, R. Edward Hickman, Anthony Lopez, Anthony Navoy, Robert Nicholson, Timothy Reilly, Frederick Spitz, Andrew Watson, Christine Wieban, Timothy Wilson
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Brian Andrews, William Danforth, Neil Ganju, Zafer Defne
Saint Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Jenifer Miselis, William Pfeiffer
Exposure potential of salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge to environmental health stressors
Natural and anthropogenic contaminants, pathogens, and viruses are found in soils and sediments throughout the United States. Enhanced dispersion and concentration of these environmental health stressors in coastal regions can result from sea level rise and storm-derived disturbances. The combination of existing environmental health stressors and...
Defne, Zafer; Ganju, Neil K.; Jones, Daniel K.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Aquino, Kimberly C.; Carbo, Chelsea L.; Kaufhold, Erika E.; Benzel, William M.; Fisher, Shawn C.; Griffin, Dale W.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Loftin, Keith A. Environmental implications of the use of sulfidic back-bay sediments for dune reconstruction — Lessons learned post Hurricane Sandy
Some barrier-island dunes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy's storm surges in October 2012 have been reconstructed using sediments dredged from back bays. These sand-, clay-, and iron sulfide-rich sediments were used to make berm-like cores for the reconstructed dunes, which were then covered by beach sand. In November 2013, we sampled and...
Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Benzel, William M.; Hoefen, Todd M.; Hageman, Philip L.; Morman, Suzette A.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Adams, Monique; Berry, Cyrus J.; Fischer, Jeffrey; Fisher, Irene
Summary of oceanographic and water-quality measurements in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, 2014–15
Scientists and technical support staff from the U.S. Geological Survey measured suspended-sediment concentrations, currents, pressure, and water temperature in two tidal creeks, Reedy Creek and Dinner Creek, in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, from August 11, 2014, to July 10, 2015 as part of the Estuarine Physical Response to Storms project (GS2–2D)....
Suttles, Steven E.; Ganju, Neil K.; Montgomery, Ellyn T.; Dickhudt, Patrick J.; Borden, Jonathan; Brosnahan, Sandra M.; Martini, Marinna A. An assessment of mercury in estuarine sediment and tissue in Southern New Jersey using public domain data
Mercury (Hg) is considered a contaminant of global concern for coastal environments due to its toxicity, widespread occurrence in sediment, and bioaccumulation in tissue. Coastal New Jersey, USA, is characterized by shallow bays and wetlands that provide critical habitat for wildlife but share space with expanding urban landscapes. This study was...
Ng, Kara; Szabo, Zoltan; Reilly, Pamela A.; Barringer, Julia; Smalling, Kelly L.
Evaluating the potential effects of hurricanes on long-term sediment accumulation in two micro-tidal sub-estuaries: Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Barnegat Bay, located along the eastern shore of New Jersey, was significantly impacted by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a multidisciplinary study of sediment transport and hydrodynamics to understand the mechanisms that govern estuarine and wetland responses to storm forcing. This...
Marot, Marci E.; Smith, Christopher G.; Ellis, Alisha M.; Wheaton, Cathryn J. Sediment data collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
In response to the 2010 Governor’s Action Plan to clean up the Barnegat Bay–Little Egg Harbor (BBLEH) estuary in New Jersey, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partnered with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2011 to begin a multidisciplinary research project to understand the physical controls on water quality in the bay....
Bernier, Julie C.; Stalk, Chelsea, A.; Kelso, Kyle W.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Tunstead, Rob Sediment chemistry and toxicity in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey: Pre- and post-Hurricane Sandy, 2012–13
Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Barnegat Bay, October, 29, 2012, damaging shorelines and infrastructure. Estuarine sediment chemistry and toxicity were investigated before and after to evaluate potential environmental health impacts and to establish post-event baseline sediment-quality conditions. Trace element ...
Romanok, Kristin M. ; Szabo, Zoltan; Reilly, Timothy J.; Defne, Zafer; Ganju, Neil K. Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity
Assessments of coupled barrier island-estuary storm response are rare. Hurricane Sandy made landfall during an investigation in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary that included water quality monitoring, geomorphologic characterization, and numerical modeling; this provided an opportunity to characterize the storm response of the barrier island...
Miselis, Jennifer L.; Andrews, Brian D.; Nicholson, Robert S.; Defne, Zafer; Ganju, Neil K.; Navoy, Anthony S.
Marine geophysical data collected in a shallow back-barrier estuary, Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
In 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, began a multidisciplinary research project to better understand the water quality in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. This back-barrier estuary is experiencing degraded water quality, algal blooms, loss of seagrass, and increases in oxygen...
Andrews, Brian D.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Danforth, William W.; Irwin, Barry J.; Worley, Charles R.; Bergeron, Emile M.; Blackwood, Dann S. Quantifying the residence time and flushing characteristics of a shallow, back-barrier estuary: Application of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models
Estuarine residence time is a major driver of eutrophication and water quality. Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH), New Jersey, is a lagoonal back-barrier estuary that is subject to anthropogenic pressures including nutrient loading, eutrophication, and subsequent declines in water quality. A combination of hydrodynamic and particle tracking...
Defne, Zafer; Ganju, Neil K.
Estuarine bed-sediment-quality data collected in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy, 2013
This report describes a reconnaissance study of estuarine bed-sediment quality conducted June–October 2013 in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 to assess the extent of contamination and the potential long-term human and ecological impacts of the storm. The study, funded through the Disaster Relief Appropriations...
Fischer, Jeffrey M.; Phillips, Patrick J.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Focazio, Michael J.; Loftin, Keith A.; Benzel, William M.; Jones, Daniel K.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Fisher, Shawn C.; Fisher, Irene J.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Romanok, Kristin M.; Jenkins, Darkus E.; Bowers, Luke; Boehlke, Adam; Foreman, William T.; Deetz, Anna C.; Carper, Lisa G.; Imbrigiotta, Thomas E.; Birdwell, Justin E. Physical and biogeochemical controls on light attenuation in a eutrophic, back-barrier estuary
Light attenuation is a critical parameter governing the ecological function of shallow estuaries. In these systems primary production is often dominated by benthic macroalgae and seagrass; thus light penetration to the bed is of primary importance. We quantified light attenuation in three seagrass meadows in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, a shallow...
Ganju, Neil K.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Aretxabaleta, Alfredo L.-
Date published: October 2, 2017Continuous terrain model for water circulation studies, Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. U.S. Geological Survey Data Release.
Water quality in the Barnegat Bay estuary along the New Jersey coast is the focus of a multidisciplinary research project begun in 2011 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Attribution: New Jersey Water Science Center