Browsing by Author "Glenn, Scott"

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    Hydrographic Study of Barnegat Bay: Research Project Summary
    (Trenton, N.J. : New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Technology, 2004-07) Guo, Qizhong (George); Psuty, Norbert P.; Lordi, George P.; Glenn, Scott; Mund, Matthew R.; Downes Gastrich, Mary
    The Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, New Jersey, is an important ecosystem for natural resource species and recreational uses. Similar to other coastal ecosystems, the Bay receives elevated inputs of pollutants from various sources. The transport of pollutants is determined by the ambient circulation pattern of the Bay. The primary objective of this study was to gather a complete set of hydrographic field data (including water surface elevation, current velocity, salinity and temperature) to calibrate and verify an appropriate model that would provide detailed information on the circulation patterns and dispersal of pollutants in the Bay. In addition, several bay-wide circulation parameters were quantified based on the data collected. The calculation results indicated that a large fraction of the water that exited the Bay on the previous ebb tide re-entered the Bay on the following flood tide because it was not quickly dispersed away from the vicinity of the Barnegat Inlet. The calculation results also indicated that the average flushing time (= average time it takes a pollutant to be moved through the bay), or residence time, in Barnegat Bay was very long at about 49 days with seasonal variation. Normalizing the flushing time by the Bay volume and drainage area indicated that Barnegat Bay is much more susceptible to point sources of pollution and similarly susceptible to non-point sources of pollution in comparison to the Chesapeake Bay. Moreover, the amount of direct groundwater seepage to the Barnegat Bay was quantified to be small relative to the total amount of surface water input to the Bay.
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    The New Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for New York - New Jersey Harbor: Study I-E – Hydrodynamic Studies in the Newark Bay Complex: Research Project Summary
    (Trenton, N.J. : New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Technology, 2006-12) Pecchioli, Joel A.; Bruno, Michael S.; Chant, Robert; Pence, Anne Marie; Blumberg, Alan F.; Fugate, David; Fullerton, Brian J.; Glenn, Scott; Haldeman, Chip; Hunter, Eli; Rankin, Kelly L.
    The Newark Bay Complex, which is part of New York-New Jersey (NY-NJ) Harbor, consists of Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill and Kill van Kull tidal straits, and the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers. The presence of toxic chemicals in water and sediments throughout the harbor has resulted in reduced water quality, fisheries restrictions/advisories, and general adverse impacts to the estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Study I-E of the New Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for NY-NJ Harbor is a comprehensive hydrodynamic study completed between the years 2000 and 2002 to begin to understand the effects of tidal, meteorological, and freshwater forces on circulation pattern in the system. In addition, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the complex has been developed that replicates the available water elevation, salinity, and current velocity data. Circulation in the Newark Bay Complex responds to a combination of influences in a complex event-driven fashion, making the identification of a long-term average circulation pattern difficult. Within the navigation channel of Newark Bay, classic estuarine gravitational circulation occurs, with daily-averaged currents directed seaward near the surface and landward near the bottom. This circulation pattern can be broken down during periods of very low discharge from the Passaic River, such that daily-averaged currents are largely directed landward throughout most of the water column. Persistent east/west wind events can produce large “flow-through” flushing events in the Newark Bay Complex, with currents predominantly directed through the Kill Van Kull. Large Passaic River flow events produce higher suspended sediment concentrations in Newark Bay. Such events also increase both vertical stratification and the current velocity in the landward-flowing bottom layer of the bay, and thus can trap material that rapidly settles to this layer. However, these events also increase the surface outflow and can transport slowly settling material towards the Kill van Kull, where stronger tidal currents can carry this material into Upper New York Bay. The fate of the suspended sediment will depend on the settling rate of the particles. The partitioning of contaminants across sediment size and the settling velocity of the suspended sediment particles will significantly modify the fate and transport of contaminants in NY-NJ Harbor. An initial estimate of the suspended sediment flux through the Kill van Kull indicates that approximately 100,000metric tons of suspended sediment (net) are transported from Upper New York Bay into Newark Bay each year.