A number of my students have engaged in Honors Thesis research and Independent Study research to investigate different aspects of water quality and bioinvasions in the Hudson-Raritan Bay, which is located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the states of New York and New Jersey. Prior to World War I, the bay supported profitable oyster crops and diverse fish communities. Today, with continued urban growth and industrialization, pollution has brought the demise of the oyster industry and reduced the diversity of fish. Raritan Bay is a system suffering as a result of industrial pollution, cultural eutrophication, and invasive species.

Sam Gleich ’17, Emily Lynch ’18, and I collecting samples for nutrient and plankton analysis.

Read more about the specific projects happening in Hudson-Raritan Bay:
1. Cultural eutrophication and harmful algal blooms
2. Environmental estrogens
3. Invasive species