This is a round-up of the week’s marine science and marine recreation news throughout the state from Aug. 8 to Aug. 14.
The biggest news this week was a mysterious, circular brown plume that appeared in Barnegat Bay, and the death of a dolphin that strayed into the fresh waters of the South River.
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium provides funding to Rutgers University Water Resources Program at Cook College. Michelle Hartman, the consortium’s water resources expert based there, can provide insight for stories such as the brown plume in Barnegat Bay. And the consortium’s Director of Research & Extension, Dr. Peter Rowe, is a good source on stories like the death of the dolphin.
Reporters interested in speaking with a New Jersey Sea Grant Expert can email consortium’s communications office at 732-872-1300 x.18, email communications specialist Matthew McGrath or search the consortium’s experiste database.
Finally, an interveiw that Dr. Jon Miller, the consortium’s coastal process specialist, gave to CBS Radio late last week about rip currents was picked up by several media outlets Friday and Saturday.
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and North Atlantic Regional Team, or NART, will host an ocean and coastal acidification workshop August 11 for stakeholders in the Garden State.
This event is hosted by Stockton University, and is supported by NOAA James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, Rutgers’ Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory and Aquaculture Innovation Center, and Delaware Sea Grant.
Who: Peter Rowe of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, which is sponsoring the event; Wei Jun Cai of the University of Delaware; Beth Phelan of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Sandy Hook Lab, NJ; Judy Weis of Rutgers University; Daniel Cohen and Peter Hughes of Atlantic Capes Fisheries; Interim Dean Peter Straub of Stockton University’s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
What: Ocean and Coastal Acidification Workshop – an opportunity to hear more about ongoing research into the impact of ocean acidification, which has hit West Coast fisheries hard and could become a threat to New Jersey’s industry.
Shellfish harvesting in New Jersey has grown from $98.65 million in 2003 to $159 million in 2012, according to NOAA figures. Commercial fishing in general employed more than 50,000 people in 2012, and was worth $2.87 billion across all sectors.
Oceans become more acidic as the water absorbs more and more carbon dioxide, which strips the oceans of carbonate, a key shell-building nutrient.
“Research on ocean acidification and shellfish is just beginning here in New Jersey, and there are no indications of a serious problem at this time,” said Lisa Calvo, the New Jersey Sea Grant aquaculture specialist. “The question of how OA affects these industries is something that the workshop is meant to address,” along with environmental impacts.
When: Tuesday, Aug. 11 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Detailed agenda attached.
Where: The Board of Trustees Conference Room, Campus Center, Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, N.J.
Multimedia: The event will have photography and video opportunities.
Media Access: For information, wi-fi accounts or other help on the day of the event, please call Maryjane Briant at 609-652-4593 or 609-335-3859.
The purpose of this workshop is for stakeholders — fishing, aquaculture, water quality and marine resources management and other non-governmental organization officials — to become better informed about ocean acidification. Scientists and officials want to learn from the stakeholders so they can develop an implementation plan for addressing ocean and coastal acidification in the Northeast.
Get 20 facts about ocean acidification, click here.
The day will include an overview presentation on the state of the science of ocean and coastal acidification, presentations from local industry representatives, and breakout sessions to hear more about changes you are seeing on the water, and on what issues and problems scientists and officials should focus their attention in the near future.
The workshop is free, but space is limited to the first 50 people who register. To register, please fill out the below. Read More …
ASBURY PARK — The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium issued Thursday its annual State of the Shore report
The cold and snow of the past winter had little impact on the state’s beaches. Thanks to realtively few coastal storms, typical waves and minor flooding, the beaches and dunes were not punished by eroision.
Two years of mild winters has lead to most of the more than 14 million cubic yards of sand washed away by Superstorm Sandy to be replaced by natural processes. The natural replacement of sand has been bolstered by Army Corps of Engineers beach renourishment projects.
Commissioner Bob Martin, of the state Department of Environmental Protection, which is a NJSGC-member organization, spoke about the state’s efforts in conjunction with the federal government to rebuild Sandy-damaged beaches throughout the state, the water quality at those beaches and the low number of days in which beaches needed to be closed last summer.
Click here to read an NJDEP statement about commissioner Martin’s remarks.
Who: NJDEP Commissioner Bob Martin; Dr. Jon Miller, NJSGC coastal process specialist; Dr. Stewart Farrell of Stockton University’s Coastal Research Center.
About: The State of the Shore is an annual report examining erosion and other impacts to the Jersey Shore. Particular attention this year will be given to the amount of erosion incurred by Superstorm Sandy, and how the beaches in the state’s four coastal counties are recovering from a loss of 14.24 million cubic yards of sand, which is the equivalent of 7.12 million light duty pick-up truck payloads.
RSVP: Please confirm your attendance by emailingMatthew McGrath, NJSGC communications specialist.
Sandy Hook houses two beacons. The Lighthouse, erected in 1764, is the nation’s oldest protector of shipping lanes. New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, founded 200 years later, is the State’s staunchest defender of maritime well-being. These twin guardians stand but a few hundred yards apart.
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium is unique in the United States, comprised of 24 colleges, universities and other entities committed to preserving, protecting and honoring New Jersey’s coastal environment. As you will see in these pages, we excel at maximizing our grant and operating funds to promote research, outreach and education.
Our scientists study what lies beneath the waves and what lies at the water’s edge. We are out in the field in coastal communities, educating residents on coping with climate change. The origins of Superstorm Sandy are less important than the lessons we learn from it. Our educators have eyes on the future, instilling a sense of awe into thousands of children who pass through our doors each year. Your scientists of tomorrow are our pupils today.
FORT HANCOCK — Michael Schwebel has joined New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute as their community resilience and climate change adaptation specialist. The position, created by the partners following Superstorm Sandy, aims to increase the resilience of New Jersey’s coastal communities to future storms, flooding and the impacts of climate change.
“I look forward to sharing innovative approaches and unique knowledge and expertise to help communities plan and become better prepared,” he said. Read More …
The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and its partners — Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute, Stevens Institute of Technology and Leckner Consulting, along with FEMA, N.J. Department of Environmental Protection and several New Jersey county governments — will hold flood risk open houses. The meetings are the next step in the mapping process for the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The open house meetings will allow residents in their respective counties, who are in flood zones, to speak with representatives from FEMA, NJDEP, and their respective county officials about their risks, updated flood hazard maps, flood insurance, and flood risk mitigation. To accommodate the residents of Bergen, Monmouth and Ocean counties, there will be an open house on two different days, at different venues. One meeting will be in the in the northern part of the county and one in the south, but residents can attend either event.
The 2015 NJSGC summer course class schedule for Introduction to Marine Science and Marine Biology — both four-credit, 200-level laboratory courses — is set. A 400/500-level independent study and SCUBA are also available.
There are two sessions for Introduction to Marine Science, and they will be taught at Brookdale Community College’s Northern Monmouth County Higher Education Center in Hazlet.
There is one session for Marine Biology. It will be taught at Brookdale’s main campus in Lincroft.
Courses are recognized for direct credit by most of New Jersey’s colleges and universities.
FORT HANCOCK –Outdoor New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium student programs have more than recovered after attendance dipped in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
Field trip and summer camp attendance increased to 19,700 students for the 2013-14 school year from 16,515 students during the 2012-13 school year, said Executive Director Claire Antonucci.
“We lost the fall season,” Antonucci said of the 2012 storm’s impact. “And then we had a slow start because people were hesitant to come back to Sandy Hook.” Read More …
Dr. Peter Rowe, director of research and extension for N.J. Sea Grant Consortium, will be one of the speakers at the the Rising Tide Forum hosted by the Bayshore Center at Bivalve.
The forum will be held Nov. 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. and will focus on sea level rise along the Delaware Bayshore.
Dr. Rowe will explain how the NJSGC has emphasized coastal resiliency in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
His 25-minute discussion, “NJSGC Retools for Resilience: Updates on Local and Regional Resiliency Projects” will highlight NJSGC-funded research, extension and education projects that address resilience in a post-Sandy and changing climate world.
