June 29, 2026

A Collaborative Effort to Monitor Chlorophyll in the Barnegat Bay

by Sara Lapsley

Dr. Shuting Liu and her students collecting chlorophyll

Since 2017, Barnegat Bay Partnership has been conducting continuous water quality monitoring at three different locations within Barnegat Bay: Beach Haven, Seaside, and Mantoloking. BBP’s continuous water quality monitoring program aims to give stakeholders including residents, educators, water quality managers, and scientists timely access to reliable measurements of coastal water quality. The three long-term stations transmit real-time data to NJDEP and the Rutgers University Continuous Data Monitoring Program website, where it is available for download. The data are also used in the NJDEP’s Water Quality Assessments and Integrated Reports. Assessments are conducted statewide every two years under Sections 303(d) and 305(b) of the federal Clean Water Act to determine whether water quality conditions have changed over time 

Water quality data are collected at each station using a YSI EXO sonde, a multiparameter meter that is equipped with individual sensors that collect specific parameters, deployed 1meter from the bottom and protected by a PVC flow-through cover. The water quality team at the BBP regularly maintains and cleans the meters to avoid biofouling (the unwanted accumulation and growth of microorganisms, plants, algae, and small animals on submerged surfaces). At each station, the sondes are connected to power which allows the data to be transmitted near real-time to the NJDEP website. While this is useful to monitor current conditions, BBP staff also use this information to ensure all sondes are functioning properly. 

manto pipe
full sonde
seaside box
probe faces

Until recently, the BBP monitored the basics: temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, turbidity, and depth. As of May 2026, the Mantoloking water quality station was upgraded to include chlorophyll monitoring. Using a total algae sensor, which functions by emitting light at a certain wavelength that makes algal pigments glow (a process called fluorescence), the sensor detects fluorescence, giving us a real-time estimation of chlorophyll, or algae, at the site. 

Monitoring chlorophyll can be helpful in many ways. Thanks to this additional technology, the BBP can directly connect chlorophyll levels to other metrics like dissolved oxygen and pH. We have always noticed that high dissolved oxygen levels tend to pair up with higher pH, but adding chlorophyll data as another variable to compare will help us better understand trends within the Barnegat Bay. 

Chlorophyll is also an excellent tool for estimating algae biomass and tracking algal blooms. This tracking is vital for public health, as certain algae species can become harmful to the community. Local researchers are already putting this new data to work. Dr. Shuting Liu of Kean University has been studying our Seaside and Mantoloking sites to understand dissolved organic matter and its impacts on microbial activity and human safety. Currently, Dr. Liu and her students are tackling a new project focused on harmful algal blooms and their toxins. To do this, they are combining the continuous chlorophyll data from the Mantoloking station with chlorophyll-a data extracted directly from physical water samples. 

By bridging the gap between station sensors and hands-on university research, we are gaining a stronger understanding of the health of the Barnegat Bay. This new chlorophyll data doesn’t just expand our scientific toolkit; it directly strengthens our ability to monitor the waters we all share. As we look ahead, these insights will help us better anticipate water quality shifts, protect local public health, and ensure the bay remains a vibrant resource for the community. Stay tuned to our website for future updates and real-time insights as we continue to track these trends. 

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UNKNOWN

There is limited data available to quantify Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation, or updated data to quantify Wetland Acreage. The BBP has obtained funding and will begin assessment efforts for both targets, in the next few years.

 

 Hard Clam abundance has not been updated since 2012. Recovery of the stock will be guided by the Fishery Management Plan for Hard Clams, which is under development with the NJDEP, BBP, and other organizations. Reclam the Bay and other partners have continued to plant clams for restoration purposes. Continued plantings in strategic locations which maximize survival and reproduction is one strategy to pursue in the coming years. This work can use a model developed by Rutgers with BBP funding which identified areas where planted clams could have the greatest dispersal of their larvae and thus potentially maximally contribute to the recovery of the stock.

 Water Withdrawals were over the target in the 2021 report; USGS has not yet completed its latest update, so a definitive determination of status is not available. However, additional NJDEP data show that it is likely that we continue to not meet the target. Per capita water use has gone down, demonstrating the effectiveness of water-saving appliances and practices, but that decrease has been offset by population gains. 


IN PROGRESS

New maps quantifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation extent were developed, but poor image clarity resulted in a high degree of uncertainty in the total acreage. NJDEP and Rutgers are working to resolve the uncertainty of these maps, and improve the total acreage estimate. Funding has also been obtained for further research and restoration activities. Several groups are developing potential restoration actions.

The USGS has completed the first phase of its study to identify minimum ecological flows in select Barnegat Bay tributaries. USGS scientists compared streamflow statistics between historical and current time periods to better understand trends in watershed flow conditions. This work provides a foundation for developing ecological flow targets in the Barnegat Bay watershed.  Similar to SAV extent, funding (approximately $450K) has been obtained by the BBP to complete the remaining phases necessary for threshold determination.

 

TARGETS ACHIEVED

No targets can be considered “Achieved” at this time.

 

NOT ACHIEVING

Several Public Swimming Beaches exceeded their safe swimming standards more frequently than during their baseline time period (2016-2018).

While most beaches are routinely safe for swimming, several problematic areas such as Beachwood, Hancock, Windward, and several lake beaches need track-down studies and restoration to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

Acres of Approved Shellfish Waters decreased from the last report. While this decrease was small, it represents a loss of previously approved waters. Similar to public beaches, track-down studies and restoration work are needed to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

 

A Collaborative Effort to Monitor Chlorophyll in the Barnegat Bay

Since 2017, Barnegat Bay Partnership has been conducting continuous water quality monitoring at three different locations within Barnegat Bay: Beach Haven, Seaside, and Mantoloking. BBP’s continuous water quality monitoring program aims to give stakeholders including residents, educators, water quality managers, and scientists timely access to reliable measurements of coastal water quality. The three long-term stations transmit real-time data to NJDEP and the Rutgers University Continuous Data Monitoring Program website, where it is available for download. The data are also used in the NJDEP’s Water Quality Assessments and Integrated Reports. Assessments are conducted statewide every two years under Sections 303(d) and 305(b) of the federal Clean Water Act to determine whether water quality conditions have changed over time 

Water quality data are collected at each station using a YSI EXO sonde, a multiparameter meter that is equipped with individual sensors that collect specific parameters, deployed 1meter from the bottom and protected by a PVC flow-through cover. The water quality team at the BBP regularly maintains and cleans the meters to avoid biofouling (the unwanted accumulation and growth of microorganisms, plants, algae, and small animals on submerged surfaces). At each station, the sondes are connected to power which allows the data to be transmitted near real-time to the NJDEP website. While this is useful to monitor current conditions, BBP staff also use this information to ensure all sondes are functioning properly. 

manto pipe
full sonde
seaside box
probe faces

Until recently, the BBP monitored the basics: temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, turbidity, and depth. As of May 2026, the Mantoloking water quality station was upgraded to include chlorophyll monitoring. Using a total algae sensor, which functions by emitting light at a certain wavelength that makes algal pigments glow (a process called fluorescence), the sensor detects fluorescence, giving us a real-time estimation of chlorophyll, or algae, at the site. 

Monitoring chlorophyll can be helpful in many ways. Thanks to this additional technology, the BBP can directly connect chlorophyll levels to other metrics like dissolved oxygen and pH. We have always noticed that high dissolved oxygen levels tend to pair up with higher pH, but adding chlorophyll data as another variable to compare will help us better understand trends within the Barnegat Bay. 

Chlorophyll is also an excellent tool for estimating algae biomass and tracking algal blooms. This tracking is vital for public health, as certain algae species can become harmful to the community. Local researchers are already putting this new data to work. Dr. Shuting Liu of Kean University has been studying our Seaside and Mantoloking sites to understand dissolved organic matter and its impacts on microbial activity and human safety. Currently, Dr. Liu and her students are tackling a new project focused on harmful algal blooms and their toxins. To do this, they are combining the continuous chlorophyll data from the Mantoloking station with chlorophyll-a data extracted directly from physical water samples. 

By bridging the gap between station sensors and hands-on university research, we are gaining a stronger understanding of the health of the Barnegat Bay. This new chlorophyll data doesn’t just expand our scientific toolkit; it directly strengthens our ability to monitor the waters we all share. As we look ahead, these insights will help us better anticipate water quality shifts, protect local public health, and ensure the bay remains a vibrant resource for the community. Stay tuned to our website for future updates and real-time insights as we continue to track these trends. 

Contact A Collaborative Effort to Monitor Chlorophyll in the Barnegat BayContact A Collaborative Effort to Monitor Chlorophyll in the Barnegat Bay
Dr. Shuting Liu and her students collecting chlorophyll