March 5, 2021

Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist 2021

by S-FX.com

Robert-Cacara-and-Raquel-Rotem-island-marsh

Join us for the 2021 Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist webinars. Learn about the research being conducted in the bay and its watershed, and ask scientists your questions during these interactive sessions.

Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist webinars are free and provided via WebEx Events. The live sessions will be an hour long with time for questions at the end. To join the webinars, you’ll need either a computer, tablet, or smartphone with speakers. With presenter permission, a link to a video recording of each webinar will be available on this page after the webinar.

Registration is required. Details about the next webinar are provided below. Click on the title to register. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Walzer at kwalzer@ocean.edu

March 24, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
American Eel: The Underappreciated Hero of Aquatic Ecosystems
View the webinar recording.

The American eel is a key part of many aquatic systems, but is often misunderstood. Dr. Jim Vasslides, Barnegat Bay Partnership’s Senior Program Scientist, talks about the fascinating story of the American eel in North America, its unusual and mysterious life history, and why they are worth 10 times more than silver! He also discusses the Partnership’s American eel monitoring project, which just started its tenth year this February.

April 20, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Coastal Wetlands Resiliency in the Face of Sea Level Rise
View the webinar recording.
Watch the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetlands Assessment (MACWA) video

As sea level continues to rise and coastal flooding becomes more frequent in New Jersey, how do we “collectively” mitigate and/or adapt to these changes as they affect our lives? Martha Maxwell-Doyle, Barnegat Bay Partnership’s Project Coordinator, discusses coastal wetlands monitoring by the BBP and other partners and how monitoring findings will help decision-makers and natural resource managers make difficult decisions in the face of climate change.

May 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Using Rapid Wetland Assessments & Citizen Science to Help Prioritize Marsh Islands for Restoration
View the webinar recording (Password: MarshIslands2021)

Citizen Science Paddle For Edge Photo Scaled E1619815722950 1024x949
Paddle for the Edge citizen scientist volunteer.

BBP wetlands scientists Shannon Vasquez and Emily Pirl will talk about what the BBP and its incredible team of “Paddle for the Edge” Citizen Scientists are doing to help monitor and protect the marsh ecosystem. Marsh islands in particular provide many benefits, such as protected nesting habitat for colonial water birds and storm surge and wave protection for developed coastal communities. Like all coastal wetlands in New Jersey, marsh islands are threatened by the impacts of climate change (increased storm intensity and frequency, sea level rise) and anthropogenic disturbances (nutrient pollution, shoreline hardening). Data collected by researchers and citizen scientists will help prioritize future wetlands restoration projects.

Emily Pirl is the BBP’s Wetlands Specialist. She primarily works on coastal wetlands assessment and monitoring and climate resiliency projects. Shannon Vasquez coordinates the BBP’s Paddle for the Edge citizen science program and works as a field technician focusing on coastal wetlands assessment and monitoring.

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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.

 

Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist 2021

Join us for the 2021 Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist webinars. Learn about the research being conducted in the bay and its watershed, and ask scientists your questions during these interactive sessions.

Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist webinars are free and provided via WebEx Events. The live sessions will be an hour long with time for questions at the end. To join the webinars, you’ll need either a computer, tablet, or smartphone with speakers. With presenter permission, a link to a video recording of each webinar will be available on this page after the webinar.

Registration is required. Details about the next webinar are provided below. Click on the title to register. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Walzer at kwalzer@ocean.edu

March 24, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
American Eel: The Underappreciated Hero of Aquatic Ecosystems
View the webinar recording.

The American eel is a key part of many aquatic systems, but is often misunderstood. Dr. Jim Vasslides, Barnegat Bay Partnership’s Senior Program Scientist, talks about the fascinating story of the American eel in North America, its unusual and mysterious life history, and why they are worth 10 times more than silver! He also discusses the Partnership’s American eel monitoring project, which just started its tenth year this February.

April 20, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Coastal Wetlands Resiliency in the Face of Sea Level Rise
View the webinar recording.
Watch the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetlands Assessment (MACWA) video

As sea level continues to rise and coastal flooding becomes more frequent in New Jersey, how do we “collectively” mitigate and/or adapt to these changes as they affect our lives? Martha Maxwell-Doyle, Barnegat Bay Partnership’s Project Coordinator, discusses coastal wetlands monitoring by the BBP and other partners and how monitoring findings will help decision-makers and natural resource managers make difficult decisions in the face of climate change.

May 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Using Rapid Wetland Assessments & Citizen Science to Help Prioritize Marsh Islands for Restoration
View the webinar recording (Password: MarshIslands2021)

Citizen Science Paddle For Edge Photo Scaled E1619815722950 1024x949
Paddle for the Edge citizen scientist volunteer.

BBP wetlands scientists Shannon Vasquez and Emily Pirl will talk about what the BBP and its incredible team of “Paddle for the Edge” Citizen Scientists are doing to help monitor and protect the marsh ecosystem. Marsh islands in particular provide many benefits, such as protected nesting habitat for colonial water birds and storm surge and wave protection for developed coastal communities. Like all coastal wetlands in New Jersey, marsh islands are threatened by the impacts of climate change (increased storm intensity and frequency, sea level rise) and anthropogenic disturbances (nutrient pollution, shoreline hardening). Data collected by researchers and citizen scientists will help prioritize future wetlands restoration projects.

Emily Pirl is the BBP’s Wetlands Specialist. She primarily works on coastal wetlands assessment and monitoring and climate resiliency projects. Shannon Vasquez coordinates the BBP’s Paddle for the Edge citizen science program and works as a field technician focusing on coastal wetlands assessment and monitoring.

Contact Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist 2021Contact Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist 2021
Robert-Cacara-and-Raquel-Rotem-island-marsh