FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Anya Grondalski, Science Communicator
agrondalski@longislandsoundstudy.net
[STAMFORD, CT] — Scientists from the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) report the third smallest area of hypoxia—zones with low dissolved oxygen—since monitoring began in 1987. During the 2024 summer hypoxia monitoring season, the affected area measured 43.4 square miles, roughly the size of the Bronx, one of New York City’s five boroughs.
The duration of hypoxia measured 38 days, a decrease from 42 days reported for the summer of 2023. The minimum dissolved oxygen level observed during Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) open water cruises reached 2.25 mg/L. In Long Island Sound, levels below 3mg/L of oxygen have been considered the threshold for measuring hypoxic area. The minimum dissolved oxygen concentration observed during Interstate Environmental Commission (IEC) western Sound cruises was 0.76 mg/L in Manhasset Bay, New York, observed on August 6. Oxygen levels less than 1 mg/L are considered severely hypoxic and under these conditions, most marine life cannot survive even for short periods of time. Low levels of dissolved oxygen sometimes occur in bays due to reduced water circulation and high nutrient loads from runoff and wastewater, both associated with urban and suburban development.
The small area of hypoxia this summer has been attributed to weather conditions.
“Most of the summer through August was hot and wet, and repeated wind events mixed oxygen to deep waters which limited the area of hypoxia,” said Jim Ammerman, Ph.D., the Long Island Sound Study’s Science Coordinator.
Hypoxic areas, commonly referred to as dead zones, are places where water does not have enough dissolved oxygen to support aquatic life and are usually caused by nutrient pollution. Excess nitrogen, a nutrient that promotes algae growth, is a major contributor to hypoxia. When algae, fueled by these excess nutrients, die and bacteria decompose, any oxygen left in the water is used up. Excess nutrients can also increase the occurrence and severity of harmful algal blooms that can be toxic to humans and animals. A lack of oxygen in the water can lead mobile animals, like fish and crabs, to leave the area in search of healthier water. But species that can’t escape, like shellfish and worms, are either harmed significantly or die from suffocation.
Hypoxia can impact coastal waters, rivers, streams, lakes and estuaries like Long Island Sound, and happens most often in the summer when waters are naturally layered, or stratified, due to higher temperatures. Heat from the sun warms the top layer of the Sound, which floats on denser, cooler and saltier water beneath. When water stratifies, mixing of oxygen from the surface to bottom waters is less frequent. Hypoxia usually ends in September when temperatures cool and weather events, such as increased wind, mix water layers and redistribute nutrients and oxygen.
“Physical conditions in the estuary’s waters, such as stratification, create the potential for oxygen to decrease in deeper waters,” said Jim Hagy, an expert on coastal hypoxia with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development. “However, hypoxia is primarily caused by excess nutrients, which increases the amount of organic matter that eventually sinks and decomposes, consuming oxygen faster than it can be replaced.”
Environmental analysts with CT DEEP lead annual water quality monitoring in the Sound through the Long island Sound Water Quality Monitoring program, which is funded by LISS. Dissolved oxygen levels are measured at multiple stations across the estuary bi-weekly from June-September aboard the research vessel John Dempsey. You can find annual WQMP reports here.
Hypoxia is measured in the western Long Island Sound by the Interstate Environmental Commission (IEC), which monitors 22 stations weekly during the summer.
How Hypoxia is Being Reduced
LISS tracks both the extent (size) and duration (number of days) of hypoxia during summer months. Reducing hypoxia in Long Island Sound is a key priority for LISS and its partners. To address this issue, a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) agreement was established in 2000 between the EPA and the states of New York and Connecticut to limit nitrogen inputs into the Sound. LISS met its TMDL goal in 2016 and has continued efforts to reduce nitrogen loads by investing in wastewater treatment plant upgrades and addressing non-point source pollution from septic systems, stormwater, and agricultural runoff.
A 2021 research article by University of Connecticut scientists Michael Whitney and Penny Vlahos titled Reducing Hypoxia in an Urban Estuary Despite Climate Warming showed that decreasing trends in the size and volume of dead zones in the Sound coincide with reduced nitrogen loads. Water quality improvements have kept roughly 50 million pounds of nitrogen from polluting the Sound each year.
Predicting Dead Zones
In 2022, EPA Region 2, in collaboration with the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, launched the development of a Long Island Sound Hypoxia Forecast Tool, designed to predict the extent and duration of hypoxia in the Sound and its bays each summer. The tool, set to be released in spring 2025, will combine the work of scientists, researchers and communicators and will act as an engagement opportunity, increasing public awareness of hypoxia and its impact on water quality, habitat and wildlife. Stay tuned for more information about the tool’s release at longislandsoundstudy.net.
“Through consistent investments in research and environmental monitoring, the Long Island Sound science and management community has learned a great deal about hypoxia in Long Island Sound, “said Hagy. “The Long Island Sound Hypoxia Forecast will provide an opportunity to share and highlight that understanding with the public, thus increasing awareness of hypoxia and other nutrient-related issues in the Sound. While substantial progress has been made in reducing hypoxia in recent decades, there’s more work to do.”
This manual was developed for the Long Island Sound Futures Fund project Improving Water Quality through Green Infrastructure in Quanaduck Cove and Long Island Sound (CT), aimed at implementing Stormwater Management Green Infrastructure Best Management Practices. The goal of the project was to mitigate the impact of stormwater runoff on water quality and the environment within Stonington Harbor and Long Island Sound from the Condo Complex. This guidance manual is intended for use by community associations within the Long Island Sound watershed.
[STAMFORD, CT] — On August 26, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed a 3-year $1,172,800 interagency agreement titled: Building a Salt Marsh Monitoring and Analysis Network to Support Restoration and Climate Change Sentinel Monitoring in Long Island. This project will create a collaborative of scientists and managers to provide comparable data on the impact of climate change on Long Island Sound salt marshes, which will help municipalities, NGOs, and other organizations with planning for restoration projects.
Building a salt marsh monitoring network is a long-standing priority of the Long Island Sound Study. This project builds on other successful collaborative monitoring efforts like the Unified Water Study (launched in 2017 by Save the Sound) and the Pathogen Monitoring Network (pilot led by the Interstate Environmental Commission in 2023). The team began design and implementation of the monitoring network on October 1, 2024.
Salt marshes are vital for resilient communities, offering storm protection, supporting cleaner waters, and habitat for many species. However, inconsistent data on marsh health and climate impacts in Long Island Sound can hinder restoration efforts. This project brings together scientists and managers to gather data for better informed management practices.
Project partners include The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Connecticut National Estuary Research Reserve, University of Connecticut, The Nature Conservancy chapters in Connecticut and New York, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Audubon Connecticut, the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Long Island Sound Study is a partnership of federal and state agencies working with local governments, communities, universities and industry to protect and care for the Sound’s health.
[STAMFORD, CT] — The Long Island Sound Study (LISS) estuary program has opened a 60-day public comment period for formal review of the full draft 2025 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). LISS develops and implements a management plan that establishes priorities for conservation, research and funding for the estuary and its watershed. The CCMP serves as a critical blueprint to guide future decisions and addresses a wide range of environmental protection and restoration issues. Members of the public will have the opportunity to provide specific comments on the revised vision statement, mission statement, goals, objectives and actions in the CCMP from September 23–November 22, 2024.
“Through collective effort, the quality of the Sound’s waters and habitats are substantially improved, but there’s more to do,” said Mark Tedesco, Director of the EPA Long Island Sound Office. “Long Island Sound stakeholders are encouraged to share their thoughts on the new plan and help set priorities for the next decade.”
During the public comment period, two virtual public information sessions will be held to overview the plan’s content and share guidance on how to provide feedback. Sessions will be help on:
Input on the draft plan will help shape future efforts to restore and care for the Long Island Sound watershed. You can view the completed draft at LISstudy.net/PLAN.
The Long Island Sound Study is a partnership of federal and state agencies working with local governments, communities, universities and industry to restore and protect Long Island Sound. The CCMP was last revised in 2015.
To contribute a comment, use this form or email LISoundPlan2025@gmail.com. Visit longislandsoundstudy.net for more information.
Flyer for Draft CCMP Virtual Public Information Sessions in September and October.
At sessions, the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) will provide an overview of the draft LISS 2025 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and share guidance on how the public can participate in the upcoming public comment period.
September 25, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Registration here
October 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM
For Immediate Release: September 9, 2024 Contact: Shahela Begum, LISCIF Program Director
Email: sbegum@estuaries.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 9, 2024)—In partnership with the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) is announcing a request for applications (RFA) for the second round of funding for the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF). LISCIF provides technical and financial assistance to communities with environmental justice concerns and improves the quality and accessibility of the Long Island Sound. Up to $1.5 million in competitive grants will be distributed in the second round of funding. RAE will also facilitate annual peer-to-peer learning and information sharing meetings among awardees and key stakeholders in the region.
“This fund works to uplift communities in the Sound that have been historically underserved and left behind in decision-making,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “EPA’s support of this program, bolstered by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will increase public engagement and improve access to the Sound, while safeguarding the Sound against pollution and the impacts of climate change. This effort is a win-win for people and the environment.”
“The Long Island Community Impact Fund is making lasting contributions by engaging underserved watershed communities in protecting and improving the Sound,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “The Long Island Sound is a national jewel. With support from EPA and funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this effort is reaching and investing in all of our communities. Together, we are committed to the health of the Sound, its waters and ecosystems.”
In its first round of funding, LISCIF awarded 18 organizations in Connecticut and New York. Projects focus on diverse proposals focused on environmental stewardship, youth engagement and leadership, green infrastructure, water quality, environmental education, and oyster recycling and restoration. LISCIF’s competitive grant program in the second round of funding will continue to focus on activities that address challenges and opportunities facing overburdened and underserved communities in Connecticut and New York that affect Long Island Sound. Eligible projects will be community driven, help implement the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, and address challenges and risks faced by communities experiencing disproportionate environmental injustices.
LISCIF’s grantmaking process utilizes a two-step application process: a Letter of Intent (LOI), followed by a limited number of invited, full proposals. LOIs are due by November 22, 2024. Upon selection and invitation, full proposals are due by March 14, 2025. For more information and access to the RFA, please go to LISCIF25 RFA Page. Informational webinars and technical assistance opportunities for LISCIF will be available in September and in the upcoming months.
Funding is available for projects that:
Funding for LISCIF is provided by EPA through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will help meet the goals of the Justice40 Initiative which calls for, “40% of the overall benefits of these Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution”. The EPA defines environmental justice as, “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys: (1) The same degree or protection from environmental and health hazards, and (2) Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work”.
For more information, please visit www.estuaries.org/liscif or contact Shahela Begum, LISCIF Program Director, at sbegum@estuaries.org.
About RAE: Restore America’s Estuaries is a national alliance of 10 of the leading coastal conservation groups in the United States dedicated to the protection and restoration of bays and estuaries as essential resources.
This news release originally appeared on the Restore America Estuaries website on September 9, 2024.
Read the Summer 2024 issue of Sound Matters, the newsletter of the Long Island Sound Study. This issue highlights public access and beach monitoring projects funded by the Long Island Sound Study.
This summer, researchers from the University of Connecticut’s Department of Marine Sciences partnered with local health districts and Save the Sound to explore an untraditional method of monitoring water quality at Green Harbor Beach in New London and Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme.
The project is funded by a 2022 Long Island Sound Study Research Program grant totaling over $450,000. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, project partners will take weekly samples at both beaches. The sites regularly experience pathogen-related advisories and closures and receive C and D grades in the Long Island Sound Beach Report published by Save the Sound each year.
“They have a history of exceedances of the pathogen indicator bacteria criterion for safe swimming,” said Peter Linderoth, Director of Water Quality at Save the Sound. “And we don’t always know the source of the bacteria. So, this project is going to be telling in helping do some source tracking. Whether it’s sewage from people or goose poop, it needs to be managed.”
Green Harbor Beach is located within an Environmental Justice community, as identified by the state’s EJ Mapping Tool. These communities are marked by their experience of “disproportionate impacts of pollution” and “chronic health conditions and social stressors.”
The project aims to address these challenges by enabling more rapid beach advisories and necessary closures. This could not only protect public health more effectively but also provide researchers with insights into the sources of the high bacteria levels. Current culture-based monitoring methods, used nationwide, often take over 24 hours to yield results, which means advisories are issued a day after the samples are collected—offering little protection to those who were exposed to the water the previous day.
“The research gets to the heart of that limitation in the current system,” said Linderoth. “It’s much more protective of human health.”
The new analysis method uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction, or qPCR, to get results by increasing the amount of DNA from indicator bacteria, specifically the tuf gene, which is a constituent of the bacterial genome. Unlike the double-stranded helix humans share, bacterial DNA is a singular circular coiled strand.
“With each cycle as the gene is amplified, the intensity of fluorescence increases, and it registers a “hit” if the fluorescence reaches a certain intensity,” said Glass.
The analysis can also detect DNA marker HF183, which is specific to human Bacteroides, or anaerobic bacteria. This capability is important for detecting potential raw sewage exposure in the water. The EPA started exploring the use of molecular genetics for beach testing back in 2012. In recent years, coastal counties nationwide have explored the feasibility of qPCR technology at beaches with historically high exceedances.
The thermocycler works by copying bacterial DNA in cycles. If there are many genes and a lot of genetic material, the PCR machine will need fewer cycles to reach the detection limit, which can be range from 12-35 cycles. The fewer the number of amplifying cycles, the higher the levels of the indicator bacteria. In addition to the PCR equipment being highly portable, which allows for more timely and efficient sampling, it can also generate results in under an hour.
“It all depends on if you’re taking the sample at high or low tide, or anywhere in between,” said Luke Glass, a second-year PhD student at UCONN working under one of the project’s principal investigators Michael Whitney, a marine sciences professor. “You sometimes don’t get the variation that could happen on a tidal cycle. But that’s why we’re getting that data. We can input these parameters and you can see what is the change of bacteria over time with a much higher temporal resolution.”
Identifying the presence and level of bacteria and pathogens in the water is just one element of the project. Tying environmental conditions of rainfall, tides, winds, and temperatures to bacteria levels will support source tracking efforts and the possibility of forecasting closures in the future. Once data gathering efforts are completed, project researchers will determine if there is potential to use the method long-term for beach closures.
Project partners also plan to engage with the communities surrounding Green Harbor and Rocky Neck beaches through public meetings, providing an opportunity for residents to participate in conversations about the quality of the water.
“We want to be protecting and restoring water quality across the Sound for everybody that wants to enjoy or use the water in these communities,” said Linderoth. “It’s valuable to connect the ins and outs of the water and how it’s evaluated in terms of health for people to interact with it.”
You can find more information about safe swimming at Connecticut state beaches here. Photo by Luke Glass
Before earning her doctorate in physical oceanography at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point Marine Science campus, Dr. Youngmi Shin completed a master’s degree in plasma and high-temperature physics at Dong-A University in Busan, South Korea. During her studies in Busan, she developed an interest in the health of oceans, linking it to her scientific career. After graduating, Dr. Shin contributed to a government project focused on analyzing biogeochemical ocean data, such as ocean acidification, warming temperatures, and decreasing oxygen levels, to understand the impact of human activity on ocean cycles.
Although a physicist by trade, Shin’s interest in oceanography grew gradually with the influence of her husband, who is a biological oceanographer. Together, they analyzed biogeochemical and physical data in South Korea, publishing a book by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) which included cartoon illustrations to help the public understand the importance of marine organisms and coastal environments. In 2009, they decided to move to the United States where Shin would further explore ocean spaces.
She attended UConn’s Avery Point campus in Groton, which overlooks Long Island Sound in eastern Connecticut, earning an additional master’s degree in oceanography and receiving a PhD in physical oceanography in 2019.
“Long Island Sound is a very interesting study area,” said Shin. “There are all sorts of people in communities and their interactions with the water. It is a big issue, the contamination of the water. If I can understand how people and nature interact with each other, and how scientists can support the protection of the natural body of water and help people understand that too — that’s a very interesting area for me. That’s how I chose the Long Island Sound and UConn.”
Shin’s thesis focused on studying wind and wave dynamics in the western Long Island Sound, where Stamford, the EPA office she works out of, is located. As a fetch-limited basin, an area where wave height is limited by the size of the wave generation area (or fetch), she found that wave creation and circulation are influenced by wind and surface wave-induced turbulent dynamics, which were not previously considered in existing models.
“That was my starting point for getting involved with the study,” said Shin.
LISS welcomed Shin in late November of 2023 as an EPA fellow through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science And Education (ORISE). Her work applies observational data from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection over 20 years to better define plankton parameters in water quality models. Using biogeochemical and statistical modeling, the LISS partners can better understand how climate change and nutrient reduction affect plankton communities.
“This data can improve how we anticipate climate change scenarios,” said Shin. “Most of the public has concerns about climate change and storms. The timing and intensity of storms have been changing, especially where people live along the coast in Connecticut and New York. This kind of water quality modeling is a very good approach to reduce their concerns and support policymaking.”
The process-based water quality model used by the EPA does not currently use information based on long-term time and measure of data. One finding of Shin’s analysis indicates that waters are warming at double the frequency they were in the previous decade and plankton have responded by changing their ecosystem dynamics and physiology. Their season peak has been shifting earlier because of warming. Using this information, managers can improve how they approach sensitivities to climate change in Long Island Sound.
“Until this project, I have been mainly focusing on the physical data like ocean turbulence dynamics, waves, currents, and wind,” said Shin. “This kind of various data, with it I can be more creative, and I can be more connected to the science and enjoy how they interact with each other. It is fascinating.”
“Youngmi’s research leverages both empirical and process-based modeling to improve our ability to simulate highly dynamic water quality conditions in Long Island Sound,” said Dr. Melissa Duvall, EPA’s Research and Modeling Lead for the Long Island Sound Study. “Her work will allow us to better model climate-driven changes in Sound water quality by accounting for variations in phytoplankton response to changing environmental conditions.”
For Shin, the ultimate goal will be to see how communities can benefit from the scientific models.
“I have been very excited to learn about the connection between science and politics and communicating with the public,” said Shin. “To me, science is life itself. Scientific thinking follows the structures we need to communicate with people. That was my original motivation from childhood—the way of scientific thinking that interprets life and nature.”
At home, Shin lives along the Connecticut coastline and finds her own unique way to communicate and educate science to a few young members of the public.
“Every summer we make a saltwater pool for the kids in our backyard,” said Shin. “My husband and I are oceanographers, so we are measuring the salinity from the pump to teach them from our swimming pool.”
Her family also finds time on the weekends to visit the Sound’s beaches, collecting rocks and seashells with her children and using them to explain the physics of water friction and erosion.
“We can educationally approach teaching to the children with the environment of the water,” said Shin. “If there’s an ocean breeze, my husband and I know the timing of the tides and wind direction, so we use that information to apply in our recreation time. How to make a kite fly based on the direction of the wind and how to orient the kite. It’s very useful scientific information to my kids.”