Environmental ChemistryField Trip

An Introduction to the Marine Field Station and the Mullica River-Great Bay Estuary

Stockton Marine Science and Environmental Field Station

Located off of the Mullica River

Mullica River empties into the Great Bay

The Great Bay empties into the Atlantic Ocean

My Position (1996) Faculty support

– co-teach in field and laboratory– Support research/courses in general

Facility management– Scheduling– Maintenance– Purchasing

Director of marine operations– Safety program– Dive program

Field Station capabilities Research vessels 21’ – 24’,

8 -10 passengers

Facilities

Teaching laboratory Individual research

labs Aquaculture

laboratory GIS software and

computer systems

Equipment

Biological sampling equipment– Seine nets, otter trawls,

plankton nets, etc.

Benthic survey equipment– Ponar grabs, vibracore,

side scan sonar

Water quality instrumentation– Yellow Springs

Instrument suite

Designated as the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR)– NOAA funded program– Designated in October of 1997

Location in the State of NJ

System Wide Monitoring Program

Water and weather data throughout estuary

30 minute intervals of data Student internships developed Data available on CDMO site

– 18 month lag time– Data available sooner through S. Evert

Datalogger locations

Two week sample, Nacote Creek

13:51 07:58 02:06 20:14 14:22 08:306.40

6.64

6.88

7.12

7.36

7.60

pH

0.2

6.4

12.6

18.8

25.0 Turb

idity

+(N

TU

)

13:51 07:58 02:06 20:14 14:22 08:3020.0

21.2

22.4

23.6

24.8

26.0

Te

mp

(C)

3.2

4.6

6.0

7.4

8.8 DO

Co

nc

(mg

/L)

13:51 07:58 02:06 20:14 14:22 08:303.0

4.2

5.4

6.6

7.8

9.0 D

ep

th(f

t)

8.6

11.4

14.2

17.0

19.8 Sa

linity

(pp

t)

Date and Time (M/D/Y)

09/04/03 09/08/03 09/12/03 09/15/03 09/19/03 09/23/03

September 4 to 23, 2003

Nacote Creek Water Quality

Water quality instruments…

Temp pH Conductivity Salinity DO (Mg/L and %sat) Depth

Yellow Springs Instruments (YSI) Discrete sampling instruments (600 series)

– Used to “spot” sample– Could be used on a weekly basis– $3000-$5000

Unattended sampling instruments (6000 series) – Left in the field to collect data on a user

determined interval– Requires secure mounting– $5000-$8000

How can we display the data collected?

Geographic Representation of Measurements at Sampling Stations in the Mullica River - Great Bay Estuary

ArcView was used to create a macro program– spatial data from the field – table development in Excel– table import to ArcView software

Results of macro program– generates a map with sampling sites noted– creates charts of selected variables vs. sites– produces report quality map with data charts, north

arrows, scale, and titles

Technical Reports - data maps using GIS software and analysis

Boating Safety – year round Medical needs – must inform me Eat properly day of trip Non-swimmers?

– Other concerns?

Boarding a boat – carefully While underway – PFD’s on Getting off the boat To assist or not to assist…fending off, etc.? Questions?

Steven Evert, Field Station ManagerRichard Stockton College of NJMarine and Environmental Science Field StationPO Box 195Pomona, NJ 08240

(609) 652-4486everts@stockton.edu