PRI Investigator Receives Funding from $6.3M Suite of New Long Island Sound Research Projects

PRI Investigator Receives Funding from $6.3M Suite of New Long Island Sound Research Projects

Stony Brook, NY, March 6, 2023 — New York Sea Grant (NYSG), along with Connecticut Sea Grant (CTSG) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Study (LISS) Research Grant Program, has awarded more than $6.3 million in total funds to support nine research projects — five of which are administered at Stony Brook University (SBU), including one led by a Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) investigator — that will focus on Long Island Sound marshes, water quality, and public beaches. 

The projects, from which information will be sought that can be used to improve the conditions of the estuary for humans and wildlife, will be conducted over two years beginning this spring. 

"This year was the largest research competition to date resulting in the selection of nine excellent and diverse studies that will address priorities related to historical and current water quality conditions, habitat and fisheries health and restoration, and Sound access," said NYSG Director Becky Shuford. "The results will have direct benefit to the communities, coasts, critters, and waters of the Long Island Sound Estuary."

Below are details of the NYSG-funded research project led by a PRI investigator:

Using Geohistorical Baselines to Assess Responses of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities to the Nitrogen TMDL Management Intervention in Long Island Sound

Lead PI: Gregory Dietl, Curator of Cenozoic Invertebrates, Paleontological Research Institution

Dietl and his team will look at the remains of mollusks buried beneath the seafloor to understand past ecological conditions in the Long Island Sound. The data they collect will provide a baseline to compare to current conditions. 

While nitrogen levels in the Sound have decreased significantly since new rules were put in place in 2000, there is as yet little data on how marine life has responded. Marine mollusks are a reliable surrogate for the whole benthic (sea bottom-dwelling) macroinvertebrate community. The molluscan geohistorical record could provide location-specific ecological information relevant for decades-long time periods that is not available from any other source.

“Knowledge of baseline conditions and magnitudes of change over the past few decades will help determine if more progress on the reduction of nitrogen is needed to meet the desired improvements in ecological condition,” said Dietl.

The other four NYSG-administered projects are led by principal investigators at SBU’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (along with Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation); SBU’s Department of Civil Engineering and Department of Technology and Society; Clark University (along with the University of Maryland, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Miami); and the City College of New York (along with Columbia University and the University of Maryland College Park). Projects spotlight issues including, respectively, Effects of shifting conditions in the LIS due to climate change; Facilitating equitable public access to the LIS waterfront; Linkages between residential fertilizer use and nitrogen loads to the Sound; and Factors that can intensify harmful algal blooms. 

An additional four CTSG-administered projects are led by principal investigators at UConn (along with the CT Agricultural Experiment Station and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection); The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk (along with Northeastern University, Harbor Watch and Earthplace, and Sacred Heart University); UConn (along with Save the Sound); and North Carolina State University (along with UConn). These projects spotlight issues including, respectively, Determining the impacts of marsh restoration efforts on Sound ecosystems and their value for wildlife; Assess the expected effects of warmer temperatures on salt marshes associated with climate change; Analyzing water quality at two CT public beaches that among the most frequently closed or under swim advisories due to high bacteria levels; and Quantifying how fish can be expected to respond to exposure to “forever chemicals” (PFAS) in the Sound over the next five decades.

The results of this research suite will build on the substantial body of investigations funded through the LISS Research Grant Program administered by CTSG and NYSG since 2008 which has contributed to improved understanding and management of this nationally recognized estuary. Cumulatively, this represents the largest research investment in the Sound, which has been designated an estuary of national significance and one of the most valuable natural resources for both states.

For more, read the complete NYSG press release.

New York Sea Grant, a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.