DayintheLifeoftheHudsonRiver-10/20/2015(9AM-2PM)Data
RIVERMILE98
TivoliSouthBay(nearBardFieldStationbetweenmouthofSawKill&BlithewoodManor)
TomO’Dowd,BardCollege,EnvironmentalandUrbanStudies(EUS)program
DebbieBeam,RedHookHighSchool-40-11thand12thgradersand2teachers
MUCKSTATION
Turbidity
Longsitetube(cm)
10:00AM:18cm
10:30AM:22cm
11:00AM:7cm
12:00PM:16cm
Average:15.75
Observations:veryturbid;seiningandsediment
samplingcreatedmoreturbidity;fallingtideledto
muddierwater.SouthTivoliBaytendstobevery
turbid.
PushCoreSedimentLog
Takingcoresedimentsamples.
Sulfursmell(H2S):yes!
Photocredit:TomO’Dowd
Clay:abundant
Mud:abundant
Sand:abundant
Gravel:common(Webrokeonesedimentcoretubebecauseoursiteissorocky!)
Leaves:rare(smallflecksofflakeyleaveswereabundant;largerleavesnotsomuch)
Wood:rare(smallsliversandsplinters)
Shells:rare
Freshwatermussels:Absent
Zebramussels:Absent
Macroinvertabrates:common(esp.femalegiantwaterbug;also:dragonflylarva,snail,andwalking
stick)
Brick/coal/slag:Absent(we’veseenbrickshardsatthissitebeforebutnottoday;hardtotell—very
murky)
Livingvegetation:common(duckweedanddead/dyingwaterchestnut)
WebaggedacoreandsentwithIngrid.
SoilsonlandaroundtheSouthTivoliBay
AccordingtotheDutchessCounty“GeneralSoilMap”(USDANRCS),themostcommonsoilatoursiteis
“Hudson-Vergennes-Raynham”soilwhichisverysusceptibletoerosionwithaKfactorof0.49outofa
rangeof0.02-0.69everywhereand0.1-0.64inDutchessCounty.
Source:http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Planning/nrichapfour.pdf
AIRSTATION:WIND,HUMIDITY,PRESSURE,ANDAEROSOLS
Kestrelmeasurements
Beaufortscaleobservations
ComparedtoHRECOS/NERRSstationattheBardFieldStation
Overall:
Humiditywashighestbytheriveranddecreasedaswemeasuredfurtherandfurtherinland.
Windspeedvariedthroughouttheday.Overallitdecreasedasthedaycontinued,endingwith0mphin
thefinalgroup.Windspeedhadmajorhighpointatthewaterandonahighaltituderoadsurrounded
bytrees(possiblygustsorwindchanneling).Temperatureincreasedthroughouttheday.
Learnedabouthydrosphereandatmosphererelationship,microecosystemsalongtheriver,and
possibleanthropogenicimpactsonthesemeasurements!!
Relative
WindSpeed WindSpeed Tempera
Location
Time
Notes
Humidity(%)
(Beaufort)
(mph)
ture(F)
Nearwater 10:20
52
1.2
Highspeed=trees
Fieldstation 10:20
51
1
n/a
53.2
makewindtunnel?
Uphill
10:20
48.5
3.4
Nearwater 10:40
49.7
2.3
Humiditydidn’t
Fieldstation 10:40
51.5
0-2
1.1
55
followhypothesis!
Uphill
10:40
50.2
n/a
Nearwater 11:15
54.4
1.7
Fieldstation 11:15
49
1-2
1.1
55.7
Uphill
11:15
51.8
2.4
Nearwater 12:30
49
1.8
Question: What %
humidity for it to
Fieldstation 12:30
47.2
0-2
1.5
57.5
rain?
Uphill
12:30
48.8
1.7
Nearwater 12:50
64
0
Fieldstation 12:50
56.7
1
0
58.3
Uphill
12:50
56.1
0
Sidestudy:“Anthropogenicwindspeed”
(blowingontheinstrumentwithmouth):
Group2:19.7mph,freshbreeze
Group3:22.5mph
WATERCHEMISTRYSTATION
Salinity
Usingquantabs,quantabs#=1.8or2,therefore41-48ppmchlorideor74-88ppmtotalsalinity.
ErikKiviathypothesizedthatroadsaltsareimpactingsalinitylevelsdespitewinterbeingathingofthe
distantpast.Apparentlypoolsofsaltywaterpersistintheenvironmentandproducesaltyrunoff
throughouttheyear(weevensawsaltaccumulatedontheBardFieldStationdrivewayuphillfromthe
building;andtastedit—notrecommended.Werinsedourmouthsoutafterward).Eriksaidnormal
salinitywouldbeunder20ppmintruefreshwater.
pH
Usingcolormatchtest
9:52AM:pH=8
10:30AM:pH=7.5(withsomeoneblowingbubblesintoit—testingthattheeditionofCO2increases
acidityandreducespH)
11:00AM:pH=8
12:10PM:pH=8
WehypothesizedthatalgalphotosynthesismightbereducingCO2andthereforereducingacidityand
increasingpH.
DissolvedOxygen
9:52AM:watertemperature8*C.DO=13ppmwhichequals110%saturation!
10:30AM:watertemperature8*C.DO=10ppmwhichequals90%saturation.
11:00AM:watertemperature8*C.DO=10ppmwhichequals90%saturation.
Wehypothesizedthatthedaystartedcold,withalargeinputofhighlyoxygenatedwaterfromthe
nearbySawKillanditswaterfalls,plusphotosynthesisbyalgaeandotherplantsmayhavecontributed.
Datafromnearbysamplingstations
HRECOSdataSouthTivoliBay
NERRSdataSouthTivoliBay
NERRSdataSawKillCreek
DoingDO,pH,andsalinitytests.
Photocredit:TomO’Dowd
LIFESTATION:FISHANDBIRDSANDMACROINVERTABRATES
Fish
With~2meterbeachseinenet
5Bandedkillifish(sizeoflargest:4cm)
1blue-gillsunfish(sizeoflargest:3cm)
2pumpkinseedsunfish(sizeoflargest:3cm)
2stickleback(sizeoflargest:3cm)
1Americaneel(sizeoflargest7cm)
Macroinvertabrates
(intheseinenet)
1dragonflylarva
5femalenorthernwaterbugs
1walkingstick
Birds
SeiningonTivoliSouthBay.
Spottedwithbinocularsandthenakedeye
Photocredit:TomO’Dowd
~50CanadaGeese(seenandheardat9:00AM)
9MuteSwans
1adultBaldEagle(around8:30AM)
2juvenileBaldEagles(pesteringagreatblueheron,seenandheard)
4greatblueherons
2Kingfishers(seenandheard)
~25gulls(at12:00PM)
~20Cormorants(likelyDouble-Crested);halfstationary,halfinmotion
Variousseagulls(25+)
1BlueJay
4AmericanCrows
1Red-TailedHawk
Eel,pumpkinseed,andkillifish.
Photocredit:TomO’Dowd
Femalegiantwaterbug.
Photocredit:TomO’Dowd
PHYSICALCONDITIONSSTATION:TIDESANDCURRENTSANDWATERSHEDS
Tides(observed)
Currents(observedinthe“center”oftheSawKill)
Currents(observednearthe“shore”oftheSawKill)
CURRENT(ftin30sec)
10am Center:14.1 Shore:8.8
10:30 Center:27
Shore:4.9
11:00 Center:28
Shore:9
12:00 Center:32
Shore:11
12:40 Center:20
Shore:7
TIDE(Inchesaboveanarbitrarypoint)
10:15am
9.5
10:45 6.3
11:15 2
Immeasurableafterthis(wedidnothavealongenoughtidestick!)
ActingoutthetidesnearBlithewoodManor.
PhotoCredit:TomO’Dowd.
LearningabouttheSawKill
watershedandtheHudson
Riverwatershed.
PhotoCredit:TomO’Dowd.