Effects of Hurricane Sandy on Fire Island National Seashore: Assessing water quality and seagrass
Tinoco A and Peterson BJ. 2016. Effects of Hurricane Sandy on Fire Island National Seashore: Assessing water quality and seagrass. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCBN/NRR—2017/1467. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
On October 29, 2012 Hurricane Sandy hit the south shore of Long Island (NY) causing a major breach on Fire Island. The new influx of ocean water has changed various physical and ecological aspects of Great South Bay (GSB), particularly those areas near the breach. In this study, we measure several environmental variables (salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, light attenuation, and chlorophyll a) that heavily influence the two seagrass species found in GSB, Zostera marina and Ruppia maritima. Through bay-wide seagrass monitoring, we quantified the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the flora within GSB. The most evident water column changes were a drastic bay-wide increase in salinity and a decline in water temperature near the breach. Dissolved oxygen appears to remain stable after the breach while turbidity, light attenuation, and chlorophyll a varied highly interannually. Loss of Z. marina is evident bay-wide as a direct result of the breach, and data suggests the slow growing species remains at very low percent cover, only able to recover at selective sites across the bay. Ruppia maritima, on the other hand, was not directly impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Although a drastic decline in 2014 was observed, R. maritima has been able to successfully recover. Further monitoring of water quality and flora is critical in determining how GSB will ultimately respond to this new influx of ocean water.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Tinoco, Amanda; Peterson, Bradley
- Date of Issue
- 2016-06
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- FIIS , NCBN , NRSS
- Keywords
- 2240892, FIIS, Fire Island National Seashore, Great South Bay, GSB, Hurricane Sandy, Long Island, NCBN, New York, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, seagrass, water quality