This research study by the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) at Rutgers – Newark, aimed to fill in data gaps in river and marsh sediment contamination in the Lower Raritan River. The main tasks of this study were: (1) Measure trace metal and organic contaminant levels in surficial sediments along 20 km of the Lower […]
The Rutgers Raritan River Consortium (R3C) has awarded ten mini-grants to support research by Rutgers faculty, staff and post-doctoral researchers on Raritan River, basin and bay resource issues. The recipients, award amounts and project titles are: Michele Bakacs (Dept. Agriculture and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS)), Richard G. Lathrop (Dept. Ecology, […]
education, faculty, mini-grants, R3C, Raritan, research, staff
The Raritan Fish Cam is once again live! The goal of the Fish Cam (besides fun viewing!) is to help understand the impact of dams and weirs on spawning migrations of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) and river herring (A. pseudoharengus and A. aestivalis). Since the removal of the Calco Dam in 2011, the Island Farm […]
diadromous fish, fish cam, herring, Island Farm Weir, Jensen, shad, Vastano
The Rutgers Raritan River Consortium (R3C) is in the process of reviewing mini-grant applications for projects or research by faculty, staff and post-doctoral students that address Raritan River, basin and bay issues. The intent of the mini-grant program is to promote multidisciplinary collaboration by Rutgers faculty, staff and students to address water quality, public access, […]
funding, grants, mini-grant, minigrant, support
The Raritan River receives wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflow (CSO), and groundwater infiltration from a variety of sites contaminated with organohalide pollutants. Organohalides are known or suspected carcinogens and some bioaccumulate and enter the food chain, leading to human exposure. In New Jersey, organohalides are present as groundwater and sediment […]
bacteria, Fennell, genes, mini-grant, organohalides, sediment
Water-dependent uses along the New Jersey coast rely on access to the water that increasingly threatens to damage their facilities and support infrastructure in the surrounding community. Mal-adaptive planning strategies to enhance resilience could fail to recognize the interrelated systems of benefits and risks that face water-dependent uses, including the spatial constraints that limit the […]
Bloustein, Campo, Flood, mini-grant, resilience
The study of microplastics and their negative effects as water pollutants has led to multiple opportunities for research and partnership. Through the Rutgers Raritan River Consortium minigrant program, Dr. Nicole Fahrenfeld led a study with the Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA) over this past summer. The goal of the study was to better understand microplastic transport […]
Be it drought, flood, excessive heat or cold, climate variability and change, or simply the more “normal” day-to-day conditions in the basin, it is exceedingly beneficial to have adequate and accurate environmental data at hand to assist the research community, decision/policy makers within diverse stakeholder communities and the general public. Rutgers Raritan River Consortium (R3C) […]
climate, minigrant, Robinson, weather station CoCoRaHS
Summer flounder (Paralichtys dentatus) is a key species for New Jersey’s fisheries, including being the most commonly captured species by recreational anglers and the most valuable finfish species for the commercial fishing industry (NMFS, 2017). Increasingly strict fisheries management measures have been implemented in recent years partially due to the results from the most recent […]
fisheries, founder, minigrant, Zemeckis
With the surge of urbanization and industrialization, the Raritan River, and particularly its 15-mile long lower portion, has experienced profound contamination over the last 100 years. More than 15 EPA designated Superfund Sites are present in the Raritan watershed, and exceptionally high concentrations of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead, and mercury have […]
Bu, Lower Raritan, metals, Roccanova, RV Rutgers, Schaefer, Sontag, zooplankton