Air Deposition Seminar

On May 15^th the BBWEF held its Annual Seminar at the Ocean County Cooperative Extension Building. Living in the suburban or rural reaches of the Barnegat Bay Watershed, we may believe that air pollution is an issue that doesn't affect us all that much. Unlike residents of the land surrounding New York or Philadelphia, we don't see smokestacks spewing smoke or have to breathe the fumes from incinerators or industry. It is generally true that, unless they are stuckin a summer traffic jam with the windows open, the residents of our watershed get to breathe pretty clean air.

Because our air quality seems pretty good, it might seem surprising that contaminants like mercury and PCBs and nutrients like nitrogen are settling by the pound on the lands and waters of even the Barnegat Bay Watershed. The mercury that is causing fish advisories for fish caught in the Pinelands streams and lakes is a result of atmospheric or air deposition of the pollutant on pristine Pinelands waterbodies according to four experts assembled for this seminar.

Michael Weinstein, president of New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, introduced the topic of air deposition and discussed some questions that needed to be answered: Are we studying the right contaminants, what are the problems associated with a particular contaminant, and what are the costs?

Michael Aucott, a scientist with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science and Research, discussed the NJ Atmospheric Deposition Network. The network measures PCBs, pesticides, metals and nutrients at nine sites. Air deposition of nitrogen accounts for 15 to 65% of the nitrogen input in northeastern U.S. watersheds.

John Reinfelder, assistant professor at Cook College’s Department of Environmental Sciences, said studies are now being conducted to attempt to quantify the amount of organic contaminants and trace metals, and assess their impact on the ecosystem.

Joanna Burger, a behavioral ecologist at Rutgers University, has been studying the effects pollution has on the Barnegat Bay’s heron, egrets and terns for approximately 25 years. She discussed her research of using birds feathers to determine exposure to chemicals. Birds contain high mercury levels because they are eating mercury-laden fish. The levels in birds in the Barnegat Bay are not lethal or toxic but they are an added stress on the birds, so they contribute to poorer survival rates.

Anyone that attended the seminar would agree that this seminar was extremely informative. Thanks to all who coordinated, presented and participated in this successful event.