PowerPoint Presentation

We wanted to find out how much biodiversity exists at these two still polluted sites.ABOUTTHE SUBJECTS

Newtown CreekGowanus Canal

bioDIVERSITY

Each of us live near polluted waterways here in New York City. We decided to take a look at two of these waterways.

OUR IDEA

bioDIVERSITY

GOWANUS CANAL

Once a busy cargo transportation hub, the canal is now recognized as one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States, and is labeled as a Superfund site. The canal's history has paralleled the decline of domestic shipping via water. The canal is still used for waterborne transportation of goods, notably fuel oil, scrap metal and aggregates. ABOUTTHE SUBJECTS

bioDIVERSITY

NEWTOWN CREEK

Channelization made it one of the most heavily used bodies of water in the Port of New York and New Jersey and thus one of the most polluted industrial sites in the US, containing years of discarded toxins, an estimated 30 million gallons of spilled oil, including the Greenpoint oil spill and raw sewage from New York Citys sewer system.ABOUTTHE SUBJECTS

bioDIVERSITY

POLLUTIONPollutants can have a tremendous impact on the ecosystem. In a river, for example, the oxygen cycle will stop and the polluted water will affect the animals dependent on the water.

URBANIZATION Urbanization causes biodiversity to decline. As cities grow vital habitat is destroyed or fragmented into patches not big enough to support complex ecological communities.

ABOUT THE PROBLEM

bioDIVERSITY

POLLUTION AND THE CLEAN-UPBoth bodies of water are superfund sites (2010) but Newtown Creek was rehabbed in 2002 by NYS/NYC. In addition, Newtown Creek is lees used by industry at this point. Thus, Newtown Creek should be cleaner.QUESTIONDo historic levels of pollution in New York City waterways create an environment where there is less biodiversity in these waterways, presently?ABOUTTHE QUESTION

BIODIVERSITY

If a body of water has been more recently polluted then it will have less biodiversity within and around.

ABOUTTHE HYPOTHESIS

bioDIVERSITY

VARIABLES

DEPENDENTAmount of biodiversity at each siteINDEPENDENTWaterways INDEPENDENTDate at which the waterway was cleaned and industrial dumping ceasedCONTROLBiodiversity as recorded at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve

bioDIVERSITY

PROCEDUREBEGIN

END

REVIEWFIND A PROBLEM IN THE AREATAKE A WATER SAMPLEIDENTIFY THE PLANTS AND WILDLIFE IN THE IMAGES

TAKE PICTURES OF FLORA AND FAUNA NEAR WATERWAYCOUNT THE OBSERVED SPECIES

COMPARE SITES

COFFEE BREAK

bioDIVERSITY

MEASUREMENTSHOW WE COUNT

We took pictures of plants and trees in the area for identification later.

If there were any visible wildlife we tried to take a picture or log them.

More than meets the eye. Bacteria, algae and small multicellular organisms.

We got as close to the same time of day each day we counted.PICTURES OF FLORAPICTURES OF FAUNAJARS OF WATERSCHEDULE

bioDIVERSITY

DATABIODIVERSITY AT THE GOWANUS CANAL

bioDIVERSITY

DATABIODIVERSITY AT NEWTOWN CREEK

bioDIVERSITY

DATABIODIVERSITY AT JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE PRESERVE

bioDIVERSITY

13

The data shows that the least polluted of the waterways (control) had the greatest biodiversity and the most polluted had the least.

Thus, our hypothesis was correct.

CONCLUSION

bioDIVERSITY

ERRORS

TIME OF YEAR

A long winter delays plants from greening/blooming and animals from coming out, making true counting and ID difficult.OBSERVATION LOCATIONS

With limited time comes limited results. We could not survey all areas of the waterways.KNOWLEDGE LIMITATION

It is very possible we did not count species because we could not properly differentiate them from another species or could not ID them at all.SCOPE

With so many more waterways it would be worthwhile to evaluate other bodies of water.1234

bioDIVERSITY

PROJECT EXTENTIONS

ORIGINAL BIODIVERSITY PROJECT

ACTIONCleaning up polluted waterwaysACTIONMake New Yorkers aware of the biodiversity in their waterwaysADDITIONAL RESEARCH Adding sites and/or more complete surveyADDITIONAL RESEARCH Focusing on the amount of one species to judge waterway health

bioDIVERSITY

SOME OF THE SPECIES WE OBSERVEDSpartina alterniflora

Panicum virgatum

Aster novi-belgii

Baccharis halimifolia

Branta canadensis

Colinus virginianus

Pandion haliaetus

Zenaida macroura

bioDIVERSITY

17

Bellinger, E., & Sigee, D. (2010). Freshwater algae identification and use as bioindicators. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Cunetta, J., & Feuer, R. (1967). Design of the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Project, the City of New York. New York: Dept. of Public Works.

Drake, S., & Kim, Y. (2011). Gowanus Canal Sponge ParkTM. Ecological Restoration, 392-400.

References

BIODIVERSITY

Flora of North America: North of Mexico. (1993). New York: Oxford University Press.

Hamboussi, A. (2010). Newtown Creek: A photographic survey of New York's industrial waterfront. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Held, J. (n.d.). Progress on the Gowanus Canal. References

BIODIVERSITY

Held, J. (1999, August 1). KAYAKING JAMAICA BAY New York City wildlife refuge. New York State Conservationist.

Jackson, K. (2008). The almanac of New York City. New York: Columbia University Press.

Magee, D., & Ahles, H. (1999). Flora of the Northeast a manual of the vascular flora of New England and adjacent New York. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. References

BIODIVERSITY

Matsen, B. (2005). Go wild in New York City. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

O'connor, T. (2011). Commentary on Gowanus Canal Sponge ParkTM. Ecological Restoration, 401-402.

Palmer, C., & Lewis, R. (1977). Algae and water pollution: An illustrated manual on the identification, significance, and control of algae in water supplies and in polluted water. Cincinnati: Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ;. References

BIODIVERSITY

Waldman, J. (2013). Heartbeats in the muck: The history, sea life, and environment of New York Harbor (Rev. ed.). New York: Empire State Editions.

Special thanks to volunteers at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and the NYC Audubon for helping to ID some species. References

BIODIVERSITY

Go ahead. Ask away. Give us your best shot.

QUESTIONSANDANSWERSWhere we hope youll find the answer to any question you may have about

List of Species Observed - Gowanus

Gowanus Canal - 3/26/2015FloraFaunaMicrobesAster ericoides / Heath asterBlue jay / Cyanocitta cristataChlorophyceaeCarex crinita / Crinkled sedgeBlue-winged warbler /Vermivora cyanopteraCyanobacteriaCarex vulpinoidea / Fox sedgeChipping sparrow / Spizella passerinaKlebsormidiaceaeJuncus effusus / Soft rushEastern Grey Squirrel / Sciurus carolinensisMesostigmatophyceaeLeersia oryzoides / Rice cutgrassHermit thrush /Catharus guttatusPedinomonadaceaeMyrica pensylvanica / Northern bayberryNorthern mockingbird / Mimus polyglottosUlvophyceaeOenothera fruticosa / SundropsVolvox aureusOsmunda cinnamomea / Cinnamon fernVolvox rouselettiPontederia cordata / PickerelweedSagittaria latifolia / ArrowheadScirpus pungens / Common threesquareScirpus validus / Great bulrushTradescantia virginiana / SpiderwortTypha angustifolia / Narrow-leaved cattailTypha latifolia / Broad-leaved cattailVernonia noveboracensis / New York ironweed

BIODIVERSITY

List of Species Observed - Gowanus

Newtown Creek - 4/16/2015FloraFaunaMicrobesAronia arbutifolia / Red chokeberryBlue jay / Cyanocitta cristataCyanobacteriaAronia melanocarpa / Black chokeberryDouble-crested cormorant /Phalacrocorax auritusUlvophyceaeEupatorium purpureum / Purple Joe-Pye weedEastern bluebird /Sialia sialisVolvox rouselettiOsmunda cinnamomea / Cinnamon fernEastern Grey Squirrel / Sciurus carolinensisIlex opaca / American hollyHermit thrush / Catharus guttatusBaccharis halimifolia / Groundsel bushHouse wren /Troglodytes aedonAsclepias syriaca / Common milkweedMourning dove / Zenaida macrouraAster novi-belgii / New York asterRed-breasted nuthatch /Sitta canadensisPanicum virgatum / SwitchgrassPinus rigida / Pitch pinePontederia cordata / PickerelweedQuercus alba / White oakRhus copallinum / Shining sumacSagittaria latifolia / ArrowheadSchizachyrium scoparium / Little bluestemScirpus validus / Great bulrushSorghastrum nutans / Indian grassSpiraea alba / MeadowsweetTypha angustifolia / Narrow-leaved cattailTypha latifolia / Broad-leaved cattail

BIODIVERSITY

List of Species Observed - JBE

Jamaica Bay Estuary - 4/23/2015FloraFaunaMicrobesAmmophila breviligulata / BeachgrassAmerican bittern /Botaurus lentiginosusBacillariophyceaeAndropogon virginicus / BroomsedgeAmerican black duck /Anas rubripesChlorophyceaeAsclepias syriaca / Common milkweedBlue jay / Cyanocitta cristataChlorophytaAsclepias tuberosa / ButterflyweedCanada goose / Branta canadensisCyanobacteriaAster ericoides / Heath asterCommon goldeneye /Bucephala clangulaPhaeophyceaeAster linariifolius / Stiff-leaf asterCommon nighthawk / Chordeiles minorUlvophyceaeAster novi-belgii / New York asterDouble-crested cormorant /Phalacrocorax auritusVolvox rouselettiBaccharis halimifolia / Groundsel bushGlossy ibis /Plegadis falcinellusZygnematalesCarex pensylvanica / Pennsylvania sedgeMallard / Anas platyrhynchosCoreopsis lanceolata / Lance-leaf coreopsisMourning dove / Zenaida macrouraDistichlis spicata / SaltgrassNorthern harrier /Circus cyaneusOenothera fruticosa / SundropsOsprey / Pandion haliaetusOsmunda cinnamomea / Cinnamon fernPanicum virgatum / SwitchgrassPontederia cordata / PickerelweedSagittaria latifolia / ArrowheadSchizachyrium scoparium / Little bluestemScirpus validus / Great bulrushSolidago rugosa / Rough-leaved goldenrodSolidago sempervirens / Seaside goldenrodSorghastrum nutans / Indian grassSpartina alterniflora / Saltmarsh cordgrassSpartina patens Saltmeadow / cordgrassTypha angustifolia / Narrow-leaved cattailTypha latifolia / Broad-leaved cattail

BIODIVERSITY

LOCAL WATERSIgbala MetjahicKory LekaScott Keatley