Water Quality Monitoring in the Middle Atlantic Bight--A Monitoring Tool

Four water column monitoring cruises are conducted annually from April through September in the Middle Atlantic Bight with emphasis in the New York Bight. The objective is to monitor the development of the pycnocline with associated reductions in dissolved oxygen in bottom waters of the New York Bight. Ancillary physical and chemical data are taken to aid in understanding the processes which may lead to pollution resulting from nutrient loading. Results are utilized to explain oceanographic factors that could influence the distribution and behavior of pollutant inputs into the Bight.