Assessment of Historical Phytoplankton Characteristics and Bloom Phenomena in the New York Harbor Estuarine and New York Bight Ecosystems

The purpose of this study is to compile existing data sets so as to
characterize normal and excessive (blooms) phytoplankton conditions and to
determine the location, extent, impacts and factors contributing to the blooms
in water bodies of interest to the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program. There are four
major monitoring programs from which data were obtained: the New York City,
Harbor Survey, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP);
the Interstate Sanitation Commission (ISSC); the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection (NJDEP) in conjunction with the US Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA); and the Gateway National Park, National Park Service
(NPS). The compiled data addresses the following topics:Chlorophyll a- Index of
Phytoplankton Abundance, Phytoplankton Species and Biomass, Bloom Conditions
Versus Environmental & Water Quality Variables, Algal Bloom Index: Nature of
Bloom Impacts and Historical Analysis of Bloom Impacts.