With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Norbert Psuty will purchase a S-4 current meter which measures water flow, recording both current velocity and water depth. He will also acquire a newly-developed highly accurate in situ nutrient analyzer which uses a proven wet chemistry colorimetric technique to determine water nitrate concentration by measuring the light absorbence of a colored dye produced by chemical reaction. These instruments will be employed to determine nitrogen fluxes on a long-term continuous basis at Barnegat Inlet, the boundary between Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, and the Atlantic Ocean. These data will allow the construction of a spatial-temporal pattern of variability and the reasons for variability in measured nitrogen fluxes. Eutrophication of estuaries is a common water quality problem associated with the continuing growth of population in the UC coastal zone. Nitrogen is a significant contributor to the problem and is among the targets of many regional water quality plans. However, one of the major uncertainties in studying nitrogen in estuaries is the flux of this nutrient through the ocean-estuary boundary. Nitrogen may enter an estuary from ocean sources such as sewage treatment discharges, atmospheric deposition, and bottom sediment regeneration. Although nitrogen from land sources may be discharged from the estuary to the ocean, a large proportion may re-enter on the following flood tide. To quantify estuary nitrogen budgets more accurately it is necessary to gain greater understanding of ocean estuary interactions and Dr. Psuty's research is directed at this goal. The instrumentation will be used by the Geography Department from Rutgers University and thus serve to further undergraduate and graduate education.
