Biology Professor Awarded Grant to Improve Long Island Sound

Marine biologist Dr. Michael Judge has long been fascinated with water flow and animal behavior. For his latest project, Manhattan's associate professor of biology blends these interests to study if and how fish larvae move in areas of low dissolved oxygen in the Long Island Sound.

Judge's 16-month project is funded by a grant of nearly $181,000, with more than half of the money from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. He teams with James Fitzpatrick '71 at HydroQual, an environmental consulting firm that will subcontract his research.

“Dissolved oxygen is one of the measures of environmental health,” Judge says. “The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has certain standards for dissolved oxygen, and the goal is to have the Long Island Sound meet those standards.”

For the study, Judge will work with a graduate engineering assistant and undergraduate research assistant. They will use a computer model developed by HydroQual to simulate data of water currents and oxygen levels. Judge says the twist for his project is to add larvae behavior to the mix of data for the first time.

“We want to include behavior of larvae to see if they can move away from low dissolved oxygen,” Judge says. “This is already being researched by other marine scientists. My job is to be the liaison to get the new data out there that's not widely published.”

He plans to look at noncommercial and commercial fish and shellfish (flounder, oysters, lobsters and crabs), some of which are strong and weak swimmers. Because larvae move slowly in early life, past studies have assumed they cannot avoid areas of low oxygen, which can kill fish. Bacteria proliferate as a result of human activities, such as sewage discharge, and consume oxygen in the water.

Yet other factors are likely to affect Judge's study. Unlike humans, the body temperature of fish matches their environment; meaning the higher the temperature, the more active they are. Even though fish move faster in high temperatures, bacteria also grow best in warm weather, especially the summer, and siphon dissolved oxygen.

Judge will look at if and how fish behavior changes with the seasons, and where larvae go in water. For example, if flounder larvae stay in shallow water, but low levels of dissolved oxygen exist in deeper parts of the Long Island Sound, then the flounder larvae survive and nothing needs to be done. If the flounder larvae mingle with low oxygen in the deep section, they might die, which proves to be a problem.

Besides having environmental benefits, Judge says his study saves money by identifying critical problem areas within the Long Island Sound. The amount of his grant seems like mere pennies in comparison to the billions of dollars it would cost for an unfocused cleanup of the Long Island Sound. It also unites biologists and engineers to find a solution to a common concern.

“It brings together two different ways of approaching a problem,” Judge says. “It's a nice synergy of engineering and biology to address environmental problems.”