A common objective of USGS studies is to document the occurrence, and characterize the sources and movement, of contaminants within the environment through the analysis of surface-water, groundwater, sediment, and tissue (fish/shellfish) quality. Such data give clues to researchers in their efforts to assess human and natural impacts on ecosystem health, determine changes in the event of a major storm, answer questions about sea-level rise, and understand environmental trends. The NYWSC serves local, State, and Federal government agencies and stakeholders by providing science to aid in the conservation, protection, and restoration of nearshore environments and communities. Some examples of current NYWSC programs include regional assessments of estuarine bed sediment for contaminants after Hurricane Sandy; regional characterization of wastewater contaminants introduced into estuaries via groundwater; the occurrence of insecticides in marshes used in mosquito-abatement programs; tissue-contaminant analysis of oysters, mussels, and fish; sediment toxicology; continuous monitoring of nitrogen concentration and other parameters in nearshore waterways; and pathogen monitoring through fecal indicator bacteria analysis at beaches.
