SMAST Professor Mark Altabet is leading one of three studies of Long Island Sound biogeochemistry administered by NOAA Sea Grant and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The two-year program, already underway, also includes research groups from the University of Connecticut and Boston University.

Altabet, Chair of the UMass Dartmouth Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences, will use isotope geochemical techniques to examine the impact of recent changes in nitrogen inputs and oxygen levels due to upgrades to wastewater treatment plants. Stable isotopes ratios enable scientists to distinguish among various sources of nitrogen (e.g., sewage, fertilizers, air emissions) and evaluate the importance of recycling and bacterial processes to the overall nitrogen budget of Long Island Sound.

Funding for the program totaling $843,424 is provided to the NOAA Sea Grant programs by EPA as part of the Long Island Sound Study, a cooperative effort between the EPA and the states of Connecticut and New York to restore and protect the Sound and its ecosystems. (Photo by Robert Burg.)