IN THIS SECTION
For Educators
HRECOS data can connect your students to the estuary in their backyard and help you keep pace with Next Generation standards for science education. Together with educators like you, we’ve developed lesson plans and other tools to support your projects and programs. You also can use our real-time data and historic data sets to develop activities and programs of your own.
Wading into the Hudson
Wading into the Hudson is an introduction to the Hudson River estuary essentials, including tides, currents, salinity, and climate change. And its all taught through interpreting graphs and images. Slides include notes and instructions for teachers.
A Virtual Checkup of a River’s Vitals: Using Remotely Sensed Data
Updated in April 2024! This presentation goes deeper into river parameters with HRECOS. By using case studies and curated HRECOS graphs, students can investigate weather, water chemistry, and biological phenomena. Notes for each slide provide background content and instructions for teachers.
Oxygen, Plants and the Hudson River
Author: Lia Harris – Education Program specialist, Cary Institute.
Time: 1-2 class periods; Grade Level: high school; Objective: Students will develop and test a hypothesis about the relative oxygen contributions of three Hudson River Ecosystems.
Oxygen, Plants and the Hudson River – Worksheet
Dissolved Oxygen and Photosynthesis
Lesson 1
Author: Cornelia Harris with the Cary Institute. This lesson is part of the Changing Hudson Project curriculum.
Time: 2 class periods; Grade Level: High School; Objective: Students will know that plants produce oxygen underwater and be able to design an experiment that will test this question.
Dissolved Oxygen and Photosynthesis 1: Lesson Plan – Worksheet
Lesson 2
Author: Cornelia Harris with the Cary Institute. This lesson is part of the Changing Hudson Project curriculum.
Time: 2 class periods; Grade Level: High School; Objective: Students will know that plants produce oxygen underwater and be able to design an experiment to test this question.
Dissolved Oxygen and Photosynthesis 2: Lesson Plan – Worksheet
How Much Oxygen is in the Water
Author: Steve Stanne, Interpretive Specialist with the Hudson River Estuary Program.
Time: 1 class period; Grade Level: 4-5; Objective: Using real time data from remote sensors in the Hudson
River, students will: • understand the critical role of dissolved oxygen in supporting aquatic life; • observe and graph dissolved oxygen concentrations at sites along the Hudson River estuary; • observe patterns of change in dissolved oxygen concentrations; • identify environmental parameters correlated with dissolved oxygen concentrations; • suggest hypotheses to account for the observed changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations..
How Much Oxygen is in the Water – Worksheet
Using Real-Time Data
Introduction
Author: Cornelia Harris with the Cary Institute. This lesson is part of the Changing Hudson Project curriculum.
Time: 3-5 class periods; Grade Level: High School; Objective: Students will know how to retrieve data from a real-time data website, be able to explain and pose questions about data from two locations on the Hudson River.
Using Real Time Data: Introduction – Lesson Plan – Worksheet
Temperature’s Impact on Sea Level Rise
Author: Alene Onion, HRECOS Coordinator with the Hudson River Estuary Program.
Time: 1-2 class periods; Grade Level: 5-8; Objective: Students will know how to retrieve data from a real-time data website and be able to explain and
pose questions about the relationship between global warming and water level rise in the Hudson River Estuary.
Using Real Time Data: Temperature’s Impact on Sea Level Rise – Lesson Plan – Worksheet
Field Collection
Author: Cornelia Harris with the Cary Institute. This lesson is part of the Changing Hudson Project curriculum.
Time: 1-2 Class Periods; Grade Level: High School; Description: Students will know how water quality parameters change over location and time, and compare collected data with real-time data collected by scientific instruments in the Hudson River.
Using Real-Time Data: Field Collection – Lesson Plan – Worksheet
pH and rainfall
Author: Cornelia Harris with the Cary Institute. This lesson is part of the Changing Hudson Project curriculum.
Time: 1-2 class periods; Grade Level: High School; Objective: Students will know how to retrieve data from a real-time data website, be able to explain and pose questions about the relationship between pH and rainfall data from two locations on the Hudson River.
Using Real Time Data: pH and rainfall – Lesson Plan – Worksheet
For Researchers
HRECOS monitors and documents baseline weather and water quality conditions, tracking long-tern change and short-term variability. An analysis of this data can provide a solid foundation for detecting change caused by human-influenced and natural events.
You can use our data and associated products for field-testing and calibration/verification of models. It also can support summary statistics, hypothesis testing, and observations to describe novel phenomena and enhance understanding of the Hudson River system.
As part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve’s System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP), Hudson River Reserve has maintained two of their HRECOS stations for several decades (Tivoli Bays since 1995). Compiled for the past several decades, this data set on parameters like temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen, allows for year to year comparison. The Reserve provides annual analysis of this data their SWMP Status Reports. They plan to update these Status Reports each year when new data becomes available, so check back for updated versions!
Publications
HRECOS data has informed a diversity of studies that have advanced the understanding of the ecological and physical systems of the Hudson River and its tributaries. The following list is in chronological order, with most recent studies first. Have a study you’d like to add to the list? Contact the HRECOS Coordinator at hrecos@dec.ny.gov
| A | B | C | D | E | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study | Year published | Author(s) | Institution | DOI | Keywords |
| Dissertation: Turion size advantage in the restoration of Vallisneria americana: the importance of genetic identity and diversity. | 2019 | Carew, Anne E. | University of Maryland | ||
| Post-storm sediment burial and herbivory of Vallisneria americana in the Hudson River estuary: mechanisms of loss and implications for restoration. | 2017 | Hamberg, Jonas; E. G. Findlay, Stuart; Limburg, Karen E.; and Diemont, Stewart A.W. | Restoration Ecology | 10.1111/rec.12477 | estuarine restoration, grazing, Hurricane Irene, plant, submerged aquatic vegetation, wild celery |
| Dissertation: Regional Recruitment Dynamics and Seasonal Ecology of Juvenile Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix) | 2016 | Stormer, David G. | University of Massachusetts Amherst | 10.7275/8801716.0 | |
| Low-Cost Stand-Alone System for Real-Time Hydrological Monitoring | 2016 | Mohammad S. Islam, James S. Bonner, James B. Paley, and Christopher B. Fuller | Environmental Engineering Science | 10.1089/ees.2016.0106 | hydrological station, precipitation gauge, real-time monitoring, sensor evaluation, stage height sensor |
| Coastal evacuations by fish during extreme weather events | 2016 | Bailey, H., and Secor, D. H. | Scientific Reports | 10.1038/srep30280 | |
| The Stevens Flood Advisory System: Operational H3E Flood Forecasts for the Greater New York / New Jersey Metropolitan Region | 2016 | Georgas, N. et al. | International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering | 10.2495/SAFE-V6-N3-648-662 | early warning systems, emergency management, ensemble forecast, flood advisory system, integrated flood forecasts, river flooding, storm surge |
| Short- and long-term monitoring of underwater sound levels in the Hudson River | 2016 | Martin, S. B., and A. N. Popper | Journal of the Acoustical Society of America | 10.1121/1.4944876 | |
| Cyber-physical systems for water sustainability: challenges and opportunities | 2015 | Wang, Z., H. Song, D. W. Watkins, K. G. Ong, P. Xue, Q. Yang, and X. Shi | IEEE Communications Magazine | 10.1109/MCOM.2015.7105668 | Water pollution, Green design, Water resources, Monitoring, Computational modeling, Wireless sensor networks, Wireless communication, Ecosystems, Sustainable development, Telecommunication services |
| A Day in the Field: A Stepped Model to Developing Data-Savvy Students | 2015 | Turrin, Margie | The Science Teacher | ||
| Book: Catchment and River Basin Management: Integrating Science and Governance | 2015 | Smith, L., K. Porter, K. Hiscock, M. J. Porter, and D. Benson | 10.2989/16085914.2015.1087378 | ||
| New York City Panel on Climate Change 2015 Report Chapter 6: Indicators and Monitoring | 2015 | Solecki, W. et al. | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | 10.1111/nyas.12587 | |
| Changes in Nitrogen Cycling Processes Along a Salinity Gradient in Tidal Wetlands of the Hudson River | 2015 | Osborne, R., M. J. Bernot, S. Findlay | Wetlands | 10.1007/s13157-014-0620-4 | Climate change, Microelectrodes, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulfide |
| A Node Placement Optimization Method for Watershed Underwater Sensor Networks | 2014 | Gentil V. Barbosa, Patrick Letouze, and Adilson E. Xavier | In Proceedings of the International Conference on Underwater Networks & Systems (WUWNET '14), published by the Association for Computing Machinery | 10.1145/2671490.2674576 | |
| Thesis: The Effects of Salinity Intrustion on the Biogeochemistry of Hudson River Ridal Freshwater Wetlands | 2014 | Osborne, R. I. | Ball State University | ||
| Report: Calculation of vertical tidal datums for the tidal Hudson River north of Yonkers | 2013 | Georgas, N., B. Wen, and Y. Zhao | Stevens Institute of Technology | ||
| Investigation of estuarine sediment as a reservoir for sewage associated bacteria | 2013 | Schneider, E. and G. D. O’Mullan | Hudson River Foundation / Final Reports of the Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship Program 2012 | decomposition, salinity, respiration, litter, fungi, microbial colonies, Hudson River, Phragmites australis |
|
| Sediment transport due to extreme events: the Hudson River estuary after Tropical Storms Irene and Lee | 2013 | Ralston, D. K., J. C. Warner, W. R. Geyer, and G. R. Wall | Geophysical Research Letters | 10.1002/2013GL057906 | |
| Dissertation: Environmental Monitoring Of The Lower Hudson River And Assessment Of Factors Limiting Bacterial Growth On Ibuprofen Analogs | 2012 | Risen, A. J. | Cornell University | ibuprofen; biodegradation; Hudson | |
| Quantifying Larval Fish Habitat in Shoreline and Shallow Waters of the Tidal Hudson River | 2012 | Stouthamer, C. E., and M. B. Bain | Hudson River Foundation / Final Reports of the Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship Program 2012 | ||
| Large Seasonal Modulation of Tides due to Ice Cover Friction in a Midlatitude Estuary | 2012 | Georgas, N. | Journal of Physical Oceanography | 10.1175/JPO-D-11-063.1 | |
| Local Environmental Pollution Strongly Influences Culturable Bacterial Aerosols at an Urban Aquatic Superfund Site | 2012 | Dueker, M. E., G. D. O’Mullan, A. R. Juhl, K. C. Weathers, and M. Uriarte | Environmental Science & Technology | 10.1021/es301870t | |
| Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus Walbaum) burial in estuaries: Acoustic telemetry triumph and tribulation | 2012 | Grothues, T. M., K. W. Able, and J. H. Pravatiner | Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology | 10.1016/j.jembe.2012.09.006 | |
| Climate change drives warming in the Hudson River Estuary | 2011 | Seekell, D. A., and M. L. Pace | Journal of Environmental Monitoring | 10.1039/c1em10053j | |
| An autonomous self-orienting catamaran for measuring air-water fluxes and forcing | 2011 | Orton, P.M., McGillis, W.R., and Zappa, C.J. | Kyoto University Press | Carbon dioxide, air-water flux, autonomous platforms, turbulence, Hudson River | |
| Effects of Microtopography on Hydrology, Physicochemistry, and Vegetation in a Tidal Swamp of the Hudson River | 2011 | Courtwright, J., and S. E. G. Findlay | Wetlands | 10.1007/s13157-011-0156-9 | Decomposition, Elevation, Nutrients, Porewater, Redox |
| Tidal and atmospheric influences on near-surface turbulence in an estuary | 2010 | Orton, P. M., Zappa, C.J., and McGillis, W.R. | Journal of Geophysical Research | 10.1029/2010JC006312 | |
| Sea breeze forcing of estuary turbulence and CO2 exchange | 2010 | Orton, P.M., McGillis, W.R., and Zappa, C.J. | Geophysical Research Letters | 10.1029/2010GL043159 | |
| Establishing Confidence in Marine Forecast Systems: The Design and Skill Assessment of the New York Harbor Observation and Prediction System, Version 3 (NYHOPS v3) | 2010 | Georgas, N., and A. F. Blumberg | American Society of Civil Engineers | 10.1061/41121(388)39 | |
| Marine Forecasting for the New York Urban Waters and Harbor Approaches: The Design and Automation of NYHOPS | 2009 | Georgas, N., A. F. Blumberg, M. S. Bruno, and D. S. Runnels | 3rd International Conference on Experiments/Process/System Modeling/Simulation & Optimization | 3D hydrodynamic models, marine forecasts, data assimilation, environmental and situation awareness, harbor transportation planning | |
| Effects of different vegetation cover types on sediment deposition in the Tivoli North Bay tidal freshwater marsh | 2008 | Loaiza, E., and S. E. G. Findlay | Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies | Tivoli North Bay, wetland, sediment deposition, vegetation |