1. Rutgers University ID Tag Home COOL Adventures Ocean Images R-T Data Meet the Scientists Teachers Lounge About COOL Classroom Hudson River Plume Unit Entrance Psteria Hysteria Unit Entrance Clams, Clams, Clams Unit Entrance Different colors of the dots are for clarity only

2. Rutgers University ID Tag Home COOL Adventures Ocean Images R-T Data Meet the Scientists Teachers Lounge About COOL Classroom Human Impact Adventures Problem Investigation Explanation Scuba Team Journal Watersheds transport hundreds of gallons of freshwater from the land to the sea. As the freshwater moves over the land, it is able to pick up and carry many items with it. Have you ever wondered what happens when this freshwater meets the saltwater of the ocean? How does your watershed impact the ocean? Click to make this graphic a pop up Watershed Dynamics Learn more about watersheds click here

3. The Hudson River Watershed is the area of land in green. This area of land drains freshwater from the highest elevation points, one example is the Adirondack Mountains, to the lowest elevation point, the Hudson Bay. The Hudson Bay then flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

4. Hmm…. When the water flows down the Hudson River and into the bay, what happens to all of that freshwater? Hi, I’m Scuba Hugh! Behind me is a map of the Hudson River Estuary. Use the brushes and colors on the left to show what you think happens to the freshwater as it enters the ocean. Press the reset button to erase your work and start again. Print your freshwater map using the “Print” button. Have Fun! I changed some of the wording

5. Let’s talk plumes for a second… What are the characteristics of this plume of smoke? Graphic of plume going straight up 3043642

6. an area containing the same type of particles Can these pop us as rollovers with some sort of symbol to mark where they need to roll? *all the particles tend to move together in the same direction particles stay closer together at the origin and spread apart as they move away

7. What would happen if there was a strong wind? How would that affect the plume? 2755047

8. You’ll need the info on plumes in just a second… Back to the watershed… we have agreed the water will run down the river entering the Raritan Bay and ocean. So this happens about 1/3 the way down the New Jersey coast.

9. This is what it looks like…the Hudson River Plume. The freshwater creates a river plume, with all the characteristics of a plume. Learn more on how to read SST maps click here This is a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Map ~showing the temperature of the ocean surface. New Jersey coast

10. Depending on wind direction and speed, the plume can travel in different directions and for varying distances

11. Compare the model you painted to the actual pictures of the Hudson River Plume? How is your painting similar? How is it different?

12. Why do you think the river plume continues to stay together as it flows out into the bay and ocean?

13. If you look at the SST image, you can see that the river plume is warmer than the ocean, so temperature could be a factor. The river plume is flowing from a watershed containing freshwater and moving into a salty ocean, so salinity could be another factor.

14. What characteristic do you think temperature and salinity determine in a body of water? Picture here of the density tank from the video If you don’t know… Scuba Hugh will provide a HINT Roll over with the answer DENSITY Learn more about density click here

15. Using what you have just learned, put these three bodies of water in order with the least dense on top: bay water river water ocean water Once you have the correct answer, write in your journal why it happens this way.

16. So now you know.. The river plume stays together because it is fresh warm water which has a different density than the ocean water. New Jersey More on the characteristics of the plume and to play a game

17. How would you track a river plume if you did not have access to satellite images? Describe your method in detail remembering to discuss what characteristics you will look for and how you will measure and track them. Learn what scientists’ do.

18. When rain water flows into the Hudson River, it carries with it dissolved substances and sediment from the land. Looking at the land within the Hudson River Watershed, identify and describe all the ways it is being used by humans. To discover more about Hudson River click here.

19. Examine the two different maps of the Hudson River Watershed. Do you see any similarities or patterns?

20. Brian’s watershed overlay

21. After noticing the different types of land use surrounding the rivers within the watershed, what types of substances do you think might flow into the river water? Watershed overlay image

22. Who in this watershed is impacting the health of the ocean? Explain in detail how that is happening. Dog poop pile Soap suds Have you finished changing the oil in the car yet? I am going to win the “Best Green Lawn” contest this year! Ant saying, “Whew! That stinks!” Pouring oil down stormdrain That dog poop will disappear in a few days. I don’t have to pick it up. Girl walking away from poop pile.

23. What is an example of a pollution source near you that could be running into a river or stream? Pollution solution

24. Pollution carried by the warm freshwater river plume can impact marine life off the New Jersey coast. Click here to discover how water carries pollution: Discover Water

25. If conditions exist to keep pollutants in shallow bays, it can create areas with very low oxygen. So how does that happen?

26. Eutrophication part (cornfields and cow pasture)

27. Summary page from eutrophication part Discovery: Dead zones Discovery: NJ Dead zones

28. Who in this watershed is impacting the health of the ocean? Explain in detail how that is happening. Dog poop pile Soap suds Have you finished changing the oil in the car yet? I am going to win the “Best Green Lawn” contest this year! Ant saying, “Whew! That stinks!” Pouring oil down stormdrain That dog poop will disappear in a few days. I don’t have to pick it up. Girl walking away from poop pile.

29. Explanation Now let’s put this all together. A watershed is an area of land that drains and carries water toward the ocean. The Hudson River watershed flows into the bay and ocean creating a plume. This plume of water is full of fresh warm water that moves along the surface of the bay and ocean. The Hudson River plume also carries many different pollutants within it that where added throughout the watershed. These pollutants can cause damage to the ocean environment MOVE to teacher page only???