Chris Evangelista MRRI is now monitoring 9 different tide gates in the Meadowlands district. The newest tide gate station was deployed March 18th between the NJSEA impoundment and Saw Mill Creek, which is a tributary of the Hackensack River. Each of the tide gates measure the water depth on both the land and riversides to make sure the … Read more
At the 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting (February 18-23, 2024), Cheryl Yao, Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute (MRRI) Chief Chemist/Laboratory Supervisor, presented MRRI’s research, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Tidal Wetlands in the Meadowlands of New Jersey: Effects of wetland surface types, salinity, and season.” This study is supported by US EPA Wetland Grant and investigated … Read more
MRRI scientists worked with Pratt Institute’s Master of Landscape Architecture students to prepare for upcoming field work by building experimental floating wetlands and eel mops. The eel mops will be used this winter and early spring to survey grass eels migrating from the Sargasso Sea up the Hackensack River. The eel mops mimic suitable habitat … Read more
Coastal marsh ecosystems are in danger of disappearing if the sea level rise is greater than the marsh’s surface elevation change. Every year for the past 15 years we measure marsh surface elevation to see how marshlands are keeping up with sea level rise. In 2023, we measured six sites. Sites monitored for less than … Read more
On Sunday, Oct. 1, some 300 bird enthusiasts attended the 14th Annual Meadowlands Birding Festival at DeKorte Park. The event, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the Bergen County Audubon Society, featured guided walks, several talks and presentations, information tables with a plethora of avian information, and kid’s activity stations. A … Read more
Each year the Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute mentors up to 4 high school interns from Bergen County Academies. Students work in the NJDEP certified laboratory and GIS laboratory. Each student will work next to professional scientists learning lab techniques, conducting chemical analysis, aiding in the field work and inputting data into different software. GIS … Read more
https://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/P9060688.mov The video shows Fiddler crabs hurrying for cover across the mudflat, which resembles a migration. This usually takes place when a boat comes near to the place where they are foraging or sunbathing. A well known evolutionary treat, the sexually dimorphic claws of the Fiddler crabs are on full display in the recording. The … Read more
Friday, August 11, 2023, our GIS specialist Christopher Blackley received a master’s in Geographic Information Systems from Penn State University. Chris’s knowledge of geospatial system analysis and design is critical in helping the Meadowlands District government officials, engineers, and scientists communicate geographically. His capstone project at Penn State was: Raptor Migration and Phenological Adjustments within … Read more