The Hudson River Estuary

The Hudson River Estuary is a comprehensive look at the physical, chemical, biological and environmental management issues that are important to our understanding of the Hudson River. Chapters cover the entire range of fields necessary to understanding the workings of the Hudson River estuary; the physics, bedrock geological setting and sedimentological processes of the estuary; ecosystem-level processes and biological interactions; and environmental issues such as fisheries, toxic substances, and the effect of nutrient input from densely populated areas. This 2006 book places special emphasis on important issues specific to the Hudson, such as the effect of power plants and high concentrations of PCBs. The chapters are written by specialists at a level that is accessible to students, teachers and the interested layperson. The Hudson River Estuary is a fascinating scientific biography of a major estuary, with relevance to the study of any similar natural system in the world.

The Hudson River Estuary, first published in 2006, is a scientific biography with relevance to similar natural systems.

Illustrations, maps, and text - distilled from the best research on the Hudson's habitats and history - invite you to explore the river yourself.

Biologists, historians, and social scientists explore the reciprocal relationships between humans and the Hudson River.

The Hudson River estuary is one of the most intensively studied estuaries in the world. Many environmental and civic groups have struggled with the conflict in the Hudson River area between the desire for a quality environment and the ever-increasing demands of an expanding human population for drinking water, electric power, efficient transportation, and waste disposal. Estuarine Research in the 1980s provides a synoptic overview of the research conducted on the Hudson estuary since 1980. The essays reflect diverse studies of the physical, chemical, and biological ecology of the Hudson River estuary. Included are historical studies of water flow through the estuary; a model to predict the effect of increased withdrawals of fresh water; a summary of the movements of radionuclides from power plants and atmospheric fallout within the Hudson watershed; and a paper on sedimentation in New York harbor. Several essays are devoted to surveys of the fishes of special parts of the estuary. Others deal with the life histories, movements, and population dynamics of individual species. Also included are a section of fisheries methods, including the effects of sampling additional habitats; a study of the effects of channel dredging on water quality; reviews of indices of population abundance; a review of the quality control procedures used in utility-sponsored research; a model of the effects of compensation on the risk of population decline and extinction; a study addressing the energetics of the lower food web; and a plea for the restoration of the badly polluted Croton Bay.