Lessons Learned from a Pilot Study of the Relationship Between Rainfall and Levels of Contaminants in Water Bodies Adjacent to Superfund Sites on Long Island, New York, USA

Preprints.org · 2026-05-12

Rainfall and groundwater fluctuations may influence the migration or dilution of contaminants from US Superfund sites. This pilot study was designed to provide empirical data on relationships between rainfall and contaminant concentrations in water near Superfund sites. Four Superfund sites on Long Island, New York were selected to represent a range of contaminant profiles and hydrogeologic conditions. Baseline samples were collected in December 2022, with subsequent samples obtained following major storms and seasonally through September 2023. Samples were collected on 11–24 different days across the sites and measured for metals and 1,4-dioxane. Overall, we observed few consistent associations between rainfall and contaminant concentrations across sites. Two trends, however, were noted: (1) At Gowanus Canal, a surface water site, there was a negative association between rainfall and contaminant concentrations using same-day or prior-day rainfall; and (2) in a treatment well near Lawrence Aviation, negative associations were observed between prior month’s rainfall and contaminant concentrations. Rainfall appeared to dilute contaminant concentrations at two of the four Superfund sites. Given the increased frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, it is important to continue probing links between rainfall and contaminants near Superfund sites.

Hydromechanical factors influencing erosion and recession of compacted sandy bluffs under random waves actions

Engineering Geology · 2025-02-06 · 2 citations

Beachcam monitoring of shoreline dynamics

Shore & Beach · 2025-02-18

Long-term periodic monitoring on New York’s ocean shoreline showed that, despite waxing and waning in the course of any year, beaches have maintained a stable average width between about 200 and 300 feet. To examine the shorter-term patterns of change in the beach width, camera images were calibrated to allow beach widths to be determined. Beach widths measured at low tide varied between less than 60 feet to more than 175 feet between January 2023 and the end of January 2024. A pattern of modulation showed a quasi-cyclical behavior with periods between 5 and 15 days. This seems consistent with the classic synoptic periods of between two and seven days for the passage of mesoscale weather systems. Large variations seem to coincide with wave activity monitored 30 nautical miles south of Long Island (NOAA station 44025) as represented by a “Dalrymple Parameter”1 (Dp) and taking into account wave height, period and sediment settling speed. Beach widths increased at a rate of about 2.5 feet per week as wave activity decreased over the summer.

Hydromechanical Factors Influencing Erosion and Recession of Compacted Sandy Bluffs Under Random Waves Actions

SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01

Global subterranean estuaries modify groundwater nutrient loading to the ocean

Limnology and Oceanography Letters · 2024-05-16 · 56 citations

Abstract Terrestrial groundwater travels through subterranean estuaries before reaching the sea. Groundwater‐derived nutrients drive coastal water quality, primary production, and eutrophication. We determined how dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) are transformed within subterranean estuaries and estimated submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) nutrient loads compiling > 10,000 groundwater samples from 216 sites worldwide. Nutrients exhibited complex, nonconservative behavior in subterranean estuaries. Fresh groundwater DIN and DIP are usually produced, and DON is consumed during transport. Median total SGD (saline and fresh) fluxes globally were 5.4, 2.6, and 0.18 Tmol yr −1 for DIN, DON, and DIP, respectively. Despite large natural variability, total SGD fluxes likely exceed global riverine nutrient export. Fresh SGD is a small source of new nutrients, but saline SGD is an important source of mostly recycled nutrients. Nutrients exported via SGD via subterranean estuaries are critical to coastal biogeochemistry and a significant nutrient source to the oceans.

Extent of Benthic Habitat Disturbance by Offshore Infrastructure

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering · 2024-11-24 · 1 citations

The effects of the interaction between sandy, mobile, low-relief (sorted) bedforms and two sewage outfalls were investigated along the south shore of Long Island, NY. Sand bedforms at scales from ripples to ridges are common on continental shelves. In dynamic environments, these features can migrate 10s to 100s of meters per year, especially during storms. Beyond engineering considerations, little is known of the interaction between these mobile features and anthropogenic structures. Modification of bedform topography and sediment grain-size distribution can be expected to alter the species composition, abundance, and diversity of the benthic community. At the study site, the interaction increased the scour of modern fine- to medium-grained sediments extending out to a kilometer and uncovered coarser-grained late Pleistocene sediments. This alteration of the seafloor in turn resulted in changes in composition, higher abundance, and lower diversity in the species assemblage found in the impacted area. The most advantaged species was Pseudunciola obliquua, a sightless, tube-building, surface deposit-feeding amphipod that is known to prefer a dynamic coarse sand habitat. Overall, the ecological effects of artificial structures on a wave-dominated seabed with sorted bedforms have not been adequately assessed. In particular, and of great importance, is the pending large-scale development of wind farms off the East Coast of the U.S.

Global coastal groundwater and subterranean estuary nutrients

DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) · 2023-01-01

These data were compiled from original and published datasets of coastal groundwater / subterranean estuary research efforts along global coastline (sites within 1km of shoreline). The dataset includes sampling site names, locations, original sample information, sample depth, temperature, salinity, dissolved nitrogen concentrations, and dissolved phosphorus concentrations. The data source or curator is also included in the dataset.

A subterranean estuarine typology analogous to open-water estuaries

Frontiers in Earth Science · 2023-01-10 · 1 citations

Subterranean estuaries (STEs), like open-water estuaries are zones of mixing between seawater and freshwater with a characteristic structure. Despite the diverse manifestations of STEs, the mixing processes have elements in common with open-water estuaries, which can serve as a basis for their classification. A typology for STEs might provide a road map for further distilling a working definition of STEs. By analogy with open-water estuaries, a typology for STEs might include characteristic physical drivers and processes, morphology, and biologically relevant parameters. I suggest that such a typology be based on salinity structure to include at a minimum the 1) coastal slope, 2) tidal range, 3) hydraulic conductivity, and 4) recharge. Even a partially applicable definition permits classification, encourages comparisons and can provide a framework for management.

Editorial: Subterranean estuaries

Frontiers in Environmental Science · 2022-09-08

Groundwater flows in STEs are complex and driven by dynamic marine and continental forces acting on the land-ocean interface. The convergence of these forces in the subsurface translates into the variable morphology of STEs, regulates the timing of sub-estuarine circulation and physically constrains the residence time of water, regulating STE biogeochemistry, like their surface analogues. To characterize STEs in a way that is useful for fully integrated coastal monitoring and management, we need to untangle the different ways in which the multiple forces acting on STEs interact, driving morphodynamics, mixing regimes, and biogeochemical and microbiological zonation. In parallel, research must extend to probe the influence of STE dynamics on both oceanic and freshwater compartments so that the full aquatic continuum is covered. Achieving this objective requires improving our ability to characterize STEs and monitor net water flows into and out of STEs, from local to global scales, as well as to explore and document life within these subsurface environments.

A place for subterranean estuaries in the coastal zone

Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science · 2021 · 61 citations

• Environmental science
• Environmental resource management
• Environmental planning