Overview Description of the Water Quality Survey: A Component of the Historical Hudson River Biological Monitoring Program

The Hudson River Biological Monitoring Program (HRBMP) is a large-scale comprehensive long-term survey program covering the Hudson River Estuary (HRE) from Battery Park (river mile [RM] 0) to Albany (RM 152), NY. The initial purpose of the HRBMP was to quantify HRE fish distribution, relative and absolute abundance, and species population and community health, to understand the potential effects of Indian Point and other power generation facilities and anthropogenic activities. The historical HRBMP, gifted to and curated by the Chen Lab at Stony Brook University, includes the six core surveys conducted from 1974 through 2018. The Water Quality Survey (WQS), a component of the HRBMP, is an extensive time series of water quality observations over more than 40 years covering the tidal portion of the HRE from NYC to Albany. The primary objective of the WQS was to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), and conductivity measured along the 152 miles of the HRE (Figures 2-7). The WQS began in 1973 and continued annually through 2018. Prior to 1982, water quality measurements were taken at depths associated with each Long River Survey (LRS), Fall Juvenile Survey (FJS), and Beach Seine Survey (BSS) sample. This resulted in measurements taken at approximately 100 to 200 stations and depth combinations during each week of sampling.  

Citation to use for the Water Quality Survey metadata record:

The Water Quality Survey (WQS): A Component of the Historical Hudson River Biological Monitoring Program (HRBMP). HRBMP Metadata. The Chen Lab, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.