On Saturday 21st, a lot of visitors stopped by to get information about the fish they can catch and eat safely.  Great success for Maureen, wonderful outreach.

Saturday October 21st

Maureen Murphy, Stony Brook University.

The story of mercury in the environment is complex but it is also fascinating in that mercury is a naturally occurring element.  The story includes intriguing science on how mercury enters into the ecosystem and how it is transformed to more toxic forms by microorganisms, how it biomagnifies in the food chain, how that translates to levels of methylmercury in different fish species, and ultimately how it ends up inside of us.

Meet with the project coordinator of The Gelfond Fund for Mercury Research & Outreach and learn about mercury cycles.

Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MercuryFoodChainMercureBioconcentration-frFL.png

Darcy Lonsdale, Stony Brook University

September 16, 2017

Plankton includes all organisms (algae, animals, bacteria) that drift with ocean currents. They are unbelievably abundant and important within the marine environment.  In fact, most of the earth’s biomass consists of plankton adrift in the oceans. Join us and meet a local marine zooplankton specialist to observe and learn about those wonderful and amazing organisms.

Professor Darcy Lonsdale speaks to students at Lake Ronkonkoma before they take samples.

Photo by Phil Corso – April 14, 2015 (https://www.somas.stonybrook.edu/2015/04/19/stony-brook-students-step-up-to-study-lake/)