The Hudson River Ecosystem

340 Pages·1986·7.429 MB·English

by  Karin E. Limburg, Mary Ann Moran, William H. McDowell (auth.)

Springer Series on Environmental
Management
Robert S. DeSanto, Series Editor
Karin E. Limburg Mary Ann Moran
William H. McDowell
The Hudson River
Ecosystem
With Contributions by
Janet M. Buckley, Edward H. Buckley, Dooley S. Kiefer,
and Peter S. Walczak
With a Foreword by Simon A. Levin
Springer-Verlag
New York Berlin Heidelberg Tokyo
Karin E. Limburg Mary Ann Moran
Ecosystems Research Center Department of Microbiology
Cornell University University of Georgia
Ithaca, N(~w York 14853 Athens, Georgia 30602
U.S.A. U.S.A.
William H. McDowell
SURCO
State University of New York
Oswego, New York 13126
U.S.A.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Limburg, K.E. (Karin E.)
The Hudlson River ecosystem.
(Springelr series on environmental management)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Stream ecology-Hudson River (N.Y. and N.J.)
2. Water--Pollution-Environmental aspects-Hudson
River (N.Y. and N.J.) I. Moran, M. A. (Mary Ann)
II. McDowell, W. H. (William H.) III. Title.
IV. Series.
QHI04.5.H83L56 1985 574.5'26323'097473 85-22167
© 1986 by Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1986
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be translated or reproduced in any
form without wJritten permission from Springer-Verlag, 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, New York 10010, U.S.A.
The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc. in this
publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a
sign that such names, as understood by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks
Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone.
Media conversion by Bi-Comp, Incorporated, York, Pennsylvania.
987654321
ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-9341-5 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-4874-3
DOl 10.1007/978-1-4612-4874-3
Foreword
The Ecosystems Research Center (ERC) was established at Cornell U ni
versity in October 1980 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
with the goals of:
1. Identifying fundamental principles and concepts of ecosystems sci
ence and the determination of their importance in understanding and pre
dicting the responses of ecosystems to stress, the description of the basic
mechanisms that operate within ecosystems, and an examination of the
stability of ecosystem structure and function in the face of stress.
2. Testing the applicability of those theoretical concepts to problems of
concern to the EPA through a consideration of retrospective and other
case studies.
In line with these goals, the Hudson River ecosystem provided the
basis for the first major retrospective study undertaken by the ERC. The
goal of the project was to develop recommendations concerning how
ecosystem monitoring can and should be carried out in support of EPA's
regulatory responsibilities. Our hope was and is that the experience
gained from this study will be broadly applicable to a range of manage
ment problems involving estuarine ecosystems, and will lead to more
effective regulation.
As an initial effort, a report (Baslow and Logan, 1982) summarizing
much of the utility literature on the Hudson was prepared as a resource
document for the ERC. Furthermore, the present document is comple
mented by the report "Principles for Estuarine Impact Assessment: Les
sons Learned from the Hudson River and Other Estuarine Experiences"
vi Foreword
by Karin E. Limburg, Christine C. Harwell, and Simon A. Levin (Ecosys
tems Research Center, Cornell University, September 1984). The focus
of that document is upon the regulatory and legislative issues surrounding
estuarine management, with emphasis upon the role of the scientist, the
problems associatc~d with measuring ecosystem health, and the evaluative
tools available for assessing ecological effects. The present document is
more specifically directed to the Hudson River. It provides a physical,
chemical, and biollogical description of the river, including a synopsis of
our present understanding of ecosystem processes and a survey of studies
that have been carried out. The study summarizes the present extent of
the Hudson River data base, drawing from the scientific literature and
utility company studies.
We hope that these reports will serve as a guide to those interested in
the Hudson River ecosystem and the anthropogenic stresses it receives.
The Hudson is a prototype of a large, multiple-use estuarine ecosystem
subject to multiplt: stresses. It is also one of the great natural treasures of
the United States, and the subject of a rich, diverse, and colorful litera
ture and tradition.,
We dedicate our efforts to the memory of our friend and colleague
Tibor Polgar, First Chairman of the Panel of the Hudson River Founda
tion. Tibor died slllddenly on January 21, 1985 at the age of 41. Through
his efforts with the Hudson River Foundation, he became one of the
major spokesmen for the preservation of the resources of the Hudson
River. He will be sorely missed.
Simon A. Levin
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
Series Preface
This series is dedicated to serving the growing community of scholars and
practitioners concerned with the principles and applications of environ
mental management. Each volume is a thorough treatment of a specific
topic of importance for proper management practices. A fundamental
objective of these books is to help the reader discern and implement
man's stewardship of our environment and the world's renewable re
sources. For we must strive to understand the relationship between man
and nature, act to bring harmony to it, and nurture an environment that is
both stable and productive.
These objectives have often eluded us because the pursuit of other
individual and societal goals has diverted us from a course of living in
balance with the environment. At times, therefore, the environmental
manager may have to exert restrictive control, which is usually best ap
plied to man, not nature. Attempts to alter or harness nature have often
failed or backfired, as exemplified by the results of imprudent use of
herbicides, fertilizers, water, and other agents.
Each book in this series will shed light on the fundamental and applied
aspects of environmental management. It is hoped that each will help
solve a practical and serious environmental problem.
Robert S. DeSanto
East Lyme, Connecticut
Acknowledgments
The task of reviewing the scientific assessments of the Hudson River has
been an awesome one. It was necessary-in fact essential-to seek the
advice of highly experienced individuals, all of whom very willingly
obliged us and provided a great deal of help. We wish to extend whole
hearted thanks to these people: Lawrence Barnthouse, Robert Boyle,
Mark Brown, Sigurd Christensesn, John Sanders, Ross Sandler, Douglas
Sheppard, and Ronald Sloan. Special thanks are due to Edward Ted and
Janet Buckley, who, in addition to providing a great deal of literature and
advice, developed the extensive PCB bibliography included in Section B
of the Bibliography.
The support, comments, and help of the staff of the Ecosystems Re
search Center is also gratefully acknowledged, particularly that of Simon
Levin as coordinator of the Hudson project; Dooley S. Kiefer, who coau
thored Chapter 5 on the Westway; Peter S. Walczak, who painstakingly
assembled much of the bibliography; John Beatty, who did background
research on estuarine impact assessment models; Jack Kelly for extensive
review of Chapter 2; and Carin Rundle, Hanna Barker, and Bertie Sardo,
who processed and reprocessed our words ad nauseam.
Finally, we wish to acknowledge the community of ecosystems ecolo
gists and resource managers we have learned from and who have taught
us to "think big," but not to ignore the details.
Contents
1. Introduction
Mary Ann Moran and Karin E. Limburg
2. The Hudson River Ecosystem
Mary Ann Moran and Karin E. Limburg 6
3. Power Plant Operation on the Hudson River
William H. McDowell 40
4. PCBs in the Hudson
Karin E. Limburg 83
5. The Westway
Mary Ann Moran and Dooley S. Kiefer 131
6. Synthesis and Evaluation
Karin E. Limburg and Mary Ann Moran 155
7. Hudson River Data Base
Mary Ann Moran, Peter S. Walczak, and Karin E. Limburg 173
Hudson River Bibliography
Peter S. Walczak, Mary Ann Moran, Janet M. Buckley, 241
Edward H. Buckley, and Karin E. Limburg
Index 327
Contents of Bibliography
Bibliography A: Utility-Sponsored Literature 241
Bibliography B: Open Literature 262
I. Organisms 262
A. Phytoplankton 262
B. Macrophytes 265
C. Invertebrates 266
D. Birds, Reptiles, and Amphibians 269
E. Fish 269
1. Striped Bass 269
2. White Perch 273
3. Atlantic Tomcod 274
4. Shad and Blueback Herring 274
5. Sturgeon 276
6. Fish-General 277
F. Diseases and Parasites 281
G. Entrainment and Impingement 282
II. Physical and Chemical Characteristics 285
A. Geology, Hydrology 285
B. Temperature 290
C. Water Chemistry 290
D. Salinity 292
E. Water Quality 292
III. Pollutants 295
A. Sewage 295
B. Polychlorinated Biphenyls 296
xiv Contents of Bibliography
c. Radionuclides 309
D. Other Toxic Substances 312
IV. General Ecological Studies and Surveys 317
V. Regulations and Impact Statements 318
VI. Bibliographies 321
VII. General Papers 322
VIII. Non-Hudson 324