Protecting and restoring the Hudson River relies on sound science.
Since 1987, our scientists have been keeping close watch on the tiny plants and animals that form the base of the Hudson River’s food web. Research sites span 200 kilometers – from Troy, NY, to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Data have allowed us to track the food web’s response to climate change, extreme weather, and invasive species, like the zebra mussel and water chestnut.
We are also are part of a team maintaining 20+ environmental monitoring stations along the length of the Hudson River estuary. Sensors record indicators of river health, such as salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and water levels. Insights help map sensitive plant and animal communities, track the fate of pollutants, and research the impacts of climate change on wetland communities.
At their peak, zebra mussels filtered a volume of water equal to the entire Hudson River estuary every few days in the summer. This caused an 80% decline in phytoplankton and a 70% drop in zooplankton, all but eliminating the foundation of the river food web. These effects devastated native suspension feeders like the pearly mussel. Fish abundance and species composition also shifted in response.
We are now seeing evidence that the zebra mussel population and its effects are changing over the long term. Survival rates of zebra mussels are now only ~1% of what they were early in the invasion, perhaps because of high predation rates from crabs and fish. Dave Strayer
We are now seeing evidence that the zebra mussel population and its effects are changing over the long term. Survival rates of zebra mussels are now only ~1% of what they were early in the invasion, perhaps because of high predation rates from crabs and fish.