Statewide prioritization of vernal pools for pond-breeding amphibians in New Jersey.

Vernal pools are required habitat of pond-breeding amphibians, yet their legal protections in the United States are not established, leaving vernal pools vulnerable to development and habitat fragmentation. Seasonally, amphibians migrate to breed in vernal pools. Roads and upland forest loss can jeopardize that migration, resulting in mortality.

Spatially distributed water quality responses to freshwater discharge in a tropical estuary, Hilo Bay, Hawai'i.

Hilo Bay, Hawai'i, is an estuary of great importance to its neighboring coastal community, but it is threatened by impaired water quality indicated by excessive turbidity and chlorophyll a associated with river discharges of sediments and nutrients. The Wailuku River in the western half of the bay is the primary source of freshwater discharge, hypothesized here to form a surface water-dominant half of the bay with different water quality traits than the groundwater-dominant, eastern half of the bay where the spring-fed Wailoa River discharges. The water quality of both halves of the bay over different flow conditions of the Wailuku River is examined in this study using spatially distributed water quality sampling which collects hundreds of samples in either half of the bay at a distance of about every 40 m.

Spatial analysis of water quality parameters in Hilo Bay, Hawai'i, using a combination of interpolated surfaces and hot spot analysis.

Hilo Bay estuary, located on the northeastern side of Hawai'i Island, experiences variability in water quality parameters due to its numerous water inputs. This estuary experiences influxes of water from three sources: groundwater to the east, marine water from the north, and surface water from the Wailuku River to the west. High rainfall and river flow impacts Hilo Bay's water quality including salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll a concentration.