The Long Island Sound The American Mediterranean

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The Long Island Sound -The American
Mediterranean

• Rudy Beran
• Tom Drejer
• Hector Ramirez

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The Surfrider Foundation

• An international, non-profit organization founded
  in 1984.
• Composed of surfers, bodyboarders, kayakers,
  swimmers, fishermen, sunbathers, hikers, sailors,
  and others who love the beach.
• Works to protect our oceans, waves, and beaches.
• Has 60 chapters located along the American East,
  West, Gulf, Puerto Rican, and Hawaiian coasts as
  well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and
  Western Europe.

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The Long Island Sound

• Estuary an almost closed body of water on the
  coast with one or more rivers or streams flowing
  into it, connected to the open sea
• 16,000 square mile watershed
• 8 trillion gallons
• Depth ranges from 78 300 ft
• 110 miles long, 21 miles at its widest
• 8 million people live around the Sound

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http//marine.usgs.gov/fact-sheets/fs41-98/fig1.gi
f  
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Wetlands at Hammonasset state beach, Madison
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Sandy beach environment at Hammonasset state
beach, Madison
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Wildlife at Hammonasset state beach, Madison
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Tidal pools at New Havens Lighthouse Park
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The Sound is valuable

• Contains fish and shellfish (third largest source
  of American lobster).
• A tourist attraction.
• Estimated to be worth 6 billion to the local
  economy in the 1990s.
• Source of biodiversity.
• Source of fun and relaxation for everyone in the
  area.

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Biodiversity

• A measure of the relative diversity among
  organisms present in different ecosystemsor how
  many different plants and animals are in one
  place, like in Long Island Sound.
• An ecosystem is a self-supporting connection
  between plants, animals, and the physical
  environment in which they live.

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Land degradation and other problems

• 25 35 of the Sound tidal wetland has been
  destroyed in the last century by dredging,
  filling and development
• Dams dont allow upstream movement of fish
• Introduction of new species

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Hypoxia is killing marine life in the Sound

• When fish and other ocean creatures dont have
  enough oxygen to breath, a condition called
  hypoxia occurs.
• Pollution and other nutrients flow down our storm
  drains into rivers and eventually into the Sound.
• These pollutants encourage algae (phytoplankton)
  to grow and take up oxygen.
• When the algae dies and falls to the bottom it
  takes up more oxygen.

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  Thomas, E., Varekamp, J.C.,Mecray, E,L.,
Buchholtz ten Brink, M.R. Changes in Environment
and Biota in Long Island Sound The Last 40
Years. (2000) Retrieved on November 24, 2003
from http //ethomas.web.wesleyan.edu/lisweb/lis
poster.html
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LISS Long Island Sound Study. Retrieved on
November 20, 2003 from http//www.epa.gov/region
01/eco/lis/index.htm
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Chemicals and heavy metals in the Sound

• Sulfate enters the watershed from acid rain.
• Aluminum and mercury (from pesticides and
  factories) come out from soil into the watershed.
• Large deposits of chromium and arsenic are
  present in most of the Sounds harbors.

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Another current threat to the Sounds well
beingand to your weekend recreation
Shell Oil/TransCanadas Broadwater Proposal
http//www.citizenscampaign.org/campaigns/broadwat
er.htm
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We want to mark our storm drains for many reasons

• We all want clean water to swim, fish and play
  in, and even eat out of!
• We help remind people that only rainwater needs
  to enter the storm drains!
• Rain washes fertilizers, pesticides, animal
  feces, trash, oil, paint and plastics down our
  drains and into the Sound.
• Everyone of you, and all the animals in and
  around the Sound benefit from clean water, and we
  all live longer!

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• Will Americas first urban sea be restored
  to its pristine beauty through advances in
  technology, or will industrialization and
  suburban sprawl continue to encroach upon it?
  The Long Island Sound will never again be the
  unspoiled waterway discovered by sailors in the
  1600s, but before the end of the 21st century, it
  can become a model urban sea, free from serious
  pollution and open to millions of people who, one
  hopes, will enjoy and protect our American
  Mediterranean.
• Marilyn Weigold, The Long Island Sound A History
  of its People, Places, and Environment

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Please visit our webpages

• National Surfrider webpage
• http//www.surfrider.org/
• The Connecticut Chapters webpage
• http//www.surfrider.org/connecticut/