A Comparison of Litter Densities in Four Community Types of the Long Island Central Pine Barrens. DANA TIEVSKY (University of Rochester Rochester, NY 14627) TIMOTHY GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

The condition of the Long Island Central Pine Barrens has been an area of ecological concern for the past three decades. In 2003, the Foundation for Ecological Research in the Northeast (FERN) was founded to support scientific research in the Pine Barrens. FERN's groundbreaking project is the Central Pine Barrens Monitoring Program, for which field research began during the summer of 2005 at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The purpose of this research is to determine the current status of forest health in order to promote longevity and conservation in the Pine Barrens, as well as to learn what research should be done in the future. Specifically, litter densities from Pitch Pine, Pine-Oak, Oak-Pine, and Coastal Oak habitats were compared in order to justify the succession of the Pine Barrens and prepare for future prescribed forest fires. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, random plots of land were selected throughout eastern Long Island. These twenty-five by sixteen meter plots of land were then thoroughly surveyed. As part of the protocol, litter and duff depth data were collected at twenty points along each of the ten line transects in the plot. Pitch Pine forests were found to have the most litter, with an average depth of 8.58 centimeters (cm). Pine-Oak forests have an average litter depth of 7.48 cm. Oak-Pine and Coastal Oak forests have comparable litter depths. Oak-Pine forests have an average litter depth of 4.81 cm while Coastal Oak forests have an average litter depth of 4.41 cm. A comparison of the vastly different litter densities of the four community types yields results that are consistent with the previously determined succession of the Pine Barrens and shows that litter density plays a key role in aiding forest succession. In the future, data collected under the Central Pine Barrens Monitoring Program can be used to determine a threshold for litter density in order to prescribe forest fires at appropriate times and preserve the Pine Barrens in the most effective manner.

A Study of the Age Class Structure of Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea and Quercus velutina: A Comparative Analysis of Quercus Species Reproduction as an Indicator of Forest Succession within the Long Island Pine Barrens Core Area. KATHRYN GUTLEBER (Connecticut College New London, CT 06320) TIMOTHY GREEN, PH.D. (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Investigation of the age class structure of Quercus species within the Long Island Pine Barrens Core Area is an important aspect of monitoring the health of the Pine Barrens. The reproduction of Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea and Quercus velutina is a primary indicator of the possibility of the successional change from a pine to an oak dominated forest. The rates of reproduction for Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea and Quercus velutina can also be used to foresee the possible dominance of one particular Quercus species in forest succession. By comparing the numbers of seedlings, saplings and mature trees, the success of reproduction for these three different Quercus species was analyzed. The numbers of seedlings and saplings were recorded through the use of four two-meter wide belt transects within sixteen by twenty-five meter plots. These plots were located within the Pine Barrens subtargets of Pitch Pine, Pine-Oak, Oak-Pine and Coastal Oak forests. The number of mature trees was recorded within these same plots. This study found the success of reproduction of Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea and Quercus velutina within Pitch Pine, Pine-Oak, Oak-Pine and Coastal Oak forests to be relatively low. Within the four different forest communities surveyed, Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea and Quercus velutina all displayed a low number of saplings, indicating that current reproduction of these Quercus species is not very successful. No one Quercus species was repeatedly more successful in reproduction than any other. There are several factors that may influence this trend, including exposure to light, levels of litter and duff, and deer browse. Although the current levels of reproduction for Quercus species are relatively low, they still remain an important indicator of forest succession from pine to oak dominated forests, and need to be continually monitored within the Long Island Pine Barrens Core Area.

Abstract Evaluation of canopy estimation techniques used in monitoring the Central Pine Barrens of Long Island. MATTHEW KULL (Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 13902) TIMOTHY GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

The Central Pine Barrens of Long Island is an important and unique region of an ecosystem of which little is known. Due to anthropogenic disturbance, however, there is an ever-decreasing amount of this important community type. The Central Pine Barrens of Long Island is instrumental for maintaining a proper functioning aquifer essential for Long Island and thus merits study. A baseline index for the Pine Barrens is currently underway, but the effectiveness and accuracy of the protocol used is unknown. One of the most important parts of scientific endeavors is maintaining repeatability. I evaluated the densitometer measurements to check for accuracy and repeatability, using repeated plots to highlight both. The repeated plots demonstrated possible problems in terms of repeatability and accuracy, having large differences between the first and second data sets. The data also showed large discrepancies between the measured densitometer readings and visual estimation, indicative of inaccuracies most likely from observer bias. The purpose of using the densitometer is to have a more accurate measurement than estimation, but if the densitometer is not accurate this can cause problems with naming the community type and may merit amending the Protocols.

An Inter-comparison Study to Evaluate the Discrepancy in the Measurement of Air Temperature. COLIN FREDERICSON (City University of New York Brooklyn, NY 11201) EMMANUEL ALABRE (NY City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY 11201)MICHAEL REYNOLDS (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Instruments to estimate meteorological variables have evolved with the science of meteorology. Great advances have been made, especially over the past few decades, in the speed at which meteorological variables have been collected, archived, analyzed, and used to prognosticate. For basic meteorological studies, thermometers, barometers, hygrometers, anemometers, psychrometers, and other meteorological instruments are readily available, common place, and state-of-the-art. The current suite of meteorological instruments uses sensors that are advanced enough to convert an electronic variable (voltage or resistance) into a meteorological variable. However, the accuracy of the measuring instruments has not kept pace with the rapid increase in the acquisition and use of the estimated meteorological variables. Since the climate system is sensitive to even tenths-of-a-degree change in regional temperature, for example, it is important that the meteorological variables, especially temperature, are measured accurately. This study, therefore, particularly focuses on temperature measurements that are made with modern instrumentation. Preliminary results indicate that widespread temperature discrepancies abound between the instruments, and that the differences may be directly related to the state of the atmosphere, the type of shield that is used to house the temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor's time constant.

Assessment of Mercury Deposition from a Coal-Fired Power Plant in Texas. ALVERTIS BOYD (Miles College Birmingham, AL 35227) LATOYA FEAGIN (Miles College Fairfield, AL 35604) JOSEPH WILLIAMS (Miles College Birmingham, AL 35208) TERRY SULLIVAN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Mercury is known to be an environmental toxicant. Elemental mercury dispersed into the atmosphere during burning/mining of coal is reported to accumulate in the soil and vegetation. The mercury, when transformed to organic mercury, poses health risks for the humans and the surrounding wildlife. In March 2005, the EPA created new allowances and standards for mercury emissions in coal-fired power plants. A site in Texas, near to a power plant that burns lignite coal was chosen for assessment studies of mercury in surrounding soils and vegetation. About 100 public property locations near the power plant were sampled. Using Geographical Positioning System (GPS), these specific sampling sites were chosen and soil and vegetation sampling carried out within a ten-mile radius of the power plant. A total of 514 samples were collected that included surface soil, vegetation and soil taken from a depth of about 10 cm from surface. To assess the predicted mercury deposition pattern, an atmospheric dispersion model was used and directional wind and rainfall amounts on an hourly basis were taken into account. A comparison of modeled and measured data will be made after the samples were sent back to Brookhaven National Laboratory. Total mercury analysis of the samples is being accomplished through thermal processing of the samples using the DMA-80 (Direct Mercury Analyzer, Milestone Inc.). A specific amount of the soil sample is weighed and loaded in an auto sampler. The samples are sequentially decomposed at 750 ºC, converted to elemental mercury in a catalytic converter (600ºC) and finally desorbed as elemental mercury in an atomic absorption sample tube. For the surface soils the maximum moisture on a dry basis for mercury concentration was 111.4ng/g, while the minimum moisture was 7.6ng/g. The average of the moisture data was calculated as 33.5ng/g. The data was analyzed to determine if elevated levels of mercury occur near the power plant. The interpretation of the data showed that there was no evidence of a 'hot spot', a large area of mercury concentrations compared to background.

Comparison of Snag Dynamics in Four Forest Community Types of the Central Pine Barrens. CHAUNCEY LEAHY (Community College of Rhode Island Warwick, RI 02886) DR. TIMOTHY M. GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

The Long Island Central Pine Barrens (CPB) contains a variety of threatened forest communities that require active management. To determine future management practices the Foundation for Ecological Research in the Northeast (FERN) has initiated a forest health-monitoring project to evaluate potential forest health indicators (e.g. amount of available habitat) in the CPB. Snags (standing dead trees) provide suitable habitat for a variety of forest wildlife. The goal of this research was to quantify the abundance of snags in four of the forest community types in the CPB, to determine which contains a greater amount of available habitat. Field data was collected at forty random plots (16 x 25meters, 400m²), using the Monitoring Protocols for Central Pine Barrens Field Plots prepared by Michael S. Batcher. The field data collected at the forty plots was analyzed to estimate the abundance of snags in the targeted community types and establish the average diameter at breast height (dbh) of snags in each community type. Data analysis shows that the community type with the greatest incidence of snags/acre is coastal oak forest followed by oak-pine, pine-oak, and pitch pine, respectively. However more data is needed to increase the accuracy of the findings. The greatest average dbh exists in oak-pine forest, but when a standard deviation is applied to the data it shows there is no difference in the range of dbh's in each community type. This research is ongoing and when the data presented here are linked with future data, they can be used to determine the health of the forest.

Effects of Changes in Canopy Composition on Understory Vegetation in the Long Island Pine Barrens. ANDREW SIEFERT (Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802) TIMOTHY GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Pine barrens are rare and important ecosystems found on coarse, droughty, nutrient-poor soils in the northeastern United States. The Central Pine Barrens, located on Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, are a mosaic of communities representing different stages of forest succession, from open canopy pitch pine (Pinus rigida) and scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) barrens to closed canopy pitch pine and finally coastal oak forests. Although the succession of overstory vegetation has been modeled, the effects of changes in overstory composition and increased canopy cover on understory vegetation are not understood. To explore this, overstory and understory cover data were sampled in study plots in the Central Pine Barrens. Understory cover and species richness were analyzed as a function of overall canopy cover and relative pitch pine and hardwood cover. Shrub cover decreased as total canopy cover and relative hardwood cover increased. Conversely, herbaceous plants were more abundant in areas with dense, oak-dominated canopies. Dominant understory species were similar in most areas, though Quercus ilicifolia abundance declined with increased canopy cover. Species richness varied greatly between plots, but the differences were not well explained by canopy characteristics. This research contributes to our understanding of understory vegetation- its composition, dynamics, and relationship with the overstory- in the Central Pine Barrens, and provides information that will assist in the management of this important natural resource.

Home Range Estimates and Habitat Preferences of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys Guttata) Assessed Through the Utilization of Radio Telemetry, GPS, and GIS Technology. FRANK SMITH (University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 02914) TIM GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Beginning in the fall of 2003, a behavioral ecology study of the spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata, implementing radio telemetry was initiated at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Both hatchery-raised (headstarted) and native spotted turtles were radio tracked in order to discern anomalous behavior in hatchery-raised turtles and the applicability of the raise-and-release method in reestablishing viable spotted turtle populations in native habitats. Individuals from the study group were monitored regularly, habitat data gathered and positional data logged utilizing GPS technology. The GPS points gathered were used to map hypothetical home ranges for each turtle using GIS technology. No significant difference was found between the summer 2004 headstarted turtle home range sizes and the summer 2005 headstarted turtle home range sizes (Student t-test, a = 0.05, p = 0.3073). Also, no significant difference was found between the combined 2004 and 2005 headstarted turtle home range sizes and the combined 2004 and 2005 native turtle home range sizes (Student t-test, a = 0.05, p = 0.6088). Because the spotted turtle is considered a species of special concern in New York State, the results of this study are relevant to conservation policy.

Home Range Size and Spatial Ecology of Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos). WENDY FINN (University of Rhode Island kingston, RI 02872) JEREMY FEINBERG (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Once considered an abundant species on Long Island the eastern hognose snake, Heterodon platirhinos, is now found only in small fragmented portions of the species former range. After 1996, H. platirhinos was incorrectly believed to be extirpated from Long Island as there were no sightings of the species until 2001 when the species was rediscovered again at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Since the spring of 2003, radio telemetry studies have been conducted at BNL on H. platirhinos to learn more about the factors triggering this species decline. In this study, radio telemetry was utilized to discover more information about the snakes' habitat preferences, mortality rates, and home range sizes. The study consisted of eight snakes that were tracked and monitored daily with the use of GPS/GIS. Aside from tracking, snout vent length, total length measurements and weights were recorded opportunistically to obtain data on growth rates and possible nesting behavior in the snakes. Snakes were active on 67% of days tracked during a portion of the activity season for the species. Preliminary data collected for home ranges displays a maximum home range of 10.7ha for SN30 with the a minimum size of 0.4ha for SN41. The data collected from this study will be used to further enhance the conservation of this Special Concern status species.

New York City Urban Dispersion Program Madison Square Garden Field Study - March 2005. MIGUEL LOPEZ (Bronx Community College Bronx, NY 10453) TERRY SULLIVAN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

The primary objective of this Urban Dispersion Program (UDP) is to improve understanding of wind and pollution transport pattern in NYC. This program will help to improve the safety and quality of life of New Yorkers. This project is divided in two parts: measurement and analysis. To study the wind, three different kinds of anemometers were used to measure wind speed and direction. The 2D measures horizontal wind speed and direction, the 3D measures vertical winds and turbulence in addition to horizontal winds, and the sodar measures wind speed and direction as a function of height up to a few hundred meters above the instrument. A total of eighteen meteorological systems were located at fifteen different locations and heights around the Madison Square Garden (MSG) area. Perflurocarbon tracers (PFT) were used as a tracer because PFT are safe, non-toxic and can be detected at extremely low concentration, parts per quadrillion (1 in10^15). For collecting information of PFT concentration, Brookhaven Atmospheric Tracer Sampler (BATS) and Capillary Adsorbent Tracer Sampler (CATS) were used at different locations around the field of study. According to the analysis of the data collected so far from the first field study in March 10 and March 14, 2005 the concentration of PFT varied depending with the position of the release and the tracer sample and the direction of the wind. Concentration pattern did not always follow the prevailing wind because the course of the wind varies in the canyons formed by the tall buildings and narrow streets. This information is helping to understand airborne transport of contaminants including those from biochemical incident or terrorist attack. Two more intensive projects using PFT's are planned for August 2005 and April 2006.

Odonate Species Survey in Correlation with Air Temperature and Precipitation at Brookhaven National Laboratory. SANEDDY QUEZADA (Hostos Community College Bronx, NY 10451) TIM GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Odonate emergence data and summer weather conditions were the subject of research at Brookhaven National Laboratory for the summer of 2005. The project attempted to compare meteorological data from the summers of 2003, 2004, and 2005 and its correlation with the distribution and richness of Odonates at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The purpose of the project is to obtain accurate data that will assist in the understanding of Odonate emergence and behavior in correspondence with humidity, precipitation, and air temperature. The project utilizes weather records of the last two summers, courtesy of the National Weather Service located at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Data from the past two summers from the Environmental & Waste Management Services Division at BNL are also being applied to fulfill the goal of this project, as well as current sampling and assessment of the many wetlands on the BNL site. While sampling the ponds, a new species was added to the New York State list of Odonates Celithemis verna or Double-Ring Pennant. Also, one of the three threatened damselflies (Enallagma recurvatum) was recorded for the first time at BNL this summer. Further research is required for complete and accurate conclusions. Future work for this project will focus on the investigation and search for the two other threatened damselflies Enallagma minusculum and Enallagma pictum.

Population Survey and Analysis of Banded Sunfish in Zeke's Pond. KATIE HEISER (Lafayette College Easton, PA 18042) TIMOTHY GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Banded sunfish (Enneacanthus obesus) are listed in New York State as a threatened species. During the Peconic River restoration at Brookhaven National Laboratory, approximately 200 Banded Sunfish were relocated to Zeke's Pond in an effort to conserve the population. Although the pond originally had a native population of Banded Sunfish, it is thought that they were nearly eradicated when it evaporated to a mere puddle in 2002. An accurate survey and assessment of the population is now needed to determine the success of the conservation project. Therefore, seine nets were used to sample sections of the population. From these samples, a population density in the pond was determined and a total population was estimated. Approximately 1,200 Banded sunfish were surveyed and released back into the pond. Different regions of the pond were sampled in an effort to minimize sampling error. This random sampling seemed to show that the population was relatively evenly distributed throughout the pond. The health and reproductive success of the fish was also assessed. The standard length of the fish was determined before they were released. With this information, the average size and age of the population can be continually surveyed and monitored. Since the sunfish have very few predators in Zeke's pond, they have been able to reproduce rapidly. This rapid reproduction has greatly increased the population size. Conservative estimates place the population at well over 100,000 Banded Sunfish. Since the population has grown so much, the average length of the population has shifted to under 40 mm. The youngest size class has clearly become the largest. With such success in the first years after relocating the fish, it is likely that they will continue to do well in Zeke's pond. It is hopeful that some of the population can be reintroduced into the Peconic River following the restoration project.

The Inter-relationship of Energy Efficiency and Water Supply Technology in the Northeastern United States: Existing Systems and Future Research Possibilities. CARISSA SALVATO (Binghamton University Vestal, NY 13906) ANN REISMAN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is currently researching requirements for energy-efficient water supply and water treatment technology in the Northeastern United States under a national energy-water nexus initiative. For this research, it is necessary to compile information on existing energy-water devices and programs to provide Brookhaven National Laboratory with possible future research areas. Initial online searches, both across the web and within scientific journals, were conducted. The Elsevier Search engine was operated to obtain scientific journal articles relevant to topics on co-location of power plants and wastewater treatment facilities, membranes in wastewater treatment and constructed wetlands. Information was sorted by both topic and relevance to Brookhaven's energy-water initiative. This information was then complied and presented to the energy-water group at BNL. Information acquired during data searches will help to structure the path of future energy-water research by identifying the most promising areas for further inquiry.

Understory composition of the Long Island Pine Barrens. MIRANDA DAVIS (Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 12159) TIM GREEN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

The Pine Barrens of Long Island is a unique community that must be properly managed in order to preserve the diverse array of flora and fauna it supports. Without management involving prescribed burnings it is likely that the Pine Barrens will disappear through natural succession leading to an oak-based climax community. In general the Pine Barrens are dominated by Pinus rigida and other shrub species that are believed to be facilitated by regular burning; however, very few studies have been conducted in this area. In order to better understand this sequence of succession and the importance of this community, we have studied the vegetational composition of the under-story in both pine and oak-based communities on Long Island. By examining random plots within both forest types we calculated the percent composition of different plant species and a diversity index for the under-story of both oak and pine-based forests. While both communities have a shrub layer dominated by the same species (Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium palidum, and Quercus ilicifolia) and have similar levels of diversity, we found that the relative proportions of these species differ between the forest types. Results illustrated the vegetational differences between these two distinct communities, which may be critical to the survival of the diverse fauna the Pine Barrens are known for.

Urban Dispersion Program, looking forward to a Better Understanding of air flow Contamination and Transportation in Urban Environments. RAMON FERNANDEZ GARCIA (Bronx Community College Bronx, NY 10453) JONH HEISER (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

The Urban Dispersion Program was developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with additional support from the U.S. Department of Defense - Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The primary objective of this four-year (2004-2007) program is to enhance NYC's emergency response capabilities following a chemical release. This program will release tracers in the urban canyon areas of NYC and collect air samples in the area, roughly 4 square kilometers. The portable samplers will be placed in and out of the study area to collect samples of the tracer tagged air. The release systems will be releasing a safe, inert tracer gas into the air to tag the air so that the movement of the air can be followed as it travels through the city. These gases can be perceived at units of femtoliter/liter the same as parts per quadrillion or 10^-15. The portable samplers to be used in these projects are the "Brookhaven Atmospheric Tracer Samplers" ( BATS) and "Capillary Atmospheric Tracer Samplers" (CATS). Later the gases collected by these samples are desorbed into a gas chromatograph, which analyses the tracers in the air samples and gives us the information of where the tracers "per- fluorocarbons" traveled. There was an experiment conducted around Madison Square Garden in March of 2005. This data set should provide very accurate knowledge of how the air behaves in and around this area of NYC as well as within building interiors. Two more intensive projects using PFT's are planned for August 2005 and April 2006.

VisCMAQ: Visualization Tool for EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modeling System. SOLOMON MAINYE (New Jersey City University jersey city, NJ 07305) DOUGLAS WRIGHT (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

Simulation models describe worldwide phenomena such as the transport and transformation of trace species in the Earth's atmosphere. Computer visualization plays an important role in the evaluation of model results with observations and in detailed studies of the physical and chemical processes represented in the model. The goal of this project is to enhance the VisCTM model, which was created last summer with additional flexibilities such as reading from NetCDF files. Also, the ability to process multiple time steps for multiple species at the same time. VisCTM would be able to read, and visualize different types of data that is written in C Language. These enhancements will allow the new VisCMAQ to accept an incorporation of data sets for various spatial domains and sets of chemical species. At this process the Visualization of the output from Multi scale Air Quality (VisCMAQ) model will be created. This VisMAQ project will link VisCTM tools with the Environmental Protection Agency's Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model system; which will utilize VisCTM import files written by the IOAPI library that is built upon the NetCDF file format.

Zinc-Induced Sulfur Speciation in Plants as Determined by XANES Spectroscopy. DAVID FRUMBERG (Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853) JENNY HUANG (Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853) MARK FUHRMANN (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973)

In order to establish the allocation of metals within plants, speciation of coordinated compounds to metals must be determined. Sulfur, an integral element to plant chemistry, exists as various species in plants and soils and coordinates with different metal species. To determine the extent that metal exposure affects S speciation, samples of Thlaspi arvense and Brassica rapa and their soils were examined. Plants were grown in natural potting soil for two weeks, and then 2600µg and 5200µg aliquots of zinc acetate were added to soils. Plants were allowed seven days for accumulation whereupon samples for roots, leaves, and soil underwent X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at beamline X-15B at the National Synchrotron Light Source. K-absorption edges for S standards were determined by X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) between 2472eV and 2481eV to assess changes in S speciation in roots and leaves. An intermediate peak was observed at 2475eV at different concentrations in the roots of both plants, suggesting systematic differences in the biochemical processing of S. In response to Zn exposure, all plants showed a systematic increase in sulfate at 2481eV. The lack of any change in reduced species of leaves confirms that only sulfate is transported by vascular tissue. Knowing how a plant exposed to metals may respond can provide insight to more effective accumulation of contaminants from soils (phytoremediation). This knowledge can also substantiate the impact of metal accumulation on humans, via our consumption of plants affected by S-containing agricultural fertilizers and compounds.