Introduction

    The goal of the Great South Bay program is to gain a thorough understanding of the biogeochemistry of the Bay and its effect on pelagic and benthic communities.  Currently this effort is supported by the NY Department of State in which  observations and models are combined in support of the development of an ecosystem based management approach to address the ecological problems besetting the Bay.  This webpage shows some of the hydrodynamic model results to date and presents physical observational data collected over the past  several years.  Currently, the hydrodynamic model is undergoing a major upgrade so as to deal more effectively with the complex topography of the western portions of the Bay.  The model results presented below deal with one aspect of the Bay, that is the potential impact of a large breach in Fire Island.  The model is also being used to study the impact of tides and winds on the distribution and dispersal of passive tracers and plankton.   This page also presents much of the observational data from temperature and salinity sensors that have been deployed around the eastern portion of the Bay since 2004.  Since 2010 some of these instruments have been enhanced to measure sea level, chlorophyll and turbidity.  And since the middle of 2010 real-time data from the Smith Point bridge and a telemetering buoy south of Sayville have also become available.  All the observational data are available below.

Hurricane Sandy and breaches at Old Inlet, Coast Guard Cut, and Moriches Inlet

Real time data from the Bellport dock is presented below in the  Great South Bay Observatory section.

Hurricane Sandy caused significant over washes and three breaches in Fire Island in the area between the historic Old Inlet area and Moriches Inlet.  Aerial video and photos were obtained Saturday, November 3rd, 5 days after the storm's passage.  A short description and photos of the breaches is available here while youtube videos are listed below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqbMjXQjJ9Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joDI6ftKsxA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbxrjOqnYFA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UQWDLYgYMg

As a follow-up to the November 3rd aerial survey and after the nor'easter that occurred on November 7 and 8, a second aerial overflight of the Old Inlet area was carried out on November 11, 2012.  Photos and a discussion of the results of that flight are available here.  In addition, we recovered an oceanographic sensor from the Bellport marina on November 10, 2012 which had recorded the sea level, temperature and salinity variations caused by the hurricane and subsequent nor-easter.  Click on the thumbnail to the right to see the time series plots of the data while a discussion of the data is given here.  The youtube video of the November 11th flight is below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MyMhwf8ihA

Another weekly aerial survey of the inlet was carried out on Sunday November 18th which showed that the sand island connecting Pelican Island to Fire Island had been cut by a new channel to the west.  A series of photos showing the evolution of the inlet is given here.

On Saturday December 1st there was a meeting at Bellport's community center to discuss the breach in the Old Inlet area.  A power point presentation given at that meeting shows how the dynamics of the Great South Bay and the ocean resulted in the formation of the breach and how the breach has affected the tides, wind driven storm surge and the salinity of the eastern end of the Bay.

A follow-up meeting on the developments of the breach, now referred to as New Inlet, took place on March 23rd at the Bellport Middle School.  Charles Flagg gave a power point presentation to the meeting attended by about 500 people to hear position reports from the FINS and the NYDEC, and presentations by Charles Flagg, Kevin McAlaster and Joe Gagliano. 

A series of reports on the breach development  are listed below.

December 14, 2012 report on the new inlet through November is available here.
On January 5, 2013 another aerial over flight took place and a photo summary of the evolving breach at Old Inlet to the present is available here.
January 14, 2013 report on the inlet that goes through December is available here.
The January 30th report on the status of the inlet is available here.
The February 27th report on the bay and inlet with new bathymetry of the inlet is here.
The March 15th report on the inlet and the impact of east-coast wide water level fluctuations is here.

Below is the series of aerial photos of the New Inlet from the south looking north across Fire Island.  The aerial photography has been a community effort with pilots Rich Giannotti, Don Richards, Charlie Flagg and Vinny Petruso and photographers Charlie Flagg, Mike Ferrigno, Rich Weismann, Justin Flagg, Brian Wasser, Jamie Shreeve and John Vahey.

April 2005  (CF&RG)	Nov 3, 2012 (CF&RG)	Nov 11, 2012 (CF&RG)	Nov 20, 2012 (RW&RG)
Dec 20, 2012 (MF&RG)	Jan 6, 2013 (JF&CF)	Jan 27, 2013 (CF&DR)	Feb 2, 2013 (BW&CF)
Feb 14, 2013 (CF&RG)	Mar 10, 2013 (CF&RG)	Mar 29, 2013 (JS&CF)	Apr 4, 2013 (MF&RG)
Apr 17, 2013 (CF&VP)	Apr 18, 2013 (JV)	May 12, 2013 (CF)

With Mark Lang's help a series of overflights of the New Inlet have produced detailed photo mosaics of the inlet and back bay area.	January 27, 2013	February 2, 2013	February 14, 2013	March 10, 2013
	Mar 29, 2013	Apr 17, 2013	May 12, 2013

Hydrodynamic Modeling

Great South Bay Observatory Data Collection

Location of Observatory Components

Data are being collected from eight stations on the Great South Bay using SeaCat instruments measuring temperature and salinity.  The stations include, from east to west on the north shore: Smith Point, Bellport, Blue Point, Islip and Tanner Park, and the US Coast Guard Station and Barrett Beach on Fire Island.  The instruments are deployed for as much as three months at a time, less in the summer due to heavy biofouling.

SBE 16 SeaCat                                 SBE 16 Plus SeaCat with WetLabs FLNTUS

Real-Time Data     In addition to the delayed-mode SeaCat data, meteorological data are being collected from the south tower of the Smith Point bridge and these data are available in real time below.  That data includes temperature and salinity from the Smith Point SeaCat, short and long wave radiation from Eppley pyronometers, and wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and rainfall rate from a Vaisala WXT520.     On October 6th, 2010 we deployed GSB #1 buoy south of Sayville at 40o 41.6'N, 73o 05.1'W.  This buoy reports wind speed and direction, air temperature and humidity, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), water temperature and salinity, chlorophyll-a fluoresence and turbidity. On December 29, 2010 ice forming in the Bay carried the buoy quite a ways as the ice sheets broke up and started to move around.  The ice finally released the buoy south of Islip in mid-February at which time we towed the buoy to the West Sayville Marina on February 17th.  After checking on the systems and repainting, the buoy was towed out and re-anchored near its original location, 40 41.552 N, 73 5.144 W, on March 23, 2011.  The winter of 2011-2012 was particularly mild and we did not have any trouble with ice flows but significant ice build up in January 2013 captured the buoy again and dragged it first south and then some two miles west.  It will be returned to its proper location as soon as possible.

Great South Bay Buoy #1 2011Buoy Movement Due to Ice       2013 Buoy Track

Real-Time Data and Plots

Smith Point Bridge	GSB Buoy #1 south of Sayville	Bellport Marina
Wind, Air Temp, Humidity, Barometric Pressure and Rainfall Water Temperature, Salinity, Short & Long Wave Radiation Hour-Averaged Data Files: 2010 2011	Buoy #1 data: Wind, Air Temp, Humidity, PAR, Water Temp, Salinity, Chlorophyll-a and Turbidity Hour-Averaged Data Files: 2010 2011 2012 2013	Plot of Bellport data for  the past 60 days 1/2 hour averaged data file The plot and data file include NAVD88 water level, detided water level, temperature, salinity, fluorescence  and turbidity.  The real time sensor is located at the end of the marina dock.	Bellport Realtime Observations Date/Time: May 26, 2013 03:18 GMT NAVD88 WL 0.23 m Water Temp 14.67 Deg C Salinity 28.59 psu Fluorescence 1.06 volts Turbidity 0.51 volts

Delayed-Mode SeaCat Data from sites around Great South Bay

Bellport	Blue Point	Islip Hatch/Fish Pier	Tanner Park
Smith Point	USCG Fire Island Inlet	Barrett Beach	Carmans River
Old Inlet

Click on the sites listed below to see the plots of the individual deployments for greater detail