The effect of coastal storms and hurricanes on two south shore Long Island embayments

This paper aims to determine how coastal storms and hurricanes affect water quality and pollution levels in Moriches and Quantuck Bays, specifically Hurricane Hermine. After conducting research in both bays, I have concluded that the hurricane did not have a large impact on the pollution levels in the bays. Sensors were deployed at three different stations to determine temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, and water levels. Hermine decreased temperature and DO and increased salinity and water levels for 4-6 days in the bays. Temperature decreased by a maximum of 12°F in both bays while DO levels decreased by 2-4mg/L in both bays. Salinity increased by 2-3psu in both bays and the tides increased by 0.3 in Moriches bay and 0.5 feet in Quantuck bay. The minimal changes in dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature and water levels, and the short amount of time it took to return to normal levels suggest that the hurricane was not large enough to affect the water quality. In order to determine if coastal storms affect the water quality of these bays, I would need to deploy additional sensors to collect more data and continue to monitor the bays and see how they are affected by a storm larger than a Category One