new jersey water resources research institute

Operation Osprey Uplift

• March 09, 2022 at 9:00 am

In an continuing effort to increase the Meadowlands population of Osprey, a state threatened breeding species, MRRI scientists installed two new nesting platforms along the Hackensack River. This brings the total number of platforms installed under ‘Operation Osprey Uplift’ to seven, with more to come before the Osprey begin to return later this month.

Water Quality Sampling

• March 08, 2022 at 12:00 am

In February 2022, MRRI staff and interns completed their winter water quality sampling at 14 monitoring sites in the lower Hackensack River estuary, during which time hundreds of birds were observed on the river. MRRI analyzed temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, salinity and pH in the river. The water samples were brought back to the MRRI laboratory for additional analysis, including total metals, dissolved metals, major anions and cations, ammonium, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), hardness, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, and fecal coliforms.

Terry Doss receives Bergen County’s Audubon Society’s Harold Feinberg Conservation Award

• November 19, 2021 at 12:00 am

Our own Terry Doss, Co-Director and Chief Restoration Scientist Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute (MRRI),  has been awarded the the Bergen County Audubon Society’s Harold Feinberg Conservation Award.   Feinberg, a longtime BCAS member, field trip chairman, mentor, and enthusiastic supporter of BCAS endeavors,always gave freely of his expertise with a combination of patience and knowledge that few possess. In her role, Terry helps to oversee the unique and fragile habitat and wildlife in the New Jersey Meadowlands .Her eagerness to venture out into the field to study the dynamics of marsh life is endless. She is always seeking to improve native habitats through restoration projects that can include introducing beneficial plants, managing invasive populations, and building suitable nesting habitats for different bird species.

Congratulations Terry!

East Coast Greenway Project Mission

• November 17, 2021 at 12:00 am

MERI collected orthoimagery and video footage to promote the East Coast Greenway project’s mission.

The Greenway project sets out to bring to life the Jersey City and Hudson County Master Plans’ call for the development of an off-road route for the East Coast Greenway Maine-to-Florida trail. Developing the Harsimus Branch will significantly advance that route through Hudson County, linking historic sites, parks, and other open spaces. The Greenway will serve as a spine for a trail system.

MERI’s drone mission focused on the Jersey City part of the project and covered part of the Essex- Hudson Greenway , the Bergen Arches and the Harsimus Branch and Embankment .

MERI’s drone pilot took orthoimagery of the abandoned rail line to provide high resolution aerial imagery for research at Rutgers University to assess vegetation composition along the embankment and the greenway. The orthoimagery is supported by an assessment of plant health, derived from VARI vegetation index .

Deliverables also included a video footage of the greenway. The montage gives a bird eye’s view of the green line starting from the Hackensack River and ending at the 6 th street waterfront in Jersey City.

Osprey Nesting Platform Installation in the Meadowlands

• May 14, 2021 at 12:00 am

The osprey, formally known as the fish hawk, is one of New Jersey’s largest raptors, and well known along coastal marshes. Habitat deterioration has resulted in less-than-optimal places for this species to nest. This installation over open water is intended to provide a nesting place for osprey in the Meadowlands Estuary.

(Please click on the embedded satellite photo to view the full resolution)

New Sediment Elevation Table installation at Ackerman (2021)

• May 07, 2021 at 12:00 am

Sediment elevation tables (SET’s) are used to measure increases or decreases in marsh surfaces from sedimentation and shallow subsidence. This method is paired with marker horizon to explain processes behind elevation increases or decreases It provides accurate and precise measurements at an exact location with mm resolution. The technique is based on a mechanical leveling device. There are 10 SET permanent installations in the Meadowlands that go back to 2004., The most comprehensive source for SET background, installation, and measurements can be found at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center website ( http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/set/ )

New state of the art continuous water quality sensor at the Barge Marina

The water quality sensor at the Barge Marina was replaced with a state-of-the-art continuous water quality sensor. The sensor is a new generation YSI multiparameter EXO3 sond for estuarine applications. This probe allows us to supplement the seasonal and expensive grab samples and observe temporal details in the water quality of the lower Hackensack. Salinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen temperature, turbidity, and pH are reported every 10 minutes. This new sond is designed with tough materials and new antifouling technology for extended deployment. Real-time measurements can be accessed from our top menu by clicking on Environmental Monitoring Data under the Scientific Data submenu.

Groundwater Monitoring in the Meadowlands District

• December 15, 2020 at 12:00 am

The increases in sea level and the frequency of storm events due to climate change is having a profound effect on the water table of the tidally influenced Meadowlands district and will consequently affect the redistribution of legacy trace metal contaminants buried and immobilized in the sediments. With the support from NJWRRI (New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute) funding, MERI established four shallow groundwater monitoring wells at a well-studied site (SHS) in the Meadowlands to explore the relationship between the groundwater table level and storm events with trace metal movement and redistribution.

Tide Gate Sensors to Predict Flood Risk

• July 01, 2020 at 12:00 am

The hurricane season has kicked off at the Meadowlands, bringing a different, still just as serious threat that COVID-19 has graced us with. MERI scientists have been equipping strategic tide gates in the Hackensack River estuary to predict flooding caused by storm surge in the 14 towns of the Hackensack Meadowlands District.

MERI has been building a network of tide gauge sensors, that provide continuous water level readings on both the landside and riverside of the tide gates every 15 minutes.

• East Rutherford – Berrys Creek
• Rutherford – Berrys Creek
• Franks Creek – Kearny off the Passaic River
• East Riser – Carlstadt
• Moonachie creek – Carlstadt
• West Riser – Carlstadt
• Losen Slote – Little Ferry
• DePeyster Creek – Little Ferry

Please refer to the thematic map for locations of the tide gauge sensors.

These self-sustaining stations are equipped with Campbell Scientific’s CR300 data loggers explicitly designed for long-term remote monitoring and powered by solar panels. The built-in Wi-Fi option ensures instant communication with MERI’s environmental server. It has also allowed us to build a real-time alert system , that would trigger an alarm whenever the water level reaches 4.5ft at the riverside. At that point, a text message goes out to the subscribers to prompt them to monitor the progress of the storm, should the water level further increase, and the risk of flooding arise. Also on this page, static flood risk maps provide further information on potential flood hazards for each of the 14 municipalities. Subscription is free upon request.

The water depth data is also displayed on MERI’s website powered by VISTA Data Vision . Graphs for each tide gate show the changes in water level and temperature every 15 minutes. The charts update hourly, and can be viewed by the public. The current data – up to a calendar year – is available for download from the website by hovering over the “Scientific Data” menu in the navigation bar and selecting “Environmental Monitoring Data”. Historical records may be requested.

(Please click on the embedded site map photo to view the full resolution of the site map)

MERI Continuous Air Quality Monitoring During COVID-19 Pandemic

• June 01, 2020 at 12:00 am

Improved air quality has been the silver lining of the pandemic. We see a big change in air quality as less people are driving and industrial activity is down about 60%. Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute continuously measures air quality from sensors located on the roof of 1 Dekorte Park Plaza in Lyndhurst. We observe a significant drop in greenhouse gases when we compare April 2019 with April 2020. During this period, carbon dioxide (CO2) in our area decreased 18%, Carbon monoxide (CO) decreased 14%, and Nitrous Oxides (NOx) decreased 37%. However, surface ozone (O3) can be destroyed by NOx, so when nitrogen dioxide pollution goes down, the ozone level increases. As a result, although air quality has largely improved during COVID-19 shutdown, surface ozone can still be a problem.

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

•   Facebook
•   Twitter
•   Linkedin
•   Digg
•   Reddit
•   Pinterest
•   Email

Latest Earthquakes |    Chat Share Social Media  

Welcome to the New Jersey Water Science Center

Follow us on social media, we monitor hydrologic conditions so you can make informed decisions, our scientists operate state-of-the-art data networks that provide spatially-consistent data to compare to historic trends, we investigate and study our world and its relation to water, njwsc is highly involved in research into our ecosystems, streams, groundwater, and their health and water quality, usgs national water dashboard for new jersey, usgs mobile flood tool highlighting new jersey, coastal plain flood inundation map, streamstats for new jersey, new jersey groundwater level and trends, view current groundwater levels and long-term trends for continuous groundwater monitoring locations across new jersey, new jersey water science center.

Welcome! Since 1903, the New Jersey Water Science Center has been collecting high-quality hydrologic data and conducting unbiased water-science research to address the water-resource priorities of the Nation, global trends and support statewide water-resource infrastructure and management needs.

New Jersey Current Water Conditions

Real-time New Jersey Streamflow, Groundwater, and Water-quality conditions available through the National Water Data Dashboard interactive map application.

Water Science In New Jersey

New Jersey WSC science Projects

NJ WSC Quick Links

Explore some of our more popular science and tools

• Real-Time Data
• Data Delivery: WaterAlert and other Tools
• StreamStats New Jersey
• Toxic Substances Hydrology
• Groundwater Model Archive
• Learn about water
• USGS Expertise Dashboard

USGS deploys “aftershock kits” to study Whitehouse Station earthquakes

Amphibians have one more thing to worry about—mercury—large usgs study shows, pfas chemicals detected in many rivers and streams across pennsylvania, publications, tire-derived contaminants 6ppd and 6ppd-q: analysis, sample handling, and reconnaissance of united states stream exposures, guidelines for the use of automatic samplers in collecting surface-water quality and sediment data, effects of harmful algal blooms on amphibians and reptiles are under-reported and under-represented.

Flood Resources

New Jersey Water Science Center Webcams

New Jersey Tide Network

Environmental Jobs Board

The Watershed Institute hosts an up-to-date jobs board for environmental and water quality positions in New Jersey and our interstate watersheds. If you’re searching, you’ll find up-to-date job postings as well as internship opportunities. If your organization is interested in posting an environmental job opening or paid internship opportunity on our regional jobs board, please contact the Outreach Specialist at [email protected]

Return to Resource Center Main Page

Capacity Building

Useful Web Resources

Watershed Group Locator

Open environmental job positions in new jersey.

Check out these openings for more details and to apply.

The Watershed Institute is hiring for a Communication Specialist! Click here to learn more and apply. 

Openings with upcoming deadlines:

• The College of New Jersey, Sustainable Jersey, Program Manager – Policy and Planning (due 08/31)

Other Openings:

• Clean Ocean Action, Communications and Marketing Coordinator
• Delaware Nature Society, Farm, Naturalist, Seasonal & More
• Dickinson College, Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring, ALLARM Director
• Fernbrook Farms Environmental Education Center, Seasonal Positions
• GenRenew, Various Positions in Solar Energy
• Green Power Energy, Consultant, Technician and Office Positions
• Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Sailing Crew & Education Director (!!)
• Isles, Inc., Various Positions in Trenton
• Mercer County, Various Positions
• Monmouth County Park System, Various Positions *occasional updates*
• Morris County Park Commission, Various Positions *occasional updates*
• New Jersey Audubon, Seasonal and Internship Opportunities
• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Various Positions  *frequent updates*
• New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Regional Manager – South Jersey (!!)
• New Jersey Future, Policy Manager, Housing and Land Use (!!)
• New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Field Instructor 
• New Jersey State Park Service, Seasonal Positions
• NY – NJ Trail Conference Conservation Corps, Communications Coordinator
• Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Electro-Mechanical CAD Designer II (!!)
• Raritan Headwaters Association, *occasional updates* ( Currently: Well Testing Program Internship (!!) )
• Somerset County Park Commission, Various Positions *occasional updates*

Updated on 08/22/2024 ( Newest additions without deadlines are in green and are followed by (!!) )

Open Internships & Student Opportunities in New Jersey

Check out these openings for more details and to apply

• Raritan Headwaters, Well Testing Program Internship (due 8/28 or open until filled)
• Clean Water Action, Various Positions
• Mercer County Park Commission, Various Positions *occasional updates*
• New Jersey Audubon, Internships
• New Jersey Future, Internships
• NY – NJ Trail Conference Conservation Corps
• Somerset County Park Commission, Various Positions  *occasional updates*
• Student PIRGs, Campus Organizers 

Other Employment Resources

• Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River  – a regional initiative of 23 partnering environmental education centers throughout the Delaware River watershed in DE, NJ, and PA. Hosts an annual  Delaware River Fellows  program and a regional  jobs board .
• Association of Environmental Authorities of New Jersey – a trade association of publicly-owned government agencies and private-sector businesses that provide or support clean water and solid waste utility service in New Jersey.
• Apprenticeship Resources by State (Resume Builder) – resource by ResumeBuilder.com which explores what apprenticeships are, how to apply for them, and lists known apprenticeship programs by state. An example of a program in New Jersey listed on this website is the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors.
• Center for Non-Profits – New Jersey-based organization listing local non-profit jobs.
• CJB Network – Organized by the Conservation Job Board, CJB lists every conservation-related graduate program in the US and organizes programs by categories like Water Resources.
• Clean Water Action – Opportunities in the environmental field including coordinating efforts, community organizing, and more across the country.
• Conservation Job Board – a job board for careers in conservation, ecology, forestry, wildlife, and fisheries.
• Early Career Climate Network – a venue for communication, collaboration, and professional development among early career climate change researchers and professionals.
• Environmental Leadership Program – a nonprofit which provides training for a new generation of environmental leaders and hosts a jobs board with national listings.
• Idealist – a project of the nonprofit Action Without Borders, this popular job board lists nonprofit positions across the globe.
• Land Trust Alliance – a national land conservation organization that represents more than 1,000 member land trusts and provides a jobs board for positions at land trusts across the country.
• National Experienced Workforce Solutions – service to connect professionals, age 55+, with part-time and full-time opportunities throughout the country through government agencies. The Agricultural Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Agricultural support. Search up ACES in the jobs board to view opportunities.
• National Job Bank – a service of the nonprofit Extension Journal, Inc, this site provides a job board for positions in agricultural extensions, outreach, research and higher education.
• National Association of Wetland Managers – national nonprofit organization with a wetlands job board.
• New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association – land use and community planning and development jobs.
• New Jersey Employment Website – an online career center and jobs board for positions in state, county and municipal government.
• NJDEP Environmental Education News – NJ environmental educator forum.
• New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife – seasonal and full-time positions in natural resource management.
• New Jersey Recreation and Park Association – park, recreation, and natural resource management jobs.
• New Jersey State League of Municipalities – a voluntary association serving local municipal officials; provides advisory and consultation services, online resources, and a municipal jobs board.
• New Jersey Water Environment Association – a nonprofit serving the water and wastewater operators of our state, this organization is dedicated to protecting the public health and our state’s water resources through education and training; job board listings include utilities and environmental consultant positions.
• North American Association for Environmental Education – outdoor and environmental education jobs.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey – NOFA-NJ offers a range of educational, technical support and information services for organic farmers across the state, as well as a classifieds board which includes job postings.
• River Network – River Network, a nonprofit that connects water organizations across the country, also lists job openings at select partner organizations.
• Ruffed Grouse Society, American Woodcock Society – RGS & AWS unite conservationists to improve wildlife habitat and forest health. Find positions across the country in wildlife, conservation, and more.
• Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Job Database – planning and public policy jobs primarily located in the Northeast.
• Student PIRGs – Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) employ organizers at over 100 college campuses to help students get organized, mobilized, and energized and start building a greener, healthier future for all of us.
• Texas A&M University Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Job Board – national listing of ecology and conservation jobs, internships and research opportunities.

The Watershed Institute is here to be a resource for you! Connect with other NJ watershed professionals and stay up-to-date on all of the latest workshop events and grant opportunities.

Connect with other NJ watershed professionals and stay up-to-date on all of the latest events and opportunities!

Sign up for our email updates!

• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2024 The Watershed Institute. All rights reserved.

Site by Scout Digital

Certificate in Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering

The field of hydrology is a crucial area of scientific study and employment for people interested in protecting the earth’s water resources, in combating water pollution and in providing engineering hydrology. Hydrologists work in conjunction with the work of civil engineers in developing water resources infrastructure. Hydrology is the scientific study of the effects, properties and distribution of water on the earth’s surface in soil, underlying rock structures and in the earth’s atmosphere. The NJIT Graduate Certificate in Hydrology and Water Resources enables students to transition into this highly important field.

Physical Processes of Environmental Systems  -  Physical processes in various media (open water, porous media) under various hydraulic regimes (laminar and turbulent). Transport by diffusion, convection, and dispersion is considered along with absorption.

Introduction to Solid and Hazardous Waste Problems  -  Solid waste disposal; industrial and urban sources of solid waste and conventional methods of waste disposal.

Environmental Microbiology  -  The microbiology of natural and human impacted environment, fundamental microbiology in water treatment engineering, microbial detection methodologies, waterborne disease outbreaks, microbial risk assessment, biotechnologies for renewable energy, and other emerging topics that help enhance your problem-solving skills and increase your knowledge base.

Water Chemistry  -  The ability to analyze and solve a wide range of chemical equilibrium problems in water chemistry.

Stormwater Management  -  Regulatory framework, an overview of structural and non-structural BMPs, groundwater recharge analysis, estimate of runoff, and design of detention basin and drainage systems.

Applied Hydrogeology  -  Ground water and contaminant movement through the subsurface environment; aquifer geology; hydrogeologic applications including well design, pumping tests, and computer modeling of subsurface flow, and methods to monitor and remediate contaminated groundwater.

Open Channel Flow  -  The principles developed in fluid mechanics are applied to flow in open channels. Steady and unsteady flow, channel controls, and transitions are considered. Application is made to natural rivers and estuaries.

Hydrology  -  The statistical nature of precipitation and runoff data is considered with emphasis on floods and droughts. The flow of groundwater is analyzed for various aquifers and conditions. Flood routing, watershed yield, and drainage problems are considered.

Mathematical Fluid Dynamics I  -  Introduction to the basic ideas of fluid dynamics, with an emphasis on rigorous treatment of fundamentals and the mathematical developments and issues. The course focuses on the background and motivation for recent mathematical and numerical work on the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations, and presents a mathematically intensive investigation of various model equations of fluid dynamics (e.g., the Korteweg-de-Vries equations).

Marhaba, Taha

Distinguished Professor

Where do Civil Engineering majors work?

Common job titles.

• AutoCAD Drafter
• Civil Engineer
• Staff Engineer
• Structural Engineer
• Project Manager

Top Employers

• NJ Department of Transportation
• Mott MacDonald

Take the next step in your journey.

Get information on program requirements, tuition, financial assistance and more.

Program: AI snake oil — its limits, risks, and its thirst for resources

Source: ABC RN | Program: Future Tense

Brought to you by

Presented by

Chat GPT pioneer, Sam Altman, reckons democratic countries will need to re-write their social contracts once AI reaches its full potential, such is its power to shape the future. 

But to quote a famous political aphorism: "he would say that, wouldn't he?"

Princeton computer scientist, Arvind Narayanan, joins us to talk about the hype, the reality and the true limits of Artificial Intelligence. 

His new book is called "AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can't, and How to Tell the Difference".

Also, AI's dirty secret – it's a huge consumer of both power and water. And the more popular it becomes, the thirstier it gets.

Professor Arvind Narayanan – Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University

Gordon Nobel – Research Director, Business, Economy and Governance, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

Associate Professor Shaolei Ren — Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside

Further information

Narayanan, Arvind — AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can't, and How to Tell the Difference

Making AI Less "Thirsty": Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI Models

IT and Data Centre Sustainability in Australia

• Antony Funnell, Presenter
• Karin Zsivanovits, Producer

Image Details

Find out about the hype, the reality and the true limits of Artificial Intelligence.  ( AP: Michael Dwyer/File )

Discover more podcasts

Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts