Christie OKs bill allowing oyster colonies in polluted water
New Jersey Herald, 1/20/2016
Gov. Chris Christie has signed a bill permitting researchers to grow oyster colonies in polluted waterways
to try to improve water quality. The Republican presidential candidate on Tuesday signed a measure
letting groups establish experimental oyster colonies in tainted waters like Raritan Bay, as long as the
colonies are not visible to, or easily accessible by the public. Features photo of Beth Ravit, Rutgers
University researcher.
South Jersey Shore Braces For Weekend Storm
CBS Philly, 1/21/2016
As the region braces for the potential of a major winter storm this weekend, towns down the shore could
be particularly hard hit. It'll be a nor'easter, which is bad enough. But add a full moon, and New Jersey
state climatologist Dave Robinson at Rutgers suggests high tides will be 3 feet above the norm.
Investment in neighborhood parks may curb obesity rates, save costs
Medical Xpress, 1/21/2016
It may sound simple, but adding a neighborhood park or playground can lower children's obesity rates
and improve their physical fitness, says new research from Ball State University. And parks might reap
immediate and long-term savings in health care."Neighborhood parks and playgrounds provide physical
locations for children to engage in outdoor physical activity and to develop physically active lifestyles,"
said Maoyong Fan, a Ball State economics professor who conducted the study with Yanhong Jin, a
Rutgers University professor. "These parks simply make children more fit. The children get to play
outdoors and enjoy life much more than those who don't have access to such facilities."
Bridgewater students learn about weather from Rutgers student
nj.com, 1/21/2016
The students in Terry Tunkel's class at Hillside Intermediate School in Bridgewater recently enjoyed a
visit from special guest, Joe Fogarty, a graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School who currently
attends Rutgers University while majoring in meteorology. The fifth grade students first became
excited about meteorology during their unit on Thinking Like a Scientist. Students learned about computer
models, and tracked the path of Hurricane Joaquin. The students watched a video of Fogarty on RU-TV
Weather Watcher as he forecast the hurricane's impact.
Vietnam's Sacred Turtle Dies at an Awkward, Some Say Ominous, Time
The New York Times, 1/22/2016
A giant turtle, a mythic symbol of Vietnamese independence and longevity that had quietly paddled
around Hanoi's central lake for decades - some say centuries - has died, official state news media
reported. Of the four animals that many Vietnamese consider sacred, including the dragon, phoenix and
unicorn, the turtle is the only one that exists in real life, said Pamela McElwee, a Vietnam expert and a
professor of human ecology at Rutgers University. As a result, she added, Hanoi's giant turtle was
seen as an important link between "the here and now, the earthly world and the spiritual world."
Tall timing: Why it's wise to look far ahead when planting new trees on a golf course.
Golf Course Industry, 1/22/2016
Trees are an important part of the infrastructure at many golf facilities. They frame holes and dictate the
line of play while providing golfers with much-desired shade. It's no secret that trees can become
problematic on a golf course, but they are undoubtedly an asset when properly maintained. As golf
courses, and other facilities for that matter, look to plant new trees, however, they must look ahead to
when those trees mature, a half-century or more from now. Dr. Jason Grabosky of Rutgers University
says it's important to look into the future and have an understanding of what the climate will be like in the
final third of the 21st century.
Ocean County homeowners resist NJ eminent domain for dune project
newsworks, 1/22/2016
A group of homeowners in coastal Ocean County is fighting back against the use of eminent domain by
the state of New Jersey to build a series of protective sand dunes. Seventeen homeowners in Point
Pleasant, Brick, and Mantoloking argue that the state is abusing its power by taking parts of their land in
an unnecessary bid to build the dunes. "Superstorm Sandy certainly showed that dunes were a very good
first defense for flooding and storm surge coming in on the ocean side," said Lisa Auermuller, the
watershed coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve in
Tuckerton, which is operated by Rutgers University.
Did monster blizzard smash N.J. records? Well, that's complicated
nj.com, 1/23/2016
With the blizzard of 2016 potentially dropping three feet of snow in parts of New Jersey before ending
Sunday morning, here's the question: Was that the highest snowfall ever recorded? Well, that's
complicated. New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University, said the
statewide record is 34 inches, set in 1899 in Cape May.
Final N.J. snowfall totals from monster blizzard of 2016
nj.com, 1/24/2016
With just a little more snow, four communities in northern New Jersey could have made history by topping
an elusive record that has stood for 117 years. Bernards Township, Long Valley, Succasunna and
Wharton were each blanketed with 30 inches of snow during the historic East Coast blizzard that battered
New Jersey and other states along the Atlantic coast this weekend. But if these numbers hold up, all
those massive piles of snow on the streets of Morris and Somerset counties would still be several inches
short of the state's all-time snowfall record - 34 inches, which fell in the resort city of Cape May way back
in 1899, according to records compiled by New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers
University.
Why (almost) no one predicted monster blizzard's big surprise
nj.com, 1/24/2016
It was the blizzard that was, and nearly wasn't. A massive winter storm dropped more than two feet of
snow across much of New Jersey Saturday, inundated the coast with record flooding and cut power to
more than 100,000 people. "This (was) an awesome show of nature," said David Robinson, the state
climatologist at Rutgers University. "When you get something like this in terms of magnitude,
considering the amount of snow over a widespread area and then the wind and coastal flooding. The
expanse of nature involved in a storm like this is just awe-inspiring."
New Brunswick smashes old snowfall record
nj.com, 1/25/2016
The powerful East Coast blizzard this past weekend turned out to be the biggest snowstorm on record in
the city of New Brunswick, which was pounded with 26.9 inches of snow from Friday night to Saturday
night. That snowfall total smashed the city's previous record by more than 4 inches and also gave New
Brunswick more snow than it usually gets in an entire year - 26.7 inches, according to New Jersey State
Climatologist David Robinson, at Rutgers University.
Storm crashes otherwise mild El Niño winter
NorthJersey.com, 1/25/2016
Until last weekend's near-record snowfall, one of the strongest El Niño weather patterns on record had
been very kind to New Jersey - delivering a hurricane-free summer, a parka-free December and a snowfree winter. What remains to be seen is whether El Niño's already waning influence can continue through
the rest of this winter or if we're in for much more snow. There is no clear pattern for New Jersey snowfall
among the previous seven strong El Niño events over the past 60 years, said David Robinson, state
climatologist and a Rutgers professor.
Sen Comm Releases Bill to Protect Barnegat Bay
PolitickerNJ, 1/25/2016
Today the Senate Environment and Energy released a bill to help curb pollution going into the Barnegat
Bat. S765 (Smith) requires the DEP to do a study and then adopt total maximum daily loads for Barnegat
Bay ecosystem. As a result of increased pollution in the Bay, it has experienced loss of eel grass, fish
kills, and other ecological indicators that are getting worse. Allowing the Bay to be polluted will jeopardize
the $3.3 billion a year coastal tourism industry and $100 billion in ratables around the Bay. We need
policies and actions like this bill that will protect the Bay now. New Jersey has continuously ignored
science about the health of the Bay... In 2013, Dr. Mike Kennish authored a report by the Rutgers
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences on the deteriorating health of Barnegat Bay. The report shows
that pollution is worse in the Bay than previously thought as a result of nitrate and phosphorus pollution
and eutrophication. With the Rutgers report there is enough data to declare the Bay impaired and to
implement a TMDL for the Bay. In April, Commissioner Martin defended the Administration’s policies and
refuted the Rutgers study calling the Bay impaired.
The surprising truth about the 'food movement'
The Washington Post, 1/26/2016
Let me ask you a question: When it comes to our food supply, what do you care about? Think about it for
a second. Make a mental list. Now, let me ask you another question: Do you care about farmworker
exposure to pesticides? I sure do, and I'm betting you do, too. But was it on your list? I'm betting it
wasn't...That 7 percent study was done by William Hallman, professor and chairman of the
Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University, who points out that "most of the research that is
out there that has tried to gauge how much people care about such things [has] asked people to react to
lists of foods that are nasty or nice, and there are certainly social-desirability biases baked into the
responses to such questions."
Will all that melting snow cause flooding in NJ?
New Jersey 101.5, 1/26/2016
The massive winter storm that blanketed the area this past weekend is long gone, but many parts of
Jersey are still digging out after the storm produced 20 to 30 inches of snow. And while the risk of
flooding down the shore has decreased, it's increasing in parts of Central and Northern New Jersey, as
the snowpack begins to melt. According to Dave Robinson, the New Jersey state Climatologist at
Rutgers University, the snow we've been left with is equivalent to 2 to 3 inches of water, and if it melts
too quickly there could be trouble.
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