Ecosystems Research Division

Lock Lake is a small (10 acre) tidal marsh located on the south shore of Long Island. This marsh is located in East Patchogue, New York. Objectives of the study include:

• Study interactions between the Upper Glacial Aquifer and the surface water bodies, including Lock Lake
• Determine transport characteristics in the tidal marsh
• Develop and apply simulation models to reproduce and predict transport in the marsh.

Water levels rise and fall in the marsh with the tides. The single inlet from the bay to the marsh provides a convenient point for studying the characteristics of flow to the marsh.

Data collected in a preliminary sampling campaign conducted in September and October 2001 include water levels in the aquifer and marsh, salinity profiles within the marsh, and the temporal variation of salinity at the inlet.

Contributors to the preliminary sampling were the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Temple University College of Environmental Engineering and JNM Environmental of Patchogue, New York.