Coney Island Urban Waterfront Governance
Monica Palta, PhD, and Anne Toomey, PhD, assistant professors in the ESS department, teamed up on a project to investigate the social-ecological dynamics of urban waterfront governance along the Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn. The creek is currently the site of an active combined sewer outfall, which results in raw sewage and stormwater bypassing treatment plants and overflowing directly into the creek during storms.
Assistant Professor Palta is carrying out an ecological study of the creek, with a specific look at the extent and sources of nutrient pollution in the system, and whether filter feeders in the creek (mussels, oysters) are effectively removing this nutrient pollution.
Assistant Professor Toomey has been documenting the social-cultural uses and perceptions of the water quality of the creek. Various Pace students and alumni have been involved in this research, including Brielle Manzolillo ’17, Christina Thomas ‘19, Elaina Kovnat ‘20, and Tatyana Graham ‘21.
Recent Posts
Pace Students and Faculty Collaborate to Deliver Environmental Analysis
The Fundamentals of Environmental Science II course collaborated with the nonprofit organization Gotham Park in New York City to provide data the organization would use to inform their activities and offerings to the public in the namesake park nestled below the Brooklyn Bridge.
ESS Students Present Their Research at the 2024 Northeast Natural History Conference
Pace Environmental Studies and Science students Samantha Cronk ’25 and Lucas Andujar ’24 presented posters on their independent research with faculty mentor Michael Rubbo, PhD, at the 2024 Northeast Natural History Conference.