The Hudson River is one of the most nutrient loaded rivers in the United States; however, phytoplankton production is relatively low and major blooms seldom if ever occur, possibly as a result of how quickly water moves though the Hudson River Estuary (HRE). Slower water residence times, which is expected to occur in future decades as a result of lower summer discharge rates, may then allow for significant phytoplankton growth. Light conditions also play a large role in determining

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... growth in the HRE; the photic zone in the estuary is typically within 5 meters, relatively shallow compared to New York Harbor. This study involved using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to simulate idealistic HRE conditions for set discharge rates, in which a simple tracer was implemented to simulate phytoplankton growth and additional tracers were used to simulate age, a proxy for residence time. Growth of marine species was determined based off of salinity, light availability, and time spent within the estuary. In situ light attenuation and suspended matter data from Haverstraw Bay in the HRE was used to create a simple linear model, which is used to predict light attenuation coefficients based on suspended sediment concentration. Model results indicated that while phytoplankton growth increased as discharge rate decreased, extensive phytoplankton blooms were unlikely to occur under any realistic river conditions, as increased mixing and diminishing water column stratification associated with slower discharge rates appeared to counteract the favorability of increased residence times. iii BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Samuel Nadell grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York. The son of a high school Earth Science teacher and a graphic designer and art director, Sam frequently pursued various ventures in science and art. In high school, Sam participated in the New York State high school science research program through SUNY Albany, and conducted two original research projects over four years: a marine seismology project conducted at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and a glaciology project conducted with the Juneau Icefield Research program in Alaska. When he wasn't doing science research, Sam regularly performed in his high school jazz ensemble and the theater troupe. Sam graduated third in his class from Lakeland High School in 2012. Sam came to Cornell University the following fall to pursue a degree in Science of Earth Systems. He did not stray from his performing background though, and quickly joined the Whistling Shrimp Improvisational Comedy Group. Sam was also a member of CU Nooz, Cornell's satirical online newspaper, and the Science of Earth Systems Student Association. Following his sophomore year, Sam was an intern at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, CA. In the spring of his junior year, Sam participated in the Sea Education Association (SEA) Semester program, during which he sailed from New Zealand to Tahiti. Sam finished his undergraduate work a full year earlier than expected, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Science of Earth Systems and a minor in Marine Biology in 2015. Sam didn't leave Cornell however, staying as a Master's student under the guidance of Dr. Chuck Greene and Dr. Bob Howarth. Sam participated in the Summer Student Fellowship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 2015, and was a Hudson River Foundation Polgar iv Fellow the following year. Sam has been a teaching assistant (TA) for multiple oceanography classes at Cornell, including managing the undergraduate TA's for the Introduction to Oceanography class, the largest class at Cornell.