Python visualizations of water quality in Jamaica Bay, Queens, NY.

1. 1
Recent Work
Python Pandas Map and Plots
Challenge
After a decade of initiatives to improve water quality in Jamaica Bay, Queens, contaminants enterococcus and fecal coliform bacteria and dissolved
oxygen levels still do not meet federal and state limits in the Bergen Basin tributary of Jamaica Bay.
Action
I hypothesized that elevated enterococcus and fecal coliform levels in Bergen Basin emanate from: a) CSO outfall at the head of the tributary and b)
poor water flow. To test these hypotheses, I looked at when spikes of contaminants occurred. Also, I compared water quality in Bergen Basin and
Jamaica Bay, closer to the harbor inlet, to determine whether influxes of marine water impacted water quality. I used NYC Dept. of Environmental
Protection water quality data for over 85 variables collected from 235 Jamaica Bay sensors during the period 2000-2015, focusing on three sensors in
the basin and one in the bay (Fig. 1).
Result
My Python visualizations revealed that: a) Maximum contamination levels in Bergen Basin tributary were 3-5 times higher than in Jamaica Bay; b)
Spikes in contaminants occurred during hurricanes in 2003, 2004, 2011 and 2012 (Fig. 2), when heavy rainfall generated CSO; and c) there was a
correlation between oxygen and chlorophyll A (Fig. 3) in both locations, suggesting a relationship between the amounts of oxygen and algae. The
correlation was weaker in the bay than in Bergen Basin, implying lower algae levels from improved water circulation.
Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3