Research

As part of the Onondaga Lake Cleanup led by Honeywell and Parsons, UFI has developed and collaborated on the full-scale implementation of a nitrate addition strategy to prevent the mobilization of methyl mercury (meHg) from the lake's deep, contaminated sediments. By introducing a nitrate solution into the bottom waters during mid-summer to fall, this approach has been effective in reducing meHg levels in the lake, ultimately lowering mercury concentrations in fish tissue.

UFI plays a critical role in this project through:

• Frequent water quality monitoring

• Automated near-real-time monitoring (see Data)

• Spatially intensive nitrate profiling with advanced rapid profiling instruments

• Monitoring nitrate addition to provide real-time recommendations for deployment adjustments.

UFI collaborates in data interpretation to assess treatment effectiveness and has published findings in peer-reviewed journals.

Since 2023, UFI has conducted an annual aquatic plant survey on Cazenovia Lake to support the Town in planning effective plant management activities for the following year. This survey provides critical data on the lake's aquatic vegetation, helping to track changes in biodiversity and assess the spread of invasive species. Using the Point Intercept Rake Toss Abundance Method (PIRTRAM), UFI surveys over 300 locations, creating a high-resolution map of plant distribution and abundance. The results help inform management decisions and contribute to a long-term understanding of the lake's ecosystem dynamics. 

We are currently investigating the impact and effectiveness of herbicides on Eurasian water milfoil using the lake's long-term dataset.

From 1994 through the 2010s, UFI provided scientific support to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) to study and enhance the management of the City's drinking water reservoirs. This work included the development of hydrodynamic and turbidity models, which were later integrated into the Operations Support Tool (OST)—a system designed to help optimize reservoir operations to meet the city's and downstream stakeholders' water quantity and quality needs.

In support of the OST, UFI contributed to developing a near-real-time monitoring network, which included autonomous profiling buoys, fixed-depth monitoring stations, and creek-side sensors. These tools provided critical data for water quality modeling and operational decision-making. While UFI's direct monitoring and modeling efforts have since concluded, this work played a foundational role in advancing reservoir management strategies.

UFI participated in Great Lakes research cruises through all five Great Lakes! UFI's primary goals were to provide optical measurement support to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to enhance remote sensing capabilities of the Great Lakes. Secondarily, our research was to advance mechanistic approaches for bio-optical modeling and related remote sensing capabilities. We published ten papers in the Journal of Great Lakes Research based on this work!