Beneath the Surface

KENNETH W. ABLE is a distinguished professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University and has been the director of the Rutgers University Marine Field Station (RUMFS) since 1987. He is the author of three previous books, two on the life history and ecology of estuarine fishes in the Mid-Atlantic region. He has lived in the Mullica River watershed for nearly thirty years, and can be in his kayak on the river in fifteen minutes and has taken that opportunity over the years, in all seasons.

"As Sea Levels Rise, So Do Ghost Forests," by Moises Velasquez-Manoff and Gabriella Demczukhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/08/climate/ghost-forests.html?action=clickmodule=Top%20Storiespgtype=Homepage— New York Times"Ken Able is to be commended for this truly thorough compendium of information and personal experience. Beneath the Surface is a richly illustrated, comprehensive look at the inner workings of the Mullica River, riddled with slightly offbeat and anecdotal field notes that give life to a highly prolific career investigating these waters."— John R. Waldman, author of Heartbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor"In Beneath the Surface, marine scientist Kenneth Able helps the reader penetrate the surface and gain insights into the kinds of habitats, the animals, and plants that live there. Readers will gain a better understanding of the importance of these shallow waters; how the amount of salt in the water determines where animals and plants are found in estuaries; the day-night, seasonal, and annual variation in their occurrence; and how change is occurring as the result of climate variation. Throughout the book are insightful sidebars telling intimate stories of where various animals came from and where they are going as they travel through the estuary on their way to and from other portions of the east coast. Beneath the Surface emphasizes the kinds and importance of the animals and plants that live beneath the surface of this unique ecosystem."— SoJourn"Author Ken Able helps the reader gain insights into the kinds of habitats, the animals, and plants that live there. For the first time, readers will gain a better understanding of the importance of these shallow waters, how the amount of salt in the water determines where animals and plants are found in estuaries, the variation in their occurrence, and how all this is changing as the result of climate change. Beneath the Surface emphasizes what this unique marine resource can tell us about the larger world."— Northeastern Naturalist"Interesting and accessible to the layperson, the naturalist, the native South Jerseyean or the avid fisherman."— The Sandpaper"For more than thirty years, Ken Able has studied the Mullica Valley/Mullica River ecosystem, New Jersey's most pristine watershed. He has taught and researched with a generation of marine scientists. In Beneath the Surface, he reaches out to a broader audience and, through his readable prose, details for interested readers not only the evolving science but also the wonder of the Mullica."— Tom Kinsella, director, South Jersey Culture & History Center, Stockton University

• DedicationIntroduction1. Penetrating the Surface2. Mapping the Mullica Valley: Natural History Landscapes3. Impacts and Invasions4. Too Much Salt or Not Enough?5. Seasons and Other Cycles6. Sources: Both Near and Far7. Marshes: Food Factories for the Mullica Valley8. Hidden Habitats9. Life and Mostly Death10. Insight from Fisheries11. Insights from Other Estuaries12. Climate Change Underwater13. Sea Level Rise14. Underwater Calendar15. Fishe Stories16. Diamondback Terrapins and the Lost Years17. Horseshoe Crabs: Ancient Migrators18. Marine Mammals: Summer and Winter Visitors19. A Valley Full of Blue Crabs20. Tales of the Talons21. River Herring: South Jersey's Salmon22. White Perch and Hogchoker: Estuarine Migrators23. Fishes and Shrimp are Important Forage24. Summer Flounder Mysteries25. Sharks and Their Relatives26. Striped Bass: The Migratory Wizard of the Mullica ValleyAppendix TableAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex