Coastal State Discussion: Changes in the Benthos

Estuary ecosystems are some of the most complex where freshwater meets saltwater, creating a mosaic of habitats essential for commerce, recreation, and fishing. These ecosystems have adapted to this duality, but how they have and will respond to changes in activities along the coast, rising seas, and warming temperatures is unknown.
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and The Nature Conservancy are looking to better understand these changes by studying the benthic ecosystem of the seafloor across Narragansett Bay, which plays a major role in water filtration, nutrient cycling, shoreline buffering, food and habitat for fishes and birds, and seafood for human consumption. It is also a historical archive of ecological changes in the Bay.
Dr. Jeremey Collie from the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, along with GSO graduate Shaina Harkins, and Heather Kinney from TNC will share their research looking into how changes in temperature and water quality have affected benthic biodiversity in the Bay over the last several decades. This includes investigating whether the state’s nitrogen reduction efforts from wastewater treatment facilities have been effective, which have long considered the primary cause of nutrient over-enrichment linked to harmful algal blooms and hypoxic events.