Research
2024–2026
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These projects address priority coastal and ocean challenges in Rhode Island, including ecosystem health, coastal resilience, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, and the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of coastal management.
Projects
Coastal Acidification Impacts on Shellfish and Nitrogen Cycling
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“Qualifying the Impacts of Coastal Acidification on Rhode Island Shellfish Aquaculture Nitrogen Removal Capacity”
Principal Investigator (PI):
Robinson Fulweiler; Boston University
Shellfish, such as oysters, help combat coastal eutrophication and acidification, yet it is unknown how coastal acidification may influence an organism’s ability to remove and store nitrogen, the nutrient largely associated with eutrophication.
This project seeks to understand how coastal acidification influences oysters’ ability to extract nitrogen from the water column and store it in their shells and tissues. It also seeks to quantify how coastal acidification alters nitrogen removal via the microbially driven denitrification process in sediment surrounding oyster habitats.
The team will expose growing oysters to varying pH levels and analyze how denitrification rates change in response to different levels of acidity. The team will also work with aquaculture farms across the state, measuring pH at various locations to improve understanding of how acidity varies in coastal waters.
Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Erosion on Block Island
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“Monitoring and Numerical Simulations of Natural and Nature-Based Solutions to Coastal Erosion on Block Island”
Principal Investigator (PI):
Annette Grilli, University of Rhode Island
Co-PIs: Stephen Grilli, University of Rhode Island
Christopher Baxter, University of Rhode Island
Nate Vinhateiro, University of Rhode Island/Coastal Institute
Brian Oakley, Eastern Connecticut State University
Initiated by a request from Block Island residents, this project seeks to investigate nature-based solutions to the increasing threat from coastal erosion and sea level rise to critical infrastructure on Block Island. The project will use scenario-based hydro-morpho dynamic numerical modeling, local stakeholder engagement, and crowd-sourced imaging (via CoastSnap) to assess the feasibility and efficiency of various natural and nature-based solutions to protect highly-vulnerable sections of Corn Neck Rd, a vital roadway connecting the island. Outcomes of this project include a better understanding of the efficacy of natural and nature-based solutions in high-energy wave environments subject to both erosion and rising sea levels.
Tracking Local Changes in Summer Flounder
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“Understanding Local Changes in Summer Flounder for Improved Sustainable Management”
Principal Investigator (PI): Corinne Truesdale, RIDEM
Rick Bellavance, Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association
Greg Vespe, Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association
RIDEM is responding to stakeholder observations of a decline in summer flounder in Rhode Island waters over previous years that are not evident in coast-wide stock assessments.
This project seeks to describe summer flounder stock dynamics in Rhode Island waters to understand the species’ response to local environmental change and to better inform management practices.
The team will use tagging and time-series analysis to study local movement dynamics and changes in distribution. McManus and his team will work with local recreational harvesters to deploy tags and collect information on flounder population size, movement, and distribution in state waters.
The goal of this project is to improve understanding of the summer flounder population in local waters to enhance science-based management of the resource.
Environment, Genetics, and Disease in Oyster Survival
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Principal Investigator (PI):
Skylar Bayer, Roger Williams University
Co-PIs:
Roxanna Smolowitz, Roger Williams University
Tim Scott, Roger Williams University
Gary Wikfors, NOAA Northeast Fisheriese Science Center
Temporal and spatial dynamics of rust tide caused by Margalefidinium polykrikoides on Rhode Island shellfish farms and resulting impacts on cultured oysters
Shellfish aquaculture on the East Coast is a $170M industry and is composed of about a thousand small farms in coastal communities. There is great concern that the occurrence of plankton blooms may be on the rise as a result of global weather changes. Rust tides, which are associated with the plankton species Margalefidinium polykrikoides, are becoming more frequent from Chesapeake Bay to Cape Cod–causing mortality of larval and juvenile bivalves as well as declines in growth in adults. When and where rust tides appear are not well understood, especially in Rhode Island coastal lagoons and parts of Narragansett Bay.
To better track and predict rust tides, this project introduces the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) methodologies to better identify plankton species and create a dataset specifically relevant to Rhode Island coastal environmental and economic health issues. The methods developed for environmental DNA monitoring for M. polykrikoides and the results from these studies will be important for strategic, economically feasible and effective mitigation techniques developed by the industry and research partners.
Monitoring Coastal Land Sinking in Rhode Island
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Principal Investigator (PI):
Tatiana Rynearson, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
Co-PI: Patricia Thibodeau, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
This project aims to use the Narragansett Bay Long-Term Plankton Time Series database–the longest-running time series of its kind in the world– to examine long-term trends in harmful algal bloom (HAB) events over a 60+ year period, and identify associated environmental conditions.
Researchers will utilize over 60 years (1959 to present) of weekly phytoplankton count data collected in Narragansett Bay to determine historical trends to investigate species the triggere current HAB events in the Bay as well as those that have the potential to do so in the future. Outcomes include a fully curated 60+ year phytoplankton time series that will be publicly available and accessible for local as well as international collaborators and stakeholders. Aquaculture farmers will inform and test our prediction outcomes. This project will increase understanding issues related to estuarine ecosystems and marine environments by determining long-term trends of HABs as well as provide important context for current and future changes of HABs within a climate context.