Research
2022–2024
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Focus Areas
COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS
Issues affecting coastal ecosystem health—ranging from coastal development, working waterfronts, and food security to sea level rise and renewable energy.
RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
As marine and coastal ecosystems are changing at unprecedented rates from climate change, other human activities such as mircoplastics and wastewater discharge as are also impacting the biology and chemistry of these sensitive systems.
FISHERIES & AQUACULTURE
As marine and coastal ecosystems are changing at unprecedented rates from climate change, other human activities such as mircoplastics and wastewater discharge as are also impacting the biology and chemistry of these sensitive systems.
Projects
Environmental Triggers of Toxic Algal Blooms
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Principal Investigator (PI):
Colleen Mouw, University of Rhode Island
Co-PI: Audrey Ciochetto, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
Narragansett Bay and coastal New England have seen an increase in frequency and expansion of the time frame and species causing harmful algal bloom (HAB) events, leading to significant shellfish closures.
Researchers will investigate what environmental factors trigger these blooms and potential toxicity by analyzing a continuous record of phytoplankton and associated toxicity and environmental parameters.
Understanding the environmental conditions associated with toxic-producing blooms will help better predict future events, assisting resource managers in making proactive management decisions to protect human health and fisheries.
Multi-Use Opportunities for Coastal and Marine Operators in Rhode Island’s Blue Economy
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Principal Investigator (PI):
David Bidwell: University of Rhode Island, Marine Affairs
As new ocean uses (e.g., marine renewable energy) and existing uses (e.g., aquaculture) expand, marine managers are seeking to understand the opportunities and challenges of multiple use.
Multiple use of the ocean is understood as two or more users in close geographic proximity, ranging from mere coexistence or “subsequent use” of the same space to interactive arrangements involving shared infrastructure and services.
The multi-use concept is new and arguably understudied in U.S. waters, and Rhode Island’s waters are ripe for research in this area.
The goal of this project is to identify successful experiences and future opportunities for small coastal and marine operators in Rhode Island to participate in the blue economy via multi-use.
The scope of this study includes small operators utilizing Rhode Island’s salt ponds, Narragansett Bay, and waters of Block Island and Rhode Island Sound. This project will enhance understanding and improve end-user application of multi-use marine spatial planning tools by assessing the perceived benefits and costs, as well as the economic risks and opportunities associated with multi-use.
Harmful Algal Bloom Modeling in Narragansett Bay
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Principal Investigator (PI):
David Ullman, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
Co-PIs:
David Borkman, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Jongsun Kim, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
Lewis Rothstein, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
Narragansett Bay serves as a critical estuary for fisheries, aquaculture, and recreation in Rhode Island and southern New England. Previous shellfish closures due to toxic algal blooms underscore the need for effective resource management to protect commercial fisheries and consumer health.
To achieve this, researchers will investigate the biological components of toxic-producing phytoplankton species and the physical processes of circulation within the Bay to better understand the role hydrodynamic factors play in initiating a bloom event and in its distribution in local waters.
Researchers will apply hydrodynamic parameters to an existing ecosystem model (Carbon Silicate Nitrogen Ecosystem) to test it as a potential modeling tool for predicting harmful algal bloom events in Narragansett Bay.
Impacts of Rust Tides on Rhode Island Shellfish Farms
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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 Fisheries 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 composed of about 1,000 small farms in coastal communities. There is great concern that plankton blooms may be on the rise due to global climate change.
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 of M. polykrikoides and the results from these studies will be important for the development of strategic, economically feasible, and effective mitigation techniques by industry and research partners.
Using World's Longest Plankton Data Series To Predict Harmful Algal Blooms
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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 that trigger 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, publicly available and accessible to local and international collaborators and stakeholders. Aquaculture farmers will inform and test our prediction outcomes.
This project will increase understanding of issues related to estuarine ecosystems and marine environments by determining long-term trends in HABs and providing important context for current and future changes in HABs within a climate context.
Identifying Harmful Algal Bloom Species and Triggers for Toxin Production
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Matthew Bertin, University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy
Co-PI(s):
Bethany Jenkins, University of Rhode Island College of Environment and Life Sciences
High-resolution time series for deciphering the Pseudo-nitzschia species and environmental drivers that produce domoic acid in Narragansett Bay
Building on previously Sea Grant-funded research on harmful algal bloom (HAB) ecology in Narragansett Bay, this project focuses on the phytoplankton genus Pseudo-nitzschia and its production of the neurotoxin domoic acid.
The project uses innovative approaches to identify the ecological drivers of bloom events and toxin production—an issue with significant consequences for both environmental quality and the economic well-being of Rhode Island stakeholders.
Recent advances in genetic tools have enabled the identification of distinct phytoplankton species assemblages that recur seasonally and coincide with elevated domoic acid concentrations in phytoplankton samples.
These methods will help researchers further refine genetic and analytical techniques to answer key ecological questions about the conditions that promote specific assemblages of Pseudo-nitzschia species and trigger domoic acid production.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.889840/full