Science Inventory

Benthic macroinvertebrate community response to environmental changes over seven decades in an urbanized estuary in the northeastern United States

Citation:

Pelletier, M., D. Cobb, K. Rocha, K. Ho, M. Cantwell, M. Perron, M. Charpentier, H. Buffum, S. Hale, AND R. Burgess. Benthic macroinvertebrate community response to environmental changes over seven decades in an urbanized estuary in the northeastern United States. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 169:105323, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105323

Impact/Purpose:

Narragansett Bay is an estuary (area where salt water and freshwater meet) located in southern New England. It is typical of other urbanized estuaries with colonization in the early 17th century, and development into industrial and transportation centers in the late 18th and early 20th century. In recent decades, impacts from nutrients have been of particular concern. This study examined changes in certain invertebrate animal communities (e.g., clams and worms) across almost seven decades in response to sewage treatment breakdowns and eventual upgrades, as well as temperature and climate changes. We used historical ecology, an approach where we compare data to scientific reports, census data and newspaper accounts to look for patterns. This approach provides context when assessing present conditions and setting conservation or restoration targets.

Description:

Narragansett Bay is representative of New England, USA urbanized estuaries, with colonization in the early 17th century, and development into industrial and transportation centers in the late 18th and early 20th century. Increasing nationwide population and lack of infrastructure maintenance led to environmental degradation, and then eventual improvement after implementation of contaminant control and sewage treatment starting in the 1970s. Benthic macroinvertebrate community structure was expected to respond to these environmental changes. This study assembled data sets from the 1950s through 2010s to examine whether quantitative aggregate patterns in the benthic community corresponded qualitatively to stressors and management actions in the watershed. In Greenwich Bay and Providence River, patterns of benthic response corresponded to the decline and then improvement in sewage treatment at the Fields Point wastewater treatment plant. In Mount Hope Bay, the benthos corresponded to changes in bay fish populations due to thermal discharge from the Brayton Point power plant. The benthos of the Upper West Passage corresponded to climatic changes that caused regime shifts in the plankton and fish communities. Future work will examine the effects of further environmental improvements in the face of continued climatic changes and population growth.