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Modeling Benthic Sediment Processes to Predict Water Quality and Ecology in Narragansett Bay
Citation:
Abdelrhman, M. Modeling Benthic Sediment Processes to Predict Water Quality and Ecology in Narragansett Bay. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-16/202, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
Contaminant and nutrient loadings enter Narragansett Bay from rivers, waste water treatment plants and atmospheric deposition. Much of these loadings find their way into the benthic sediments of the Bay, and these sediments in turn act as a huge reservoir of historical contaminants and nutrients. To be able to predict water quality (e.g., nutrient concentrations) and ecological processes (e.g., phytoplankton growth) one must be able to account for the potential movement of dissolved and particulate material into and out of the sediments. The benthic sediment model predicts spatial and temporal movement of materials from the sediment into the water column within Narragansett Bay. Accounting for this movement is essential to properly model water quality and ecology in estuarine and coastal systems.
Description:
The benthic sediment acts as a huge reservoir of particulate and dissolved material (within interstitial water) which can contribute to loading of contaminants and nutrients to the water column. A benthic sediment model is presented in this report to predict spatial and temporal benthic fluxes of nutrients and chemicals in Narragansett Bay.