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Some challenges of an "upside down" nitrogen budget--science and management in Greenwich Bay, RI (USA) |
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| Authors: | DiMilla Peter A Nixon Scott W Oczkowski Autumn J Altabet Mark A McKinney Richard A |
| Institution: | a Graduate School of Oceanography, The University of Rhode Island, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA b U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Atlantic Ecology Division, 27 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA c Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences, School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard New Bedford, MA 02744, USA |
| Abstract: | When nutrients impact estuarine water quality, scientists and managers instinctively focus on quantifying and controlling land-based sources. However, in Greenwich Bay, RI, the estuary opens onto a larger and more intensively fertilized coastal water body (Narragansett Bay). Previous inventories of nitrogen (N) inputs to Greenwich Bay found that N inputs from Narragansett Bay exceeded those from the local watershed, suggesting that recent efforts to reduce local watershed N loads may have little effect on estuarine water quality. We used stable isotopes of N to characterize watershed and Narragansett Bay N sources as well as the composition of primary producers and consumers throughout Greenwich Bay. Results were consistent with previous assessments of the importance of N inputs to Greenwich Bay from Narragansett Bay. As multiple N sources contribute to estuarine water quality, effective management requires attention to individual sources commensurate with overall magnitude, regardless of the political complications that may entail. |
| Keywords: | Nitrogen Mass balance Greenwich Bay Narragansett Bay Eutrophication Stable isotope |
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