What is the status of drift macroalgae in Narragansett Bay?
There has been an abundance of anecdotal evidence from fishermen, scientists, and community members that drift macroalgae in Narragansett Bay has been increasing in recent years. Despite this, there is little data on drift macroalgae to assess changes in Narragansett Bay. In the summer of 2023, funded by Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP) and in partnership with RI Dept. of Marine Fisheries (RIDMF), Ph.D. student Alex Geisser sampled drift macroalgae monthly at 18 stations from June to October. We collected samples for macroalgae biomass measurements, and subsamples are being analyzed for carbon and nitrogen to assess the impact macroalgae is having on the carbon and nutrient cycling within Narragansett Bay. We worked with Dr. Carol Thornber and URI Ph.D. student Rebecca Venezia to identify macroalgae genera. Thornber and Venezia also worked on digitizing long-term drift macroalgae records to help put together the picture of a changing Narragansett Bay. We are also working to partner with local fishermen to deploy data loggers to collect temperature, light, and dissolved oxygen measurements, as well as sampling macroalgae caught in their fishing gear. The main goals of the project are to (1) increase our understanding of Narragansett Bay in a changing ocean environment to help inform long-term management and sustainability, and (2) create a partnership and team of fishermen and scientists to help assess the ecosystem in Narragansett Bay.
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Map from RI DEM of sites sampled for drift macroalgae in Narragansett Bay, RI.
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