Science of Ecosystem-based Management

Science for Ecosystem-based Management: Narragansett Bay in the 21st Century addresses the broad problem of coastal nutrient pollution. In the U.S., approximately two thirds of the coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely degraded from nutrient pollution. However, debates continue about how large a problem nutrient pollution is and what actions to take, and since effective management requires decisions at a local scale, an in-depth case study can provide valuable guidance.

Narragansett Bay is one of the best-studied estuaries in the world. Rhode Island has been developing regulatory and management actions to reduce nutrient inputs, particularly those of nitrogen, to the waters of Narragansett Bay. This book was developed in response to a symposium addressing this mandate with coastal/estuarine scientists and environmental management agency personnel. The contributors use long-term data sets to discuss the interactions among biological, ecological, chemical, and physical processes, and discuss what is known about nutrient inputs to the bay ecosystem, the impacts related to nutrient inputs, and how the ecosystem might respond to a sudden reduction in these inputs.

In the United States, approximately two thirds of coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely degraded by nutrient pollution. Nonetheless, the problem of nutrient pollution is still debated. Rhode Island is in the formative stages of undertaking what many are calling a "grand experiment" in reducing nutrient input to the Narragansett Bay ecosystem, one of the best-studied estuaries in the world. "Science of Ecosystem-based Management: Narragansett Bay in the 21st Century" sets the stage for conducting this experiment by compiling, within one volume, the best available science from preeminent experts on the bay ecosystem. Each chapter elucidates what is known about the various elements that make up the ecosystem including its biology, ecology, chemistry, and physical dynamics, delving into historical data and trends, current research findings and consideration of how patterns might change given major reductions in nutrient input to the ecosystem.

While of obvious and great value to those directly engaged with Narragansett Bay, this volume provides useful examples of other places where nutrient reduction protocols are being considered or should be considered. This volume will be of interest and importance to researchers, agency personnel, and natural resource managers who are contemplating nutrient reductions as a way of moving towards sustainability in the use of coastal resources.