Ecology of the Ocean Special Area Management Plan Area: Block Island Sound Rhode Island Sound Inner Continental Shelf Alan Desbonnet Carrie Byron with help from Elise Desbonnet, Barry Costa-Pierce, Meredith Haas and the PELL LIBRARY STAFF and MANY, MANY Researchers The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf GEOLOGY 2,500 km2 31 m average 60 m max 1,350 km2 40 m averageAcadian vs. Virginian 100 m maxecoregions The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Boothroyd 2008 SLR 2.5-3.0 mm per year (1/10th inch) Glacial Origins--- a key element E. Uchupi, N.W. Driscoll, R.D. Ballard, and S.T. Bolmer, 2000 The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Boothroyd 2009 Downwelling – Combined Flow Circulation/currents shaped by the geology Bottom habitats are dynamic/ever changing The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Boothroyd 2008 Winter = NW (stronger) Summer = SW (milder) WINDS NOT a major driver of circulation Av.Big Wave implications height for stratification = 1-3 m Max = 7 m (9 m 100 yr. wave) The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Spaulding 2007 Most recent Cat3 = Esther in 1961 Most recent = Bob (Cat2) in 1991 No named hurricane 18 years 17 RI hurricanes: 7 Category 1 8 Category 2 2 Category 3 The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf NOAA Hurricane Center online data 2010 Important in water column stratification Varies over vertical and horizontal scales TEMPERATURE Highly seasonal Winter warmer at depth Summer cooler at depth The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Codiga & Ullman 2010; O’Donnell 2008 SALINITYVariesVaries seasonally over vertical and horizontalfall/winter scales saltier spring/summer fresher Important in water column stratification Connecticut/Thames Rivers are key influences The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Codiga & Ullman 2010; O’Donnell 2008 Gulf Stream meanders & warm core eddies CURRENTS & CIRCULATION Northern/Gulf of Maine cold currents The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Gawarkiewicz 2008; Loder et al. 1998 Long Island Sound is a major influence The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Ocean SAMP Renewable Energy Talk Block Island Sound is more dynamic, better mixed Less prone to stratification He & Wilkin 2006: Data‐assim. model Mau et al 2007: Model & CODAR [NOTE DIFFERENT SCALES] Rhode Island Sound less dynamic, less well mixed More prone to stratification The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Codiga 2008 January Seasonal “front” July Ecological “hot spot” Distinct temperature discontinuity Weak duringFish winter congregation area Strong during summer The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Ullman 2008 Narragansett Bay has small influence Nantucket Shoals, etc. influence not well known The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Kincaid et al. 2003; He & Wilkin 2006 Major circulatory flows in the Ocean SAMP area Poorly Known Region Deep Shallow Depth [m] The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Codiga & Ullman 2010 Chemical Oceanography Nutrients: •Sparse data from late 1970s; verifying units •Gulf Stream input suspected to be important (Gawarkiewicz 2008) Toxins: •Dredge disposal sites: No biological toxicity reported for Brenton Reef (Battelle 2002) or RI Sound site (USACE 2002) •North Cape spill: Minor toxicity/mortality 9 mos. post spill (Ho et al. 1999), current status not known The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Higher production inshore Trend of decreasing production withSeasonal distance and south/offshore variable year-to-year Higher productivity spring and fall PHYTOPLANKTON Lower production during summer The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Hyde 2008 Zooplankton Mix of oceanic (beyond the shelf), neretic (shelf), littoral (sheltered bays) and estuarine (widely varying salinities) areas--- a “Mixing Basin” Seasonal progression of native species (littoral species and larval forms) January through July, then an influx of non-native offshore species August through December (Deevey 1952) NMFSZooplankton MARMAP species dominant data was undergoing salinity influenced analysis Riley (1952) found zooplankton grazing NOT a control over phytoplankton in Block Island Sound Martin (1965) found zooplankton grazing WAS a control over phytoplankton in Rhode Island Sound (at mouth of Narragansett Bay) Kane (2007) notes, for the overall Northeast Atlantic region, recent species shifts, with small-bodied taxa becoming more prevalent, with some species reaching seasonal maxima earlier. The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Other MonthOther Eggs Larvae 10/87‐9/93 Pleuronectes 12/89‐11/90 Peprilus triacanthus ferrugineus Stenotomus January Cod chrysopsHerring, Long‐horn sculpin Pseudopleuronecte s americanus February Cod Cod, Long‐horn sculpin Tautogolabrus Ammodytes spp. adspersus Gobiosoma March Cod Cod, Long‐horn sculpin ginsburgi April Mackerel Lumpfish, Wrymouth, Cod, Long‐horn Tautoga onitis sculpin, Brassy sculpin, Hake, Tautoga onitis Anchoa mitchelli Yellowtail flounder May Mackerel, Butterfish Lumpfish, Cod, Hake, Yellowtail Tautoglabrus flounder, Brassy sculpin, Mackerel, adspersus Butterfish June Goosefish, Cunner, Butterfish, Hake, Mackerel,Anchoa Cunner, spp. Butterfish, ICHTHYOPLANKTONMackerel, Weakfish YellowtailOther flounder, Windowpane flounder Tautogolabrus Appear to be species adspersus July Cunner, Butterfish, Weakfish Sea horse, Pipefish, Hake, shifts over time Windowpane flounder, Yellowtail Urophysis flounder,chuss Scup, Tautog, Whiting, Weakfish, Butterfish, Cunner Paralichthys Unclear Augusthow theyCunner, relateButterfish, Weakfish to oblongusHake, Yellowtail flounder, Butterfish, Cunner, Whiting, Weakfish fish speciesSeptember shiftsButterfish, Weakfish Herring, Hake, Butterfish, Whiting, Peprilus triacanthus Tautoga onitis Weakfish 6/98‐7/98 October Weakfish Herring, Hake, Butterfish,Citharichthys Whiting, arctifrons Needs more clarification Weakfish before furtherNovember elaborationCod Herring, Hake, Whiting, Fluke December Cod Herring, Fluke The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Pfieffer-Herbert 2008; Merriman & Sclar 1952 Sediment TypeBENTHOSSpecies Association Amphipod–Ampelisca agassizi, A. Silt & Silty Sand Vadorum; Bivalve–Nucula proxima Coarse Sand/ Sand–Gravel Amphipod– Byblis serrata, Acanthohaustorius millsi; Roughness = ComplexityPolychaete–Aricidea = Diversity catherinae Mud Amphipod– Leptocheirus pinguis The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Boothroyd 2008; Zajac 2008; King & Collie 2010 (?) Species Percent of Tows Winter flounder 89.0 Little skate 83.8 Winter American lobster 77.1 Dogfish Windowpane flounder 72.2 floundernot Silver hake 65.0 widelywidely Winter skate 53.1 disperseddispersed Longhorn sculpin 52.8 Species Percent Biomass Spiny dogfishFISH 41.0 Little skate 14.3 (sort of) But not Winter skate 8.4 veryBut very Ocean pout 5.0 plentiful Scup 3.9 plentiful Winter flounder 3.2 Loligo squid 2.3 The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Brown 2008 The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Brown 2008 Taxonomic Distinctness Pelagic-demersal Ratio doesn’t match ichthyoplankto 90 5.00 800 Squid n data Pelagic fish 0.01Pelagics/ 1 100 85 1.00 Benthic invertebrates Squid 0.50 80 DemersalCunner fish o Red hake o Benthic o 75 Longhorn sculpin 600 Sea star o0.10 DemersalsSilver Invertshake o0.05 WINNERS 70 o Taxonomic Distinctness Northern searobin Winter flounder Pelagic-to-demersal ratio o 65 Windowpane 0.01 o Horseshoe crab o 400 1960 1970Tautog 1980 1990 2000 1960o 1970 1980 1990 2000 American lobster o WeightedAtlantic Meanherring Maximum Length Weightedo Mean Preferred Temperature River herring o LOSERS o 65 Scup 13.0 Spider crab Bay Station o 60 Summer flounder o 200 Sound Station 12.5 o 55 Cancer crab Annual mean catch per 30-min tow mean catch Annual SMALLER-SIZED FISH o Fourspot flounder 12.0 50 Lady crab o Weakfish o 45 Little skate 11.5 o 0 40 Bluefish o Striped searobin 11.0 oWARM WATER 1959Mean Lmax (cm) 35 1963 1967Longfin 1971 squid 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 oPREFERENCE Butterfish 10.5 o 30 Year Preferred temperature (°C) 25 10.0 -0.2 -0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Instantaneous rate of change Year The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Collie 2008 TOOTHED WHALES BALEEN WHALES The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Kenney & Vigness-Raposa 2009 PINNIPEDS Harbor Seal Haul Out Sites The Ecology of Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Inner Continental Shelf Kenney & Vigness-Raposa 2009 Common Name Scientific Name Seasonal Use Eider, Common Somateria mollissima dresseri Nov–Apr Gannet, Northern Morus bassanus Waterbirds Gull, Bonaparte’s Chroicocephalus