title: Some challenges of an "upside down" nitrogen budget--science and management in Greenwich Bay, RI (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.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Oceanography, The University of Rhode Island, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: DiMilla
authors.forename: Scott W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Nixon
authors.forename: Autumn J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Oczkowski
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Altabet
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: McKinney
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005068:Eutrophication; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D058458:Nitrogen Cycle; D012237:Rhode Island; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D000641:Ammonia; D009584:Nitrogen