Long-term declines in chlorophyll and variable phenology revealed by a 60-year estuarine plankton time series.

Long-term ecological time series provide a unique perspective on the emergent properties of ecosystems. In aquatic systems, phytoplankton form the base of the food web and their biomass, measured as the concentration of the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll (chl ), is an indicator of ecosystem quality. We analyzed temporal trends in chl from the Long-Term Plankton Time Series in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA, a temperate estuary experiencing long-term warming and changing anthropogenic nutrient inputs.

Campylobacter jejuni Outbreak Linked to Raw Oysters in Rhode Island, 2021.

Oysters and other shellfish are not a food that is commonly highlighted as high risk for Campylobacter contamination. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) conducted a multiagency investigation of a Campylobacter jejuni outbreak that was linked to the consumption of raw oysters; the first such outbreak was detected in Rhode Island. The environmental investigation identified birds as the likely source of contamination of the aquacultured oysters.

Emerging harmful algal blooms caused by distinct seasonal assemblages of a toxic diatom.

Diatoms in the genus produce the neurotoxin domoic acid. Domoic acid bioaccumulates in shellfish, causing illness in humans and marine animals upon ingestion. In 2017, high domoic acid levels in shellfish meat closed shellfish harvest in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island for the first and only time in history, although abundant have been observed for over 60 years To investigate whether an environmental factor altered endemic physiology or new domoic acid-producing strain(s) were introduced to Narragansett Bay, we conducted weekly sampling from 2017 to 2019 and compared closure samples.

Coincident patterns of waste water suspended solids reduction, water transparency increase and chlorophyll decline in Narragansett Bay.

Dramatic changes occurred in Narragansett Bay during the 1980s: water clarity increased, while phytoplankton abundance and chlorophyll concentration decreased. We examine how changes in total suspended solids (TSS) loading from wastewater treatment plants may have influenced this decline in phytoplankton chlorophyll. TSS loading, light and phytoplankton observations were compiled and a light- and temperature-dependent Skeletonema-based phytoplankton growth model was applied to evaluate chlorophyll supported by TSS nitrogen during 1983-1995.