Summary

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.

Choice Review

The US Industrial Revolution began on the banks of the Blackstone River, which flows into Narragansett Bay, RI; over the years, this area has paid a high environmental cost. The different industries that have operated in this area have included textile and jewelry manufacturing, each bringing different types of environmental damage. Narragansett Bay also has high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which has led to eutrophication. This book, part of the "Springer Series on Environmental Management," is based on a 2004 symposium of the same name. Desbonnet and Costa-Pierce (both, Rhode Island Sea Grant College) bring together all aspects of ecosystem-based management practices to improve environmental quality. Each chapter, written by the expert in the field, contains clear tables and figures that help to illustrate points in the text. The chapters convey what occurred in the past, what is going on now, and modeling predication for the future, with a focus on the geology, chemistry, biology, history, and modeling efforts in the bay. The book contains many references related to the field site and to best practices in ecosystem management; it will be especially valuable for readers working in Rhode Island. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals. M. E. Lenczewski Northern Illinois University