Nearly 1,300 coastal researchers from around the world will convene in Providence next week for a conference on the environmental impacts of development, climate change and other pressures on coastal regions.
The biannual conference of the Estuarine Research Federation, a nonprofit, multidisciplinary scientific organization dedicated to advancing research and policy regarding the Earth’s estuaries and coasts, will be held Nov. 4 to 8 at the R.I. Convention Center.
The ERF’s members include government scientists and policymakers, academic researchers, consultants, students and others who are interested in estuaries. Presenters at this year’s conference will include research teams from the University of Rhode Island, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, the R.I. Division of Fish & Wildlife, Rhode Island School of Design and the R.I. Sea Grant College Program.
They and coastal experts from around the world will present the latest research on a variety of problems that threaten the ecological and environmental health of coastal regions, and which could potentially have major economic repercussions, said Charles N. Farris, a spokesman for the ERF, who works in the regulatory division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ regional office in Concord, Mass.
“If you think of some of the classic historical industries of Rhode Island – things like agriculture and clamming – they would be directly impacted by changes in water quality,” Farris said. “Whatever decisions are made in terms of putting together development policies have a direct impact on all the businesses associated with it.”
Topics of discussion will include invasive species, sudden wetland dieback, nutrient loading, hypoxia and coastal water quality, Farris said. The conference’s keynote speaker will be Rosina Bierbaum, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. Her keynote address will be on the impact of climate change on estuarine and coastal environments.
In addition, the conference will feature workshops covering issues such as ecosystem-based management, new technologies being used to measure the health of coastal waters, and ways to improve communication between scientists and public policymakers.
Rhode Island developed one of the first coastal management plans in the United States, and the experience gained here will be shared with national and international colleagues while in turn drawing lessons from their work, Farris said.
Field trips to local sites will include an exploration of Narragansett Bay, which will highlight the way that scientists and coastal managers from the DEM, the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the academic and environmental communities have applied their skills to coping with challenges facing Rhode Island’s coastline, he said.
The field trip on Narragansett Bay will explore completed salt-marsh and fish-run restoration projects. It also will visit the Roger Williams University aquaculture facility, the EPA’s Atlantic Ecology Division laboratory and the URI Bay Campus.
“The biennial ERF conference has had global impacts through its sharing of knowledge and experience among the world’s leaders in a variety of scientific fields,” said Robert Howarth, president of ERF. “This year’s meeting will again highlight how science is being used in many, many ways to improve and back up the way society makes decisions on coastal management that guide future environmental and economic growth.” •
