Results
of the Inventory of Coastal Habitats in
Southeastern Connecticut and Southern Rhode Island
A total of 118,583.2
acres of coastal wetlands, deepwater habitats, and coastal features
were inventoried in Table 5.
Aquatic
Beds
Various aquatic beds (SAV) were found dominated by one of the
following species: eelgrass (Zostera marina), Irish moss
(Chondrus crispus), Deadman’s fingers (Codium
fragile), barrel weed (Champia parvula), graceful
red weed (Gracilaria sp.), rough tangleweed (Stilophora
rhizodes), Sargassum (Sargassum filipendula), widgeon
grass (Ruppia maritima), knotted wrack (Ascophyllum
nodosum), hollow green weeds (Enteromorpha sp.),
rockweed (Fuscus vesiculosus), and sea lettuce (Ulva
lactuca).
Some common
associations of SAV species included C. crispus/U. lactuca, C.
fragile/Fucus sp., U. latuca/brown algae, and C.parvula/C. fragile.
Pure stands
of Z. marina were found in about 30% of the sites inspected. Remaining
Z. marina beds inspected were mixed in composotion, and included
subordinate species such as Enteromorpha sp., C. crispus, Gracilaria
sp., and C. fragile.
Table
4 shows a total of 554.9 acres of Z. marina were inventoried.
The largest areas of eelgrass beds are in Ninigret Pond with 161.3
acres and Potter’s Pond with 122.3 acres. By cover, Potter
Pond has the highest eelgrass acreage to pond area.
Dunes
A total of 244.5 acres of dune were inventoried with the project.
There may be additional acres of this habitat not mapped due to
photography overexposure and low or shallow crests not detectable
on the source photography. Dunes are dynamic features and have
likely changed in position and extent since the date of the overflight.
Open
Water
A total of 112,964.7 acres of open water habitat was inventoried.
Estuarine open water accounted for 7,103.9 acres (6%). Marine
open water amounted to 105,860.9 acres (93%).
Tidal
Flats and Pools
Estuarine tidal flats and pools totaled 1,738.4 acres. Of this
acreage, 1,639.6 acres were classified as flats and 98.8 acres
were classified as pools. Although no pannes of minimum detectable
size were mapped, occurrence of these relatively small habitats
is expected and would be inclusive with high salt marsh. A more
detailed inventory of pannes would require additional effort with
higher scale photography.
Beaches
A total of 856.1 acres of beaches were inventoried. Approximately
26% (219.9 acres) were in the estuarine environment and 74% (636.2
acres) were marine habitats. Of this acreage, regularly and irregularly-flooded
estuarine sand material accounted for 198.8 acres and regularly
and irregularly-flooded estuarine cobble material accounted for
21.1 acres. Regularly and irregularly-flooded marine sand material
accounted for 540.6 acres and regularly and irregularly flooded
marine cobble material accounted for 95.6 acres.
Artificial Habitats
A total of 19.3 acres of rock jetties and groins were detectable
as artificially-placed habitats.
Rocky
Shore
Rocky shores totaled 191.4 acres, with 8% or 15.6 acres in the
estuarine environment and 92% or 175.8 acres in the marine environment.
Seaweeds such as Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus
commonly colonize the regularly-flooded zone of the rocky
shores.
Reef
Four acres of oyster reef (Crassostrea virginica) were
inventoried in the estuarine system, 2 acres of which were interpreted
as farmed (E2RF2Nr).
Streambeds
There were 6.3 acres of estuarine mud or sand bottom streambed
inventoried.
Estuarine
Emergent Low Salt Marsh
A total of 70.2 acres of estuarine low salt marsh (regularly-flooded)
dominated by salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)
was inventoried. One percent (0.827 acres) is impounded and 4.4
acres (6.3%) are ditched. Fringe acreage is included where detectable
on source imagery.
Estuarine
Emergent High Salt Marsh
A total of 1,324.6 acres of estuarine high salt marsh (irregularly-flooded)
was mapped. Typical high marsh emergent species is represented
by salt meadow cordgrass (Spartina patens), black grass
(Juncus gerardii), spike grass (Distichilis spicata),
marsh orach (Atriplex patula), sea blite (Suaeda
linearis), seaside arrow grass (Triglochin maritimum),
annual salt marsh aster (Aster subulatus), perennial
salt marsh aster (A. tenuifolius), seaside goldenrod
(Solidago sempervirens) and sea lavender (Limonium
nashii). Of this acreage, 559.6 acres was ditched emergent
high salt marsh.
Phragmites
Marsh
Common reed (Phragmites australis) dominated 7% (101
acres) of estuarine high salt marsh inventoried, and 53.1 acres
(52.6%) of the P. australis-dominated high salt marsh was ditched.
Estuarine
Scrub-Shrub and Brackish Shrub Wetland
Estuarine high salt marsh (irregularly-flooded) dominated by shrubs
accounted for 113.6 acres. Of this, 40 % (45.7 acres) was ditched.
Species representative of this habitat type are high tide bush
(Iva frutescens) and groundsel tree (Baccharis halimifolia).
Estuarine
Brackish Marsh
Brackish emergent marsh totaled 116.5 acres. Typical brackish
marsh communities were found in the Kingston and Narragansett
Pier quads. Three of the field sites were dominated by the narrow-leaved
cattail (Typha angustifolia), and one was dominated by
slough grass (Spartina pectinata). Other species associated
with the sites were common reed (Phragmites australis),
wool grass (Scirpus cyperinus), swamp rose mallow (Hybiscus
moscheutos), swamp rose (Rosa palustris), purple
loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), curly dock (Rumex
crispus).
Phragmites Brackish Marsh
Common reed (Phragmites australis) in brackish conditions
totaled 177.3 acres.
Coastal
Bank
A total of 84.6 acres of coastal bank was inventoried with the
project. Polygon-sized banks only were interpreted. Additional
acres are expected due to shadowing and size limitations when
photo interpreting coastal banks.
Upland
Within the project area limits, the upland acreage was not provided.
The
above Results of the Inventory of Southern Rhode Island and
Southeastern Connecticut Coastal Habitats section is excerpted
from the Report
on the Analysis of True Color Aerial Photographs to Map Submenrged
Aquatic Vegetation, Coastal Wetlands, Deepwater Habitats, and
Coastal Features in Southern Rhode Island and Southeastern Connecticut
(Huber, 2003) which is available on this CD.
Summary
of Acreage Statistics:
