The Changing of Narragansett Bay Habitat by Land Use

Abstract

Climate change becomes a very serious treat that affect people and the environment. As consequences of climate changes, extreme weather conditions, flooding, drying, runoff pollution, and erosion are predicted to become more frequent. New England has showed the largest increase (61%) in extreme precipitation frequency in the U.S. Especially, Rhode Island has 81 % increases in frequency of extreme precipitation during 1948-2006. Narragansett Bay is located on the north side of the Rhode Island sound, and the bay is an important habitat for many species of flora and fauna. The purpose of this study is to determine what Narragansett Bay habitat is impacted by land use. According to the results, we concluded that the wetlands are really valuable today because the natural functions and public benefits of wetlands are well understood by both scientists and land managers. However, large gaps still exist in the public’s understanding of what and where wetlands are, why they matter, and how they are protected. According to our study based on ArcGis, we have found that 3624.8255 acres of wetlands have been damaged by land use in Narragansett Bay. Also, according to data and maps, industrial (manufacturing, design, assembly, etc.) has the large damage on wetlands in Narragansett Bay. In addition, the surface area has been changed 2.8x106 ft2 was gained and 2.6x107 ft2 was lost because the sea level rises.