Bronx River Research Articles

The Bronx River Forest

The Bronx River Forest

Patterns of Aquatic Insect Biodiversity in the Highly Urbanized Bronx River, NY

Aquatic insects are important components of stream food webs and are greatly impacted by anthropogenic disturbances, including urbanization. Successful restoration of urban rivers is contingent on the growth of aquatic insect populations from colonizers from local, less-disturbed streams. However, rivers in highly urbanized watersheds may not have nearby source populations, and therefore must rely only on individuals already surviving in the river. At the regional level, urbanization is a homogenizing process, but the impacts could be heterogeneous at the local level. Therefore, some sites within highly urban rivers might support higher local biodiversity and provide source populations for restoration projects focused on other sites in the river. In this study, we collected aquatic insects from sites within the Bronx River, a highly urbanized river in the New York City metropolitan area, NY, in the summers of 2021 and 2022. We found that while taxonomic richness was similar among sites, insect abundance and dominant taxa, particularly members of Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera), varied significantly among sites. These findings suggest sites within the Bronx River are not homogenous and that some sites within the river harbor larger populations of aquatic insects and may be integral to the success of future conservation projects. This pattern of within-river heterogeneity may exist in other urban rivers and deserves consideration in determining conservation goals and the planning of stream-restoration projects.

The Bronx River and Environmental Justice Through the Lens of a Watershed

Environmental justice (EJ) in the United States has emerged and evolved in a range of ways. Although founded in explanations of distributional justice (i.e., place and proximity), scholars and activists have expanded our understandings of environmental (in)justice through ideas about recognition, participation, capabilities, and more. In this article, we seek to complement and extend this work by exploring EJ through the lens of a watershed. We consider the case of the Bronx River watershed where environmental injustices are not only proximate, they are also created and exacerbated through upstream/downstream relationships. In other words, the Bronx is at the receiving end of upstream environmental governance, where various forms of pollution are introduced and flow downstream, contributing to already-existing injustices. This perspective suggests the importance of a multiscalar EJ approach that brings attention to the problems created when diverse municipalities share a single watershed, and resulting environmental harms are disproportionately felt by downstream communities. We argue that there is a need to expand the canon of EJ scholarship with a focus on justice in a watershed frame. We draw on both community science data and research as well as a collaboration with the Bronx River Alliance, an environmental and community organization, to emphasize the importance of public engagement in defining and solving environmental injustices.

A Longitudinal Assessment of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity and Water Quality along the Bronx River

The Bronx River is an urban waterway with a long history of anthropogenic disturbance. We conducted a longitudinal assessment of the Bronx River's water quality by measuring benthic macroinvertebrate diversity at 6 sites along the river. We integrated long-term water-quality data collected by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. We found that the overall water quality of the river has remained moderately impacted over different timepoints throughout the past 22 years. The study site upstream of combined sewage overflows and municipal separate stormwater systems exhibited healthier biological profiles, whereas the most-downstream sites exhibited slight declines in water quality. The most recent survey of the Bronx River (2020) revealed that high invasive species dominance was associated with benthic macroinvertebrate communities that were less healthy. Notably, one invasive species not documented in historical surveys, Corbicula fluminea (Asian Clam), was sampled in 5 of 6 study sites during the 2020 surveys. Moreover, no species were sampled from the order Ephemeroptera (mayflies) in 2020 despite being present in previous surveys. These results can be used to guide the management of urban rivers.

COI amplicon sequence data of environmental DNA collected from the Bronx River Estuary, New York City

In this data paper, we describe environmental DNA (eDNA) cytochrome c oxidase (COI) amplicon sequence data from New York City’s Bronx River Estuary. As urban systems continue to expand, describing and monitoring their biodiversity is increasingly important for sustainability. Once polluted and overexploited, New York City’s Bronx River Estuary is undergoing revitalization and restoration. To investigate and characterize the area’s diversity, we collected and sequenced river sediment and surface water samples from Hunts Point Riverside and Soundview Parks (ntotal = 48; nsediment = 25; nwater = 23). COI analysis using universal primers mlCOIintF and jgHCO2198 detected 27,328 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) from 7,653,541 sequences, and rarefaction curves reached asymptotes indicating sufficient sampling depth. Of these, eukaryotes represented 9,841ASVs from 3,562,254 sequences. At the study sites over the sampling period, community composition varied by substrate (river sediment versus surface water) and with water temperature, but not pH. The three most common phyla were Bacillariophyta (diatoms), Annelida (segmented worms), and Ochrophyta (e.g. brown and golden algae). Of the eukaryotic ASVs, we identified 614 (6.2%) to species level, including several dinoflagellates linked to Harmful Algal Blooms such as Heterocapsa spp., as well as the invasive amphipod Grandidierella japonica. The analysis detected common bivalves including blue (Mytilus edulis) and ribbed (Geukensia demissa) mussels, as well as soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria), in addition to Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) that are being reintroduced to the area. Fish species undergoing restoration such as river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus, A. aestivalis) failed to be identified, although relatively common fish including Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia), menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) were found. The data highlight the utility of eDNA metabarcoding for analyzing urban estuarine biodiversity and provide a baseline for future work in the area.

18S rRNA amplicon sequence data (V1–V3) of the Bronx river estuary, New York

Characterising and monitoring biological diversity to foster sustainable ecosystems is highly recommended as urban centres rapidly expand. However, much of New York City’s biodiversity remains undescribed, including in the historically degraded, but recovering Bronx River Estuary. In a pilot study to identify organisms and characterise biodiversity patterns there, 18S rRNA gene amplicons (V1–V3 region), obtained from river sediments and surface waters of Hunts Point Riverside and Soundview Parks, were sequenced. Across 48 environmental samples collected over three seasons in 2015 and 2016, following quality control and contaminant removal, 2,763 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were identified from 1,918,463 sequences. Rarefaction analysis showed sufficient sampling depth, and community composition varied over time and by substrate at the study sites over the sampling period. Protists, plants, fungi and animals, including organisms of management concern, such as Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), wildlife pathogens and groups related to Harmful Algal Blooms, were detected. The most common taxa identified in river sediments were annelid worms, nematodes and diatoms. In the water column, the most commonly observed organisms were diatoms, algae of the phylum Cryptophyceae, ciliates and dinoflagellates. The presented dataset demonstrates the reach of 18S rRNA metabarcoding for characterising biodiversity in an urban estuary.

Abundance and Distribution of American Eel in a Heavily Dammed Urban River

AbstractThe American Eel Anguilla rostrata is a catadromous fish found in rivers along the East Coast of North America. American Eel populations have declined throughout their range for several reasons, including habitat fragmentation caused by damming, which hinders access to much of their historic lotic habitats. This study examined differences in abundance and size structure across river segments divided by nine dams in the Bronx River, New York, a heavily urbanized system. American Eels were sampled via multipass electrofishing at nine sites over the course of 3 years. American Eels 250 mm TL or larger were implanted with passive integrated transponder tags to estimate survival and movements. Estimates of abundance were calculated for electrofishing data using the Huggins closed‐capture model. Density was estimated based on area surveyed, abundance data, and estimated weights of American Eels. Eel mops were used to evaluate the presence and relative abundance of different life stages of American Eels (glass, elver, and small yellow phases). Our results showed decreased abundance in upstream areas, with a corresponding increase in average size. Density, by weight, was consistent among sites. Tagging data showed minimum apparent survival of up to 0.29 and only a single movement between dammed segments, demonstrating high site fidelity. Eel mop sampling revealed that although glass‐ and elver‐stage American Eels were common downstream, relative abundance decreased rapidly above the first dam. These results suggest that the Bronx River American Eel population is structured by physical barriers to passage, density‐dependent limitations, high stationariness, and high apparent survival.

Relating American Eel Abundance to Environmental DNA Concentration in the Bronx River

AbstractThe American Eel Anguilla rostrata has experienced a marked population decline due to a multitude of threats, including pollution, overfishing, and damming. Government agencies responsible for American Eel management have identified gaps in survey coverage and understanding of habitat needs as critical obstacles to recovery. However, efforts to expand American Eel monitoring are hindered by this species’ resistance to capture, the wide variety of habitats in which they occur, and their extensive natural range, which would be cost prohibitive to survey using established techniques. Surveys based on analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) may offer an affordable and efficient means of closing these gaps. While eDNA methods are increasingly used as a rapid, minimally invasive means of detecting species presence, attempts to use them to produce quantitative estimates of abundance have yielded mixed results. In order to evaluate the viability of eDNA as a quantitative American Eel monitoring tool, we compared the concentration of American Eel DNA in water samples to estimates of numerical and biomass density measured by electrofishing in the Bronx River, New York. Our results revealed a strong, positive association between DNA concentration and numerical density but no relationship with biomass density. Mass‐specific eDNA production rates were found to decline with mean American Eel weight. While further study will be required to determine whether the observed relationship between DNA concentration and numerical abundance is consistent across sites and whether it can be generalized to other systems, our findings suggest that eDNA will likely be a feasible and cost‐effective option for surveying American Eel abundance throughout their range.

Parallel and overlapping temporalities of city fabric, the New York Parkway Odyssey: 1870s–2000s

ABSTRACT By revisiting its history from 1870 down to the present, this essay examines the role played by the figure of the parkway – both as idea and as object – in the urban development of the New York metropolitan area. It is the ‘Odyssey’ that interests us here: from the emergence of the Brooklyn parkways designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, to the invention as a total project of the first modern parkway along the Bronx river, from the deployment of a system of regional parkways planned by Robert Moses in the 1930s to its obliteration in the face of the prominent development of highways, followed by the first attempts to rehabilitate historic parkways in the 1970s, when the city was going through a major crisis. Today, the renewed interest of designers and historians has made the parkway an important part of the heritage of urban planning, confronted with major projects and operations that mobilize different scales, uses and disciplines, between conflicting urban policies and temporal shifts. By looking back on its past and projecting its future, the inventory of the New York Parkway history provides valuable lessons with regard to the global changes affecting the contemporary city.

16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing of Urban Prokaryotic Communities in the South Bronx River Estuary.

Biodiversity monitoring is an essential component of restoration efforts. We sequenced 16S rRNA gene amplicons from sediments and waters of Hunts Point Riverside Park and Soundview Park, located in a historically degraded but recovering urban estuary in New York. In total, 16,165 unique amplicon sequence variants were recovered, and Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum.

Artifact NY: Nineteenth-Century Water Main

Artifact NYNineteenth-Century Water Main Don Wildman (bio) Beneath the teeming streets and sidewalks of Lower Manhattan, under some of the most densely built and rebuilt urban environment on the planet, lay the vestiges of hundreds of years of human habitation. Construction and utility crews have licensed archaeologists on call for the inevitable moments when excavations bring them face-to-face with New York City's buried past. In October 2004, during a routine installation of an electric service box at Coenties Slip Park near South Street Seaport, workers uncovered a length of bored-out log several feet underground. It was determined that this hollowed hemlock had served as an early nineteenth-century water main, still retaining the now-corroded metal ring that once stabilized its connection to a network of subterranean conduit throughout the city. This log pipe, along with two other sections found at the site, recalls a complex if underhanded plan to bring fresh water to a thirsty and diseased Manhattan, a scheme orchestrated by one of America's most notorious figures. At the rise of the nineteenth century, Manhattanites faced an urgent water crisis. A disorganized system of wells, pumps, and ponds left an expanding population of twenty-two thousand residents severely undersupplied. Many sources had become dangerously contaminated by careless industry and human and animal wastes. The city's many residential privies had begun to seep into the groundwater. The whole polluted mess inevitably led to outbreaks of cholera and yellow fever, which over decades killed thousands. Like Philadelphia and Boston, New York badly needed to innovate its water system if the city was to grow and prosper, but unlike those other cities, New York would do so in its own peculiar and idiosyncratic fashion, following the dubious leadership of Aaron Burr. Burr was a powerful and influential New Yorker with an ironclad résumé. He had commanded a regiment in the Revolutionary War, been elected to the New York State Assembly, served as New York's attorney general, and even run for president of the United States in 1800. He was a calculating player on the New York political scene, and as Manhattan faced this pressing water crisis Burr spied an opportunity not only to address the desperate need but to slake his own thirst for power and riches. [End Page 139] Click for larger view View full resolution Early nineteenth-century log water mains recovered from Manhattan's Coenties Slip during park renovations in 2004. (photo by joan h. geismar) Burr established the Manhattan Company, a private, for-profit entity established by in 1799 to transport fresh water from the Bronx River to Lower Manhattan, eleven miles south. However, in the company's state-approved charter, Burr had inserted a clause that allowed surplus capital to be used for fiscal debt and deposit transactions. The water utility would also be a bank! In time, cost-saving decisions were made to transport water not from the Bronx but rather from a spring-fed source much closer to town that city dwellers back to the Dutch had used for various purposes: a small, befouled lake known as Collect Pond. Over time, the company would only ever connect four hundred paying subscribers to its network. Burr would leave the Manhattan Company soon after, eventually going on to serve as vice-president under Thomas Jefferson. In 1808—the same year the Manhattan Company divested itself of its water operations, thus becoming solely a bank after all—Burr infamously shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. He would spend his remaining decades under a cloud of suspicion pursuing political and financial glories he would never achieve. As for the Manhattan Company, despite drastic shortcomings its water system remained in service until 1842, when renewed efforts to address still-rampant disease finally [End Page 140] Click for larger view View full resolution Water main pipe detail after conservation treatment in 2016. (courtesy of new york state museum collections) resulted in a genuine solution, the Croton Aqueduct. The bank, which grew into a financial giant, eventually constructed its headquarters on Wall Street and in 1955 merged with Chase National to become Chase Manhattan Bank. Today, the New York...

Characterization of agar from Gracilaria tikvahiae cultivated for nutrient bioextraction in open water farms

Gracilaria tikvahiae, an endemic western North Atlantic red alga, was cultivated for nutrient bioextraction in urbanized estuarine waters in Long Island Sound and the Bronx River Estuary, USA. This study assesses the feasibility of an integrated approach of using G. tikvahiae produced in this bioextraction system as sustainable biomass source for agar production. Agars were extracted after alkaline pre-treatment and characterized in terms of gelling strength, chemical composition, chemical structure and gel structure. Results indicated that this seaweed performed similar to other cultivated Gracilaria in terms of extraction yield and gelling strength of the agar. Differences between sites were not significant in terms of agar gel strength, though yield was higher at Long Island Sound. The extracted agars were sulfated, methylated and with no detectable pyruvate substituents. It is possible to use an integrated strategy of nutrient bioextraction in urbanized estuarine waters and agar exploitation with G. tikvahiae.

HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF FREE-RANGING CHELONIANS IN AN URBAN SECTION OF THE BRONX RIVER, NEW YORK, USA.

The Bronx River in Bronx, New York, US spans an area of significant human development and has been subject to historic and ongoing industrial contamination. We evaluated the health of freeranging native common snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina) and nonnative invasive red-eared sliders ( Trachemys scripta) in a segment of the Bronx River between May and July 2012. In 18 snapping turtles and nine sliders, complete physical examinations were performed, ectoparasites collected, and blood was analyzed for contaminants (mercury, thallium, cadmium, arsenic, lead, selenium, oxychlordane, alpha-chlordane, dieldrin, DDD, DDE, polychlorinated biphenyls). Complete blood counts and the presence of hemoparasites were determined in 16 snapping turtles and nine sliders. Swabs of the choana and cloaca were screened for ranavirus, adenovirus, herpesvirus, and Mycoplasma spp. by PCR in 39 snapping turtles and 28 sliders. Both turtle species exhibited bioaccumulation of various environmental contaminants, particularly organochlorines and polychlorinated biphenyls. Molecular screening revealed a unique herpesvirus in each species. A Mycoplasma sp. previously isolated from emydid turtles was detected in red-eared sliders while a unique Mycoplasma sp. was identified in common snapping turtles. Ranaviruses and adenoviruses were not detected. Our study established a baseline health assessment to which future data can be compared. Moreover, it served to expand the knowledge and patterns of health markers, environmental contaminants, and microorganisms of freeranging chelonians.

Cultivation of the Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa) for Nutrient Bioextraction in an Urban Estuary.

Shellfish aquaculture is gaining acceptance as a tool to reduce nutrient over enrichment in coastal and estuarine ecosystems through the feeding activity of the animals and assimilation of filtered particles in shellfish tissues. This ecosystem service, provided by the ribbed mussel (Geukensia demissa), was studied in animals suspended from a commercial mussel raft in the urban Bronx River Estuary, NY, in waters closed to shellfish harvest due to bacterial contamination. Naturally occurring populations of ribbed mussels were observed to be healthy and resilient in this highly urbanized environment. Furthermore, mussels grown suspended in the water column contained substantially lower concentrations of heavy metals and organic contaminants in their tissues than blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) collected at a nearby benthic site. Spat collection efforts from shore and within the water column were unsuccessful; this was identified as a key bottleneck to future large-scale implementation. Filtration experiments indicated that a fully stocked G. demissa raft would clear an average 1.2 × 107 L of Bronx River Estuary water daily, removing 160 kg of particulate matter from the water column, of which 12 kg would be absorbed into mussel digestive systems. At harvest, 62.6 kg of nitrogen would be sequestered in mussel tissue and shell. These values compare favorably to other resource management recovery methods targeting agricultural and stormwater nitrogen sources.

Japanese Knotweed Management in the Riparian Zone of the Bronx River

Japanese Knotweed Management in the Riparian Zone of the Bronx River

Quantification of heat shock protein 70 and acetylcholinesterase over a time course suggests environmental adaptation in a foundational molluscan species

Waterways in urban areas often act as repositories for sewage, industrial waste, and environmental contaminants. In response, inhabitants of these watersheds undergo physiological adaptations specific to their respective environments. Effects of these stressors can be assayed by quantification of various well-documented biomarkers in sentinel species such as the Atlantic Ribbed mussel, Geukensia demissa, a native to the Bronx River Estuary, Bronx, NY, USA. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is a universally expressed biomarker for an array of environmental stressors including toxins and low dissolved oxygen. To better understand the mechanisms by which organisms tolerate their contaminated environments, we monitored the constitutive and heat shock-induced levels of two proteins: Hsp70 and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in natural populations of G. demissa from differentially impacted sites: the Bronx River and Greenwich Cove estuaries. We show that G. demissa from the Bronx River exhibits a higher level of constitutive Hsp70, and launches a more rapid and robust heat shock response than does its Greenwich Cove counterpart. In addition, AChE levels are recovered more quickly in Bronx River mussels. Based on response pattern investigations from heat stress as well as constitutive expression, we suggest that the Hsp70/AChE chaperone/client relationship exemplifies the unique adaptive mechanisms utilized by organisms in order to tolerate environmentally impacted habitats. Results from this study offer important insights from an ecological perspective into the molecular and cellular basis of stress response and provide valuable information regarding adaptation to the increased demands of challenging environments.

Green-blue infrastructure in urban areas, the case of the Bronx River (NYC) and Paillon (Nice)

Le citta sono tra i luoghi piu vulnerabili rispetto agli effetti del climate change , soprattutto per quanto riguarda rischi alluvionali e onde di calore. Le infrastrutture verdi e blu sono annoverate tra le strategie natured-based di mitigazione e adattamento al cambiamento climatico, in quanto capaci di migliorare la qualita ambientale ed ecologica anche in ambienti densamente costruiti. L’articolo intende approfondire le strategie di gestione delle acque meteoriche in ambito urbano, in particolare quelle che prevedono l’integrazione tra infrastrutture verdi-blu e interventi di rinaturalizzazione degli ambiti fluviali. Le premesse teoriche, sviluppate in riferimento alla letteratura internazionale, sono oggetto di verifica attraverso l’analisi di due esperienze internazionali, avvenute rispettivamente a New York e a Nizza. Due casi in cui, in contesti e con modalita operative diverse, il miglioramento di aree urbane degradate e stato ottenuto grazie alla realizzazione di infrastrutture verdi-blu.

The historic and extant spontaneous vascular flora of The New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden occupies 100 hectares (250 acres) in the north central portion of Bronx County, New York. The property is a public garden with the majority of the grounds under cultivation. The Thain Family Forest, margins of the Bronx River, rock outcrops and areas of undeveloped landscape are important refugia for spontaneous plants, both native and non-native. We compiled data from historic lists of spontaneously occurring species, conducted original field work and searched the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium to determine the historic and extant spontaneous vascular plant flora of the Garden from 1899 to 2015. This is the first published inventory of the wild flora since 1899. The historic and extant flora comprises 695 species and infraspecies in 363 genera and 121 families. The extant flora comprises 429 species and infraspecies in 263 genera and 108 families. A total of 264 (62%) of the extant species and infraspecies are native and 165 (38%) are not native. All species are vouchered by herbarium specimens collected between 1881 and 2015. All herbarium vouchers are databased, imaged and available online. Forty-six species and infraspecies are new Bronx County records. Among the rare extant species and infraspecies on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Active Inventory List are three critically imperiled (S1) and two imperiled (S2) taxa, and Carex aggregata that was thought to be historical (SH, no existing sites known) in New York State, but was found in 2009 on the grounds. The number of extant rare species and infraspecies, the total number of extant taxa and the percentage of native verus non-native species strongly supports the conclusion that The New York Botanical Garden is an important and significant refugium or hotspot for local biodiversity.

Uncertainty based modeling of rainfall-runoff: Combined differential evolution adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) and K-means clustering

Simulation of rainfall-runoff process in urban areas is of great importance considering the consequences and damages of extreme runoff events and floods. The first issue in flood hazard analysis is rainfall simulation. Large scale climate signals have been proved to be effective in rainfall simulation and prediction. In this study, an integrated scheme is developed for rainfall-runoff modeling considering different sources of uncertainty. This scheme includes three main steps of rainfall forecasting, rainfall-runoff simulation and future runoff prediction. In the first step, data driven models are developed and used to forecast rainfall using large scale climate signals as rainfall predictors. Due to high effect of different sources of uncertainty on the output of hydrologic models, in the second step uncertainty associated with input data, model parameters and model structure is incorporated in rainfall-runoff modeling and simulation. Three rainfall-runoff simulation models are developed for consideration of model conceptual (structural) uncertainty in real time runoff forecasting. To analyze the uncertainty of the model structure, streamflows generated by alternative rainfall-runoff models are combined, through developing a weighting method based on K-means clustering. Model parameters and input uncertainty are investigated using an adaptive Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. Finally, calibrated rainfall-runoff models are driven using the forecasted rainfall to predict future runoff for the watershed. The proposed scheme is employed in the case study of the Bronx River watershed, New York City. Results of uncertainty analysis of rainfall-runoff modeling reveal that simultaneous estimation of model parameters and input uncertainty significantly changes the probability distribution of the model parameters. It is also observed that by combining the outputs of the hydrological models using the proposed clustering scheme, the accuracy of runoff simulation in the watershed is remarkably improved up to 50% in comparison to the simulations by the individual models. Results indicate that the developed methodology not only provides reliable tools for rainfall and runoff modeling, but also adequate time for incorporating required mitigation measures in dealing with potentially extreme runoff events and flood hazard. Results of this study can be used in identification of the main factors affecting flood hazard analysis.

Use of sugar kelp aquaculture in Long Island Sound and the Bronx River Estuary for nutrient extraction

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 531:155-166 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11331 Use of sugar kelp aquaculture in Long Island Sound and the Bronx River Estuary for nutrient extraction Jang K. Kim1,*, George P. Kraemer2, Charles Yarish3 1Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1 University Place, Stamford, CT 06901, USA 2Department of Environmental Studies, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577, USA 3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 1 University Place, Stamford, CT 06901, USA *Corresponding author: jang.kim@uconn.edu ABSTRACT: We previously demonstrated the suitability of seaweed aquaculture as a nutrient management tool, using the warm temperate rhodophyte Gracilaria tikvahiae McLachlan. The present follow-up study revealed an even higher nutrient bioextraction capacity in the cold-water species Saccharina latissima at 3 sites—the mouth of the Bronx River Estuary (Bronx, NY; BRE), western Long Island Sound (Fairfield, CT; WLIS) and central Long Island Sound (Branford, CT; CLIS), during winter and spring of the 2012-2013 growing season. These sites differ in temperature (BRE > CLIS > WIS), salinity (BRE < WLIS = CLIS) and nutrients (BRE >> WLIS = CLIS). We estimated that S. latissima could remove up to 180, 67 and 38 kg N ha-1 at BRE, WLIS and CLIS respectively, in a hypothetical kelp farm system with 1.5 m spacing between longlines. In the same hypothetical kelp farm system, the estimated carbon sequestration values are 1350 (BRE), 1800 (WLIS) and 1100 (CLIS) kg C ha-1. The potential monetary values of N sequestration by the sugar kelp are up to $1600 (BRE), $760 (WLIS) and $430 (CLIS) ha-1, if incorporated in the State of Connecticut Nitrogen Credit Trading Program and a carbon-pricing scheme. The potential economic values of C sequestration are $30-300 (BRE), $40-400 WLIS), and $24-240 (CLIS) ha-1. These results suggest that seaweed aquaculture is a useful technique for nutrient bioextraction in urbanized coastal waters, such as LIS and BRE. Alternation of the warm- and cold-water species would maximize nutrient bioextraction and augment other ecosystem services, producing economic benefits for the region while helping to manage non-source eutrophication. KEY WORDS: Nutrient bioextraction · Kelp aquaculture · Saccharina latissima · Estuary Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Kim JK, Kraemer GP, Yarish C (2015) Use of sugar kelp aquaculture in Long Island Sound and the Bronx River Estuary for nutrient extraction. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 531:155-166. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11331 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 531. Online publication date: July 02, 2015 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.