Rhode Island
Rhode Island, smallest of the 50 states, is densely populated and highly industrialized. It is a major center for jewelry manufacturing, electronics, metal and plastic products, as well as boat and ship construction . Officially nicknamed "The Ocean State", the state's geography contains several large bays and inlets that amount to about 14% of its 1,241 square miles.
News
Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025
Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025
StreamStats: Highlighting a 25-Year Web Tool Developed in Massachusetts
StreamStats: Highlighting a 25-Year Web Tool Developed in Massachusetts
USGS Hydrologist Paul Barlow Retires After 41 Years
USGS Hydrologist Paul Barlow Retires After 41 Years
Publications
The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Rhode Island’s economy
Introduction High-resolution elevation data are critical to applications of landscape modeling and planning, both of which have a significant effect on Rhode Island’s economy. In these and other enterprises, program managers, while aiming to strike a balance between accuracy and cost, strive to obtain the best available elevation data to help them address a range of issues. Programs...
Nitrate loads and concentrations from forested watersheds and implications for Long Island Sound
Reduction in point sources of nitrogen has led to improvement in water quality of the Long Island Sound (LIS) since 2000, but changes in nonpoint sources are less clear. A significant yet poorly quantified nonpoint nitrogen source is the forested landscape. Because a large proportion of the LIS basin is forested, even small areal inputs from the forested landscape have a large cumulative...
Base-flow sampling to enhance understanding of the groundwater flow component of nitrogen loading in small watersheds draining into Long Island Sound
Excessive nitrogen discharge is a major concern for the Long Island Sound. Programs have been implemented to reduce point sources of nitrogen to the sound, but little is known about the nonpoint sources. This study aims to better understand the current groundwater contributions of nitrogen from nonpoint sources in the Long Island Sound watershed.During the spring and summer of 2022, the...
Science
Susceptibility of Water Resources to Water-Quality Impairment from Onsite Wastewater Disposal in Rhode Island
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, is investigating the relationship between onsite wastewater treatment systems and nitrogen loads in water bodies in the Narragansett Bay watershed in Rhode Island.
Estimating Nitrogen Loading from Groundwater and Potential Effects of Sea-Level Rise in Rhode Island's Salt Ponds Region
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Southeast New England Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is estimating the magnitude, spatial distribution, and travel times of nitrogen-loading to ponds and streams in the Salt Ponds region of southern Rhode Island. This information can be used to guide conservation-management efforts aimed at reducing nitrogen inputs to...
USGS Science in Support of Public Safety & Security
Science within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides a critical advantage in addressing public safety, infrastructure, and security issues surrounding natural disasters and changing landscapes, strengthening America’s ability to be a hazard ready Nation.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Cooperative Research Units, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Environmental Health Program, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Drought, Wildland Fire Science