Notes on the Flora of Block Island

Abstract Invasive arthropod vectors and the range expansions of native vectors can lead to public and veterinary health concerns, as these vectors may introduce novel pathogens or spread endemic pathogens to new locations. Recent tick invasions and range expansion in the United States has been attributed to climate and land use change, an increase in global travel, and importations of exotic animals. A 10 year surveillance study was conducted on Block Island, Rhode Island from 2010–2020 including sampling ticks from small mammal and avian hosts. We report the discovery and establishment of the red sheep tick for the first time in the western hemisphere and in the United States. This invasive species was first collected in 2010 on Block Island, was collected continuously throughout the study, and was collected from an avian host. We document the first report of the invasive Asian longhorned tick in the state of Rhode Island, first observed at our sites in 2018. Finally, we present data on the range expansion and establishment of two native tick species, the lone star tick and the rabbit tick on Block Island. This study emphasized the importance of long-term surveillance to detect changes in tick host communities, including invasive and expanding native vectors of potential significance to humans and wildlife.

The Geology of Block Island

Science ◽

10.1126/science.4.94.571.b ◽

1896 ◽

Vol 4 (94) ◽

pp. 571-572

Author(s):

Arthur Hollick

Keyword(s):

Block Island

Foraminifera as Proxies for Salt Marsh Establishment and Evolution on Block Island, RI

10.14418/wes01.1.406 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Emma Belle Kravet

Keyword(s):

Salt Marsh ◽

Block Island

Dynamics of the Block Island Sound Estuarine Plume

Journal of Physical Oceanography ◽

10.1175/jpo-d-15-0099.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (5) ◽

pp. 1633-1656 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Qianqian Liu ◽

Lewis M. Rothstein ◽

Yiyong Luo

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Variation ◽

River Discharge ◽

Long Island ◽

Long Island Sound ◽

Ocean Modeling ◽

Surface Heating ◽

Buoyant Plume ◽

Regional Ocean Modeling System ◽

Block Island ◽

Island Sound

AbstractBuoyant discharge of freshwater from Long Island Sound (LIS) forms a seasonal buoyant plume outside Block Island Sound (BIS) between the coast of Long Island and the denser shelf waters. The plume’s seasonal variability and its response to tides, winds, and surface heating are investigated through a series of process-oriented experiments using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Results show the importance of river discharge, wind directions, and surface heating in the seasonal variation of the BIS buoyant plume. In winter and spring, the plume is intermediate with a large surface offshore extension detached from the bottom. From winter to spring, the river discharge increases; meanwhile, upwelling-favorable winds keep dominating. They compete with the increase of surface heating and generate a broader buoyant plume in spring than in winter. In summer, the plume is bottom advected with most of its width in contact with the bottom and is featured with the steepest isopycnals and narrowest plume, which is driven by a combination of strong insolation, weak buoyant discharge from LIS, and feeble winds. In fall, although the river discharge is comparable to that in winter, the upwelling-favorable wind is relatively weaker, corresponding to a narrower intermediate plume.

V. Block Island: After the Tempest

The Double Witness: Poems, 1970-1976 ◽

10.1515/9781400867219-005 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 53-73

Keyword(s):

The Tempest ◽

Block Island

The Orientation of Passerine Nocturnal Migrants Following Offshore Drift

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/94.2.320 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 94 (2) ◽

pp. 320-330 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Kenneth P. Able

Keyword(s):

New England ◽

Rhode Island ◽

Subcutaneous Fat ◽

Field Observations ◽

Nocturnal Activity ◽

Wind Drift ◽

Positive Phototaxis ◽

Nocturnal Migration ◽

Block Island

Abstract Nocturnal autumn passerine migrants are frequently drifted by wind or carried by downwind flight from New England to offshore islands. Most individuals in these flights are immatures. Many recover the mainland via reoriented northward flights. During fall 1972, I made field observations and performed orientation cage tests on nocturnal migrants on Block Island, Rhode Island. Migrants reached the island during four southward movements in following winds. Migration was very light or absent on most other nights. Reoriented diurnal flights left from the island immediately after the arrival of a large nocturnal migration. Northward movements occurred on two nights following daytime reoriented flights. These nocturnal movements are tentatively interpreted as constituting reoriented flights. About 27% of the 79 individuals tested in orientation cages showed significantly directional nocturnal activity. About two-thirds of these oriented basically northwestward, corresponding to the reoriented flight of free-flying birds. These and similar reorientations of immature birds can be explained by a simple compass reorientation in response to wind drift over the ocean without invoking complicated navigation mechanisms. The remaining individuals oriented toward the southeast. Eleven birds exhibited a significant eastward orientation during the first few hours after dawn; this is interpreted as a positive phototaxis. Three of four Blackpoll Warblers oriented southward. No correlation existed between the quantity of Zugunruhe and the amount of subcutaneous fat, but fatter birds were significantly more likely to show oriented nocturnal activity.

Overview of underwater acoustic and seismic measurements of the construction and operation of the Block Island Wind Farm

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.4989144 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 141 (5) ◽

pp. 3993-3993

Author(s):

James H Miller ◽

Gopu R. Potty ◽

Ying-Tsong Lin ◽

Arthur Newhall ◽

Kathleen J. Vigness-Raposa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wind Farm ◽

Underwater Acoustic ◽

Block Island ◽

Seismic Measurements