| Quonochontaug Pond | |
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 Quonochontaug Pond in August 2009 | |
  Quonochontaug Pond | |
| Location | Washington County, Rhode Island |
| Coordinates | 41°20′30″N71°43′18″W / 41.34167°N 71.72167°W Coordinates: 41°20′30″N71°43′18″W / 41.34167°N 71.72167°W |
| Type | lagoon |
Quonochontaug is a coastal lagoon in the towns of Charlestown and Westerly, both in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. [1] It is the most saline of nine such lagoons (often referred to as "salt ponds") in southern Rhode Island. [2]
Quonochontaug Pond is the deepest and most saline of the salt ponds. It is connected directly to the sea by a breachway that was stabilized with rock jetties by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s. And, as in the other ponds, sand eroding from the ocean side of the barrier beach is transported through the breachway into the pond where it settles and creates expanding shoals. In contrast to the other ponds, however, much of "Quonnie's" western barrier beach remains in a protected, undeveloped state even though it is privately owned.
The town boundary between Westerly and Charlestown cuts through the middle of the pond. Water quality in past years has been very good because the pond is relatively deep, well flushed by the tides, and development has been limited. Quonnie is the least intensely developed of any of the ponds. Most of the development is residential and much of it is occupied only seasonally. Like all of the ponds, Quonnie is an important nursery for winter flounder, young striped bass, blue fish, and tautog. Bay scallops fluctuate in abundance from year to year, but in a good year, they are often found in this salt pond.
In the past few years, development pressures have increased dramatically, even though the watershed area is relatively small and a large portion of it is wet, red maple swamps. Much of the available remaining land is being subdivided into building lots.
This text is from Salt Pond Watchers Summary Data Report 1985 – 1987, Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island Technical Report No. 10, October 1990, by P. Kullberg, V. Lee, and M. Platt. Often referred to by locals as "Quonnie Pond", or "Quonnie", the lagoon is bounded on the south by coastal beaches, with a narrow breach way, created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s, providing access to Block Island Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. The westernmost side of Quonnie is the site of the Weekapaug Inn, whose restaurants overlook the lagoon.
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by reefs, barrier islands, or a barrier peninsula. Lagoons are commonly divided into coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons. They have also been identified as occurring on mixed-sand and gravel coastlines. There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries. Lagoons are common coastal features around many parts of the world.
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated by dense stands of salt-tolerant plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh in trapping and binding sediments. Salt marshes play a large role in the aquatic food web and the delivery of nutrients to coastal waters. They also support terrestrial animals and provide coastal protection.
In oceanography, geomorphology, and earth sciences, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. Often it refers to those submerged ridges, banks, or bars that rise near enough to the surface of a body of water as to constitute a danger to navigation. Shoals are also known as sandbanks, sandbars, or gravelbars. Two or more shoals that are either separated by shared troughs or interconnected by past or present sedimentary and hydrographic processes are referred to as a shoal complex.
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen. They are subject to change during storms and other action, but absorb energy and protect the coastlines and create areas of protected waters where wetlands may flourish. A barrier chain may extend uninterrupted for over a hundred kilometers, excepting the tidal inlets that separate the islands, the longest and widest being Padre Island of Texas. Sometimes an important inlet may close permanently, transforming an island into a peninsula, thus creating a barrier peninsula. The length and width of barriers and overall morphology of barrier coasts are related to parameters including tidal range, wave energy, sediment supply, sea-level trends, and basement controls. The amount of vegetation on the barrier has a large impact on the height and evolution of the island.
Route 1A, largely signed as Scenic 1A, is a 33.3-mile (53.6 km) long numbered state highway located in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The route, which parallels U.S. Route 1 for its entire length, has four distinct sections connected by US 1, two of which require median u-turn ramps to cross US 1. It travels through five towns in Washington County: Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, and North Kingstown.
Coastal geography is the study of the constantly changing region between the ocean and the land, incorporating both the physical geography and the human geography of the coast. It includes understanding coastal weathering processes, particularly wave action, sediment movement and weather, and the ways in which humans interact with the coast
Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and are distinguished by waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 70% of the surface of the Earth and account for more than 97% of Earth's water supply and 90% of habitable space on Earth. Marine ecosystems include nearshore systems, such as the salt marshes, mudflats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, rocky intertidal systems and coral reefs. They also extend outwards from the coast to include offshore systems, such as the surface ocean, pelagic ocean waters, the deep sea, oceanic hydrothermal vents, and the sea floor. Marine ecosystems are characterized by the biological community of organisms that they are associated with and their physical environment.
Misquamicut State Beach is a seaside public recreation area in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. It occupies a portion of Misquamicut Beach, a 3-mile-long (4.8 km) barrier island that extends westward from Weekapaug to Watch Hill and separates Winnapaug Pond from the Atlantic Ocean. The state beach covers 51 acres (21 ha) and features a large beach pavilion with multiple public facilities.
Weekapaug is a census-designated place in southern Washington County, Rhode Island, part of the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. The population was 425 at the 2010 census.
Point Judith Pond is a shallow, four-mile (6 km)-long salt body of water lying behind the barrier beaches and sand dunes that form Point Judith Harbor, which lies immediately west of Point Judith in Narragansett, Rhode Island at the southwestern tip of Narragansett Bay. Located about 14 miles (23 km) southwest of Newport Harbor, Point Judith Pond forms a partial border between the communities of Narragansett and South Kingstown, and is connected to Point Judith Harbor by a narrow waterway that cuts through the beaches and sandy shoreline. This waterway is used by a large fishing fleet and local and transient recreational craft. The harbor handles a large amount of passenger traffic, primarily during the summer. Year-round ferry service is available between Point Judith and Block Island.
Washdyke Lagoon is a brackish shallow coastal lagoon approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north of Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. The lagoon has drastically reduced in size since 1881 when it was approximately 253 hectares, now it is less than 48 hectares (0.48 km2) in area. It is enclosed by a barrier beach that is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long and 3 metres (9.8 ft) above high tide at its largest point. The reduced lagoon size is due to the construction of the Timaru Port breakwater which is preventing coarse sediments from reaching and replenishing Washdyke Barrier. This is important as the lagoon and the surrounding 250 hectares are classified as a wildlife refuge and it demonstrates the role human structures have on coastline evolution.
Winnapaug Pond is a breached saltwater lagoon in Westerly, Rhode Island, United States, connected to Block Island Sound by the Weekapaug Breachway, which was constructed during the mid-1950s. The 2.5-mile (4.0 km) lake is separated from the Atlantic by a large sandbar. The Atlantic side of the sandbar is lined by beaches, including Misquamicut Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Westerly Town Beach. In 2010, its overall water quality was assessed as "good". Winnapaug is relatively small and shallow, and is favorable for kayaking. It is one of nine coastal lagoons, referred to as "salt ponds" by locals, in southern Rhode Island.
Trustom Pond is a closed lagoon in South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. It is one of nine coastal lagoons in southern Rhode Island. It has a surface area of 800 acres (320 ha), and is the only undeveloped salt pond in the state. The pond averages 1.3 feet (0.40 m) deep, and has a salinity level of 5 parts per thousand. It is non-tidal, except when breached by storms. The water directly receives about 219,844,022 US gallons (832,200,150 L) of precipitation per year, with an estimated 796,215 US gallons (3,014,000 L) in daily groundwater flow. No streams flow into the pond, though a nearby stream "captures water that otherwise would have flowed to Trustom Pond".
Maschaug Pond is a coastal lagoon in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Located at 41°19′07″N71°49′51″W, it is one of nine such lagoons in southern Rhode Island. A "small, brackish pond", it is not permanently connected to the Block Island Sound, and is largely bordered by the Misquamicut Club golf course. Nests of the piping plover, which has been federally designated as a threatened species, have been documented within the watershed.
Cards Pond, or Card Pond, is a coastal lagoon in South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States.
Ninigret is a coastal lagoon in Charlestown, Rhode Island, in the United States, located at 41°22′45″N71°38′43″W. It is the largest of the nine lagoons, or "salt ponds", in southern Rhode Island. It is utilized for recreational activities, as well as oyster and quahog harvesting. Found along its shores are "extensive" archaeological remains. Ninigret Pond, like others in the region, was "formed after the recession of the glaciers 12,000 years ago". The pond is situated on low-lying ground, and as such, it is considered particularly vulnerable to storm surge flooding. It is connected to Green Hill Pond via a small channel.
Quicksand Pond is a pond in Little Compton, Rhode Island.
Menemsha Pond is a salt pond split between the towns of Aquinnah & Chilmark, Massachusetts. At the mouth of the pond, the Menemsha Creek leads into the Menemsha Bight and the Vineyard Sound. Along Menemsha Creek sits the historic sea-side fishing village of Menemsha. Menemsha Pond connects to both Stonewall Pond via Nashaquitsa Pond and to Squibnocket Pond via the Squibnocket Herring Run.
Hapua is the Māori term for river-mouth lagoons on mixed sand and gravel (MSG) beaches which form at the river-coast interface where a typically braided, although sometimes meandering, river interacts with a coastal environment that is significantly affected by longshore drift. The lagoons which form on the MSG coastlines are common on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand and have long been referred to as hapua by the Māori. This classification differentiates hapua from similar lagoons located on the New Zealand coast termed waituna. Hapua are often located on paraglacial coastal areas where there is a low level of coastal development and minimal population density. Hapua form as the river carves out an elongated coast-parallel area, blocked from the sea by a MSG barrier which constantly alters its shape and volume due to longshore drift. Longshore drift continually extends the barrier behind which the hapua forms by transporting sediment along the coast. Hapua are defined as a narrow shore-parallel extensions of the coastal riverbed. They discharge the majority of stored water to the ocean via an ephemeral and highly mobile drainage channel or outlet. The remainder percolates through the MSG barrier due to its high levels of permeability. Hapua systems are driven by a wide range of dynamic processes that are generally classified as fluvial or marine; changes in the balance between these processes as well as the antecedent barrier conditions can cause shifts in the morphology of the hapua, in particular the barrier. New Zealand examples include the Rakaia, Ashburton and Hurunui river-mouths.
Rhode Island's salt ponds | ||
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