Nutrient Pollution In Coastal Waters

Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.

This volume focuses on the nutrient and organic matter inputs in estuaries and other coastal ecosystems, their effects on geochemistry and community structure and possibilities for recovery of the systems to a trophic state that is beneficial for man and nature. The book provides many examples of the effects of the enhanced supply of nutrients and organic matter on the chemical features of the water and on the structure, metabolism and trophic pathways of the biological communities. Also included are several case studies providing considerable insight into the response of the different coastal ecosystems to long term changes in the trophic state of the water. Current knowledge on modeling as a tool to manage the trophic state of the coastal ecosystems is also dealt with, making this book one of interests to scientist and students as well as managers.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Coastal and Estuarine Studies, Volume 57. Every time it rains, biologically active nitrogen compounds are transferred from the air to whatever surface lies underneath; what a farmer once called "the poor man's fertilizer." In fact, nitrogen containing compounds are transferred between surface and atmosphere even when it is not raining. That this atmospheric nitrogen deposition impacts on the environment is a scientifically accepted fact, established during the acid rain debates led by the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program. The extent to which this deposition contributes to the decline of coastal waters around the United States due to over fertilization, however, is still under debate. In response to and as a continuation of this debate is the current work before you: the first attempt to consistently and comprehensively estimate the relative contribution of atmospherically delivered nitrogen to the total amount of nitrogen entering coastal estuaries around the United States.

Close to one-half of all Americans live in coastal counties. The resulting flood of wastewater, stormwater, and pollutants discharged into coastal waters is a major concern. This book offers a well-delineated approach to integrated coastal management beginning with wastewater and stormwater control. The committee presents an overview of current management practices and problems. The core of the volume is a detailed model for integrated coastal management, offering basic principles and methods, a direction for moving from general concerns to day-to-day activities, specific steps from goal setting through monitoring performance, and a base of scientific and technical information. Success stories from the Chesapeake and Santa Monica bays are included. The volume discusses potential barriers to integrated coastal management and how they may be overcome and suggests steps for introducing this concept into current programs and legislation. This practical volume will be important to anyone concerned about management of coastal waters: policymakers, resource and municipal managers, environmental professionals, concerned community groups, and researchers, as well as faculty and students in environmental studies.

This book deals with the major issues being faced by the coastal population in Asia with emphasis on natural and man-made hazards, climate change impact and pressures caused by mega cities along Asian coasts. The edited book contains chapters authored by experts who are well known in their own fields of specialization relevant to coastal processes. Emphasis has been given to almost all regions of Aisan coast although coverage for south and south eastern regions of Asia is rather strong. Each chapter has been peer reviewed and revised before acceptance. In this book practical suggestions to mitigate problems in sustainable management of coastal regions are also discussed. The book will be useful for students, researchers in physical and social science, policy makers and climate change specialists.

Coastal eutrophication has been and still remains an important issue for the scientific community. Despite many efforts to mitigate coastal eutrophication, the problems associated with eutrophication are still far from being solved. This book focusses on the most recent scientific results in relation to specific eutrophication issues, e.g. definition(s) and causes; nutrient loads, cycling and limitation; reference conditions, primary effects and secondary effects; trend reversal (oligotrophication), as well as links to other pressures (climate change and top/down control). It also focusses on monitoring and modelling of coastal eutrophication, and adaptive and science-based nutrient management strategies. The book is based on selected papers from the Second International Symposium on Research and Management of Eutrophication in Coastal Ecosystems, held 20-23 June 2006 in Nyborg, Denmark.