Eutrophication of freshwater and marine ecosystems
TLDR
This special issue was stimulated by a symposium that culminated in the publication of the first special issue of Limnology and Oceanography on nutrients and eutrophication, edited by G. Likens (Likens 1972a).Abstract:
Initial understanding of the links between nutrients and aquatic productivity originated in Europe in the early 1900s, and our knowledge base has expanded greatly during the past 40 yr. This explosion of eutrophication-related research has made it unequivocally clear that a comprehensive strategy to prevent excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus from entering our waterways is needed to protect our lakes, rivers, and coasts from water quality deterioration. However, despite these very significant advances, cultural eutrophication remains one of the foremost problems for protecting our valuable surface water resources. The papers in this special issue provide a valuable cross section and synthesis of our current understanding of both freshwater and marine eutrophication science. They also serve to identify gaps in our knowledge and will help to guide future research. Knowledge of the links between nutrients and aquatic productivity began with the pioneering work of Weber (1907) on German peat bogs and with Johnstone’s (1908) studies of the North Sea. A crystallization of freshwater eutrophication concepts took place soon thereafter in Northern Europe, where the first trophic classification systems for surface waters were developed. These early classification systems were based on the intensity of aquatic organic matter production, as well as nutrient supply conditions and ecosystemlevel consequences of increased production (e.g., hypolimnetic oxygen depletion; Rodhe 1969). There was a lot of uncertainty in the subsequent 50 yr about the physical, chemical, and ecological details of the eutrophication process, and hot debates raged about the relative roles of different mineral nutrients as constraints on, or regulators of, primary productivity, especially the macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon (C). Work on the eutrophication process accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s. Particularly important was the landmark 1971 American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) eutrophication symposium that culminated in the publication of the first special issue of Limnology and Oceanography (L&O) on nutrients and eutrophication, edited by G. E. Likens (Likens 1972a). This special issue was similarly stimulated by a symposium that the three of us 1read more
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Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet
Will Steffen,Will Steffen,Katherine Richardson,Johan Rockström,Sarah Cornell,Ingo Fetzer,Elena M. Bennett,Reinette Biggs,Reinette Biggs,Stephen R. Carpenter,Wim de Vries,Cynthia A. de Wit,Carl Folke,Carl Folke,Dieter Gerten,Jens Heinke,Jens Heinke,Jens Heinke,Georgina M. Mace,Linn Persson,Veerabhadran Ramanathan,Veerabhadran Ramanathan,Belinda Reyers,Belinda Reyers,Sverker Sörlin +24 more
TL;DR: An updated and extended analysis of the planetary boundary (PB) framework and identifies levels of anthropogenic perturbations below which the risk of destabilization of the Earth system (ES) is likely to remain low—a “safe operating space” for global societal development.
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Eutrophication science: where do we go from here?
Val H. Smith,David W. Schindler +1 more
TL;DR: It will be important to resolve ongoing debates about the optimal design of nutrient loading controls as a water quality management strategy for estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems.
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Lakes and streams as sentinels of environmental change in terrestrial and atmospheric processes
TL;DR: In this article, the metabolic responses of lakes and streams (i.e., the rates at which these systems process carbon) are proposed as a common metric to integrate the impacts of environmental change across a broad range of landscapes.
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Agriculture and Eutrophication: Where Do We Go from Here?
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use the UK as an example of societies' multiple stressors on water quality to explore the uncertainties and challenges in achieving a sustainable balance between useable water resources, diverse aquatic ecosystems and a viable agriculture.
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Reconsideration of the planetary boundary for phosphorus
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the global P cycle to estimate planetary boundaries for freshwater eutrophication, and the boundary was computed for the input of P to freshwaters, the input from freshwaters to terrestrial soil and the mass of P in soil.
References
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Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen
Stephen R. Carpenter,Nina F. Caraco,David L. Correll,Robert W. Howarth,Andrew N. Sharpley,Val H. Smith +5 more
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the available scientific information, they are confident that nonpoint pollution of surface waters with P and N could be reduced by reducing surplus nutrient flows in agricultural systems and processes, reducing agricultural and urban runoff by diverse methods, and reducing N emissions from fossil fuel burning, but rates of recovery are highly variable among water bodies.
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A trophic state index for lakes1
TL;DR: A numerical trophic state index for lakes has been developed that incorporates most lakes in a scale of 0 to 100, which represents a doubling in algal biomass as well as various measures of biomass or production.
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The role of phosphorus in the eutrophication of receiving waters: a review
TL;DR: It is best to measure and regulate total P inputs to whole aquatic ecosystems, but for an easy assay it is hest to measure total P concentrations, induding particulate P, in surface waters or NIP atomic ratios in phytoplankton.
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Nitrogen as the limiting nutrient for eutrophication in coastal marine ecosystems: Evolving views over three decades
Robert W. Howarth,Roxanne Marino +1 more
TL;DR: Over the past two decades, a strong consensus has evolved among the scientific community that N is the primary cause of eutrophication in many coastal ecosystems.
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Recent advances in the understanding and management of eutrophication
TL;DR: In the years ahead, climate warming will aggravate eutrophication in lakes receiving point sources of nutrients, as a result of increasing water residence times, which will increasingly favor the replacement of diatoms by nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria as mentioned in this paper.