Marine Eutrophication

Abstract

Eutrophication is one of the key local stressors for coastal marine ecosystems, particularly in those locations with many estuaries, intense coastal development or agriculture, and a lack of coastal forests or mangroves. The landderived import of not only inorganic nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphate, but also particulate and dissolved organic matter (POM and DOM) affects the physiology and growth of marine organisms with ensuing effects on pelagic and benthic community structures, as well as cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. Indicators for marine eutrophication are therefore not only key water quality parameters (inorganic and organic nutrient concentrations, oxygen and chlorophyll availability, and biological oxygen demand), but also benthic status and process parameters, such as relative cover and growth rates of indicator algae, invertebrate recruitment, sedimentary oxygen demand, and interactions between indicator organisms. The primary future challenge lies in understanding the interaction between marine eutrophication and the two main marine consequences of climate change, ocean warming, and acidification. Management action should focus on increasing the efficiency of nutrient usage in industry and agriculture, while at the same time minimizing the input of nutrients into marine ecosystems in order to mitigate the negative effects of eutrophication on the marine realm.

Spatio-Temporal Patterns in Coral Reef Communities of the Spermonde Archipelago, 2012–2014, I: Comprehensive Reef Monitoring of Water and Benthic Indicators Reflect Changes in Reef Health

“…Environmental variables associated with water quality, including in situ Chl a-fluorescence, DO, pH, SPM, and light attenuation, K d (Fabricius et al, 2012;Jessen et al, 2015), showed consistent increasing or decreasing trends spatially with distance from shore. They serve as strong indicators of eutrophication and of high inputs of particulate matter, especially in the nearshore site.…”

“…Terrestrial effluents can increase near-shore nutrient levels, promoting primary production (Jessen et al, 2015), and deforestation can increase sedimentation rates, leading to increased suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the water-column and accelerating light attenuation (Fabricius, 2005;Cooper et al, 2007;Smith et al, 2008). The effects of terrestrial-derived inputs in coastal waters across coral reefs have led to noticeable spatial gradients in water quality in many parts of the world (Edinger et al, 1998;Mallela et al, 2004;Fabricius et al, 2005;Lirman and Fong, 2007).…”

Análisis Ecotoxicológico Del Fungicida Fosfito De Sodio Sobre Una Comunidad Planctónica

“…Una excesiva entrada de fósforo en los ecosistemas acuáticos tendría el potencial de causar eutrofización (Kim et al 2013), que puede impactar y desestabilizar significativamente los mismos mediante la pérdida de hábitat, diversidad de especies y cambios en la estructura de la comunidad (Vitousek et al 1997, Carpenter et al 1998, LIFE03 2006, Jessen et al 2015.…”

Automated micro Loop Flow Reactor technology to measure nutrients in coastal water: State of the art and field application

“…Regrettably, an unbalanced release of nutrients into aquatic ecosystems, as in proximity of intensively cultivated areas and large urban settlements, can produce undesirable effects such as toxic algal blooms, anoxic conditions and increases of turbidity and sedimentation. All of these are causes for fish deaths, destruction of aquatic plant beds and coral reefs and consequent loss of biodiversity [2].…”