Effects of Nutrient Enrichment In the Nation's Estuaries: A Decade of Change. Assessing Change in Eutrophic Condition from the Early 1990s to 2004. National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment Update

摘要

In 1999, the National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment described the scale, scope, and characteristics of nutrient enrichment and eutrophic conditions in the Nation's estuaries. At the time, it was the most comprehensive examination ever reported of nutrient-related water quality impacts, their causes, and expected changes in condition in U.S. coastal water bodies. The results showed that most estuarine systems exhibited some level of eutrophication impact in the early 1990s. One of the main aims of the report was to develop a national strategy to limit the nutrient enrichment problems affecting U.S. estuarine and coastal water bodies. This updated 2007 report continues to examine eutrophic conditions into the 2000s. It attempts to look at changes that occurred in the past decade, and analyze the Nation's progress in addressing what we now see as a ubiquitous problem. Coastal eutrophication is a global problem not limited to U.S. coastal waters. This report highlights the nutrient contamination in selected coastal systems throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, and China in an effort to share what we know about the development of eutrophication, and to provide successful solutions to better manage the problem.