Nutrients
Eutrophication is a common phenomenon in marine and coastal waters. Nitrogen is more commonly the key limiting nutrient of marine waters and is of greater importance in marine waters than phosphorus. Estuaries tend to be naturally eutrophic (nutrient rich) because land-derived nutrients are concentrated where run-off enters the marine environment. Upwelling in coastal systems also promotes increased productivity by conveying deep, nutrient-rich waters to the surface, where the nutrients can be taken up by algae. The National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment has shown that nutrient-related water quality problems are observed in 60% of US estuaries. The nutrients of most concern in the Gulf of Maine are nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. About 91% of nitrogen into the Gulf of Maine is from waste water treatment plants, and 9% from industries (half of that from pulp and paper operations). Eighty per cent of all the point sources lie within four watersheds: Massachusetts Bay and Sheepscot Bay ME and the Saint John and Merrimack rivers. In November 2001, the Gulf of Maine Council together with the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) held a workshop in Portsmouth, NH on Managing Nitrogen Impacts in the Gulf of Maine. The purpose of the workshop was to review issues related to the management of nitrogen contamination and its impacts in the Gulf of Maine and the surrounding estuaries and embayments. Eutrophication Theme Paper
One theme paper has been identified that will be developed for the State of the Gulf of Maine Report, and will be available in 2010:
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