scholarly journals Patterns in nutrient limitation and chlorophyll a along an anthropogenic eutrophication gradient in French Mediterranean coastal lagoons

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Souchu ◽  
Béatrice Bec ◽  
Val H. Smith ◽  
Thierry Laugier ◽  
Annie Fiandrino ◽  
...  

A cross-ecosystem comparison of data obtained from 20 French Mediterranean lagoons with contrasting eutrophication status provided the basis for investigating the variables that best predict chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations and nutrient limitation of phytoplankton biomass along a strong nutrient enrichment gradient. Summer concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus (DIP) comprised only a small fraction of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). On the basis of inorganic nutrient concentrations, the most oligotrophic lagoons appeared to be phosphorus-limited, with a tendency towards the development of nitrogen limitation as eutrophication increased, as evidenced by decreasing DIN:DIP ratios. A weak but significantly positive relationship was found between dissolved silicate (DSi) and Chl a, reflecting DSi accumulation in the water column along the trophic state gradient and implying a progressive shift away from potential Si limitation of phytoplankton growth. Observed concentrations of Chl a were far better explained by TN and TP than by DIN and DIP concentrations, suggesting that a total nutrient based approach is likely to be the most appropriate for managing eutrophication in Mediterranean lagoons and other coastal waters. These results give credence to the idea that marine and freshwater environments respond in a similar fashion to nutrient enrichment.

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem H. van de Poll ◽  
Gemma Kulk ◽  
Patrick D. Rozema ◽  
Corina P. D. Brussaard ◽  
Ronald J. W. Visser ◽  
...  

Glacial meltwater discharge in fjords on the west coast of Spitsbergen is increasing due to climate change. The influence of this discharge on phytoplankton nutrient limitation, composition, productivity and photophysiology was investigated in central (M) and inner (G) Kongsfjorden (79°N, 11°40’E). Freshwater influx intensified stratification during June 2015, coinciding with surface nutrient depletion. Surface nutrient concentrations were negatively correlated with stratification strength at station M. Here, nitrate addition assays revealed increasing N limitation of surface phytoplankton during the second half of June, which was followed by a pronounced compositional change within the flagellate-dominated phytoplankton community as dictyochophytes (85% of chl a) were replaced with smaller haptophytes (up to 60% of chlorophyll a) and prasinophytes (20% of chlorophyll a). These changes were less pronounced at station G, where surface phosphate, ammonium and nitrate concentrations were occasionally higher, and correlated with wind direction, suggesting wind-mediated transport of nutrient-enriched waters to this inner location. Therefore, glacial meltwater discharge mediated nutrient enrichment in the inner fjord, and enhanced stratification in inner and central Kongsfjorden. Surface chlorophyll a and water column productivity showed 3–4-fold variability, and did not correlate with nutrient limitation, euphotic zone depth, or changed taxonomic composition. However, the maximum carbon fixation rate and photosynthetic efficiency showed weak positive correlations to prasinophyte, cryptophyte, and haptophyte chlorophyll a. The present study documented relationships between stratification, N limitation, and changed phytoplankton composition, but surface chlorophyll a concentration, phytoplankton photosynthetic characteristics, and water column productivity in Kongsfjorden appeared to be driven by mechanisms other than N limitation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 99-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sônia Maria Flores Gianesella ◽  
Flávia Marisa Prado Saldanha-Corrêa ◽  
Luiz Bruner de Miranda ◽  
Marco Antonio Corrêa ◽  
Gleyci Aparecida Oliveira Moser

Short-term variability of nutrients, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and seston (TSS) concentrations were followed up at a fixed station in the Bertioga Channel (BC), Southeastern Brazil, over two full tidal cycles of neap and spring tides, during the winter of 1991. Simultaneous data on hydrographic structure, tidal level and currents allowed the computation of the net transport of those properties. Tidal advection and freshwater flow were the main forcing agents on the water column structure, nutrient availability and Chl-a distribution. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate average values were high (16.88 and 0.98 ¼M, respectively, at neap tide and 10.18 and 0.77¼M at spring tide). Despite N and P availability, Chl-a average values were low: 1.13 in the neap and 3.11 mg m-3 in the spring tide, suggesting that the renovation rate of BC waters limits phytoplankton accumulation inside the estuary. The highest Chl-a was associated with the entrance of saltier waters, while the high nutrient concentrations were associated with brackish waters. Nutrients were exported on both tides, TSS and Chl-a were exported on the spring tide and Chl-a was imported on the neap tide. The study of the main transport components indicated that this system is susceptible to the occasional introduction of pollutants from the coastal area, thus presenting a facet of potential fragility.


2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 1081-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura T. Johnson ◽  
Jennifer L. Tank ◽  
Walter K. Dodds

Nutrient diffusing substrata were used to determine the influence of inorganic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability on community respiration (CR), gross primary production (GPP), and chlorophyll a (chl a) on inorganic and organic substrata. We incubated substrata in nine streams each in a total of eight ecoregions (n = 72 streams) located in a range of native vegetation, agriculture, and urban land-use types. On organic substrata, CR was nutrient-limited in 94% of reference streams but showed significant nutrient limitation in only 60% and 65% of agricultural and urban streams, respectively. The relative magnitude of nutrient limitation for CR on organic substrata decreased with increasing percent modified land use in the basin (agriculture + urban). On inorganic and organic substrata, GPP and chl a were rarely nutrient-limited across all ecoregions and land-use types, although the magnitude of nutrient limitation increased with increasing light availability. The effect of human land use on nutrient limitation of biofilm CR, GPP, and chl a was influenced by ecoregion, yet heterotrophic biofilms were consistently most sensitive to nutrient enrichment across ecoregions. Both heterotrophic and autotrophic biofilm constituents should be considered to fully understand stream ecosystem responses to nutrient enrichment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ario Damar ◽  
Franciscus Colijn ◽  
Karl-Juergen Hesse ◽  
Luky Adrianto ◽  
Yonvitner ◽  
...  

A study of nutrients, underwater light dynamics, and their correlation with phytoplankton biomass was conducted in the tropical estuary of Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, in the dry season during the period from 2001 to 2019. This study analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton biomass and its correlation with phytoplankton biomass. There was significant increase in nutrient concentration in Jakarta Bay, with annual means of 27.97 µM dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and 11.31 µM phosphates in 2001, increasing to 88.99 µM DIN and 25.92 µM phosphates in 2019. Increased mean nutrient concentrations were accompanied by increased mean phytoplankton biomass, from 15.81 µg Chl-a L−1 in 2001 to 21.31 µg Chl-a L−1 in 2019. The eutrophication status of Jakarta Bay waters was calculated using the Tropical Index for Marine Systems eutrophication index, which showed increased areas of hyper-eutrophic and eutrophic zones, while the mesotrophic area decreased. The hyper-eutrophic zone dominated the areas around river mouths and the inner part of the bay, while eutrophic status was observed in the middle part of the bay and mesotrophic status was found in the outer part of the bay. The area of hyper-eutrophic water increased 1.5-fold, from 75.1 km2 in 2001 to 114.0 km2 in 2019. Increasing eutrophication of the bay has had negative ecological consequences including algal blooms, hypoxic conditions, and mass mortality of marine biota, and it urgently requires remediation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwee Siong Tew ◽  
Pei-Jie Meng ◽  
David C. Glover ◽  
Jih-Terng Wang ◽  
Ming-Yih Leu ◽  
...  

Algal bloom is a major concern worldwide. In this study, we characterised the physical and biochemical parameters during an algal bloom event in a coastal lagoon in an attempt to predict local blooms in the future. Results showed that the highest concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), chlorophyll a (chl a) and phytoplankton abundance were found in the inner area, whereas the highest dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration occurred near the inlet-outlet channel. Chl a was correlated with DIP, and there was a significant exponential relationship between chl a and the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N/P ratio) across all sampling stations and times. A higher proportion of the variation in chl a was explained by the N/P ratio than either DIP or DIN. We found that a N/P ratio <2.38 will likely trigger an algal bloom (chl a ≥ 10 µgL–1) in the lagoon. Our results suggest that the N/P ratio could be used as an expedient and reliable measure of the potential eutrophic status of coastal lagoons.


1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 1641-1649 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Winfield Fairchild ◽  
John W. Sherman

We examined the dependence of epilithic algal standing crop, production, and nutrient limitation upon water column nutrients in 12 softwater lakes of northeastern Pennsylvania. Elevated dissolved inorganic nitrogen accompanied low dissolved inorganic carbon in the more acidic lakes, while P varied little within the study area. The growth of epilithon on clay flower pot substrata diffusing combinations of N (NaNO3), P (Na2HPO4), and C (NaHCO3) was compared with growth on control substrata to evaluate which of the three nutrients limited growth in each lake. Standing crop accrual as chlorophyll a on control substrata averaged 0.8 μg/cm2, with little variation among lakes. Nutrient limitation of growth, however, was strongly related to lake alkalinity. Chlorophyll a was typically enhanced by N and/or P only in lakes with alkalinity greater than ~100 μeq/L and responded strongly to C enrichment in the two most acidic lakes. Combined addition of all three nutrients produced the largest chlorophyll a accrual in all 12 lakes. Invertebrate grazer biomass, dominated by chironomids in the more acidic lakes and by snails at higher alkalinity, was negatively related to chlorophyll a on these NPC substrata (r = −0.57, p = 0.05) and may have reduced algal standing crop well below nutrient-sustainable levels in some lakes.


2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 115-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gleyci A. O. Moser ◽  
Sônia Maria Flores Gianesella ◽  
José Juan Barrera Alba ◽  
Alessandro Luvizon Bérgamo ◽  
Flávia M. P. Saldanha-Corrêa ◽  
...  

The contribution of the polluted São Vicente and Santos estuarine channels to the eutrophication of Santos bay was assessed through the quantification of instantaneous transport of salt, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphate, organic and inorganic matter (OSM and ISM) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), during dry (austral winter- August/ 1999) and rainy (austral summer- January/2000) seasons. Samplings were carried out during spring and neap tides, in flood and ebb phases, in two transversal sections at the mouths of the São Vicente and Santos channels. Instantaneous transport values generally indicated importation of salt to the estuarine channels, exportation of DIN to the bay, mainly as N-NH4, at a maximum rate of 1155.1 g s-1 during the rainy season; importation of phosphate during the dry season (maximum of 385 g s-1) and exportation of ISM, OSM and Chl-a during periods of greater freshwater discharge. These results demonstrate the great contribution made by the Santos and São Vicente estuaries to the eutrophication of Santos bay, especially in the rainy season.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2769
Author(s):  
Yingying Gai ◽  
Dingfeng Yu ◽  
Yan Zhou ◽  
Lei Yang ◽  
Chao Chen ◽  
...  

Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) is an objective biological indicator, which reflects the nutritional status of coastal waters. However, the turbid coastal waters pose challenges to the application of existing Chl-a remote sensing models of case II waters. Based on the bio-optical models, we analyzed the suppression of coastal total suspended matter (TSM) on the Chl-a optical characteristics and developed an improved model using the imagery from a hyper-spectrometer mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The new model was applied to estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of Chl-a concentration in coastal waters of Qingdao on 17 December 2018, 22 March 2019, and 20 July 2019. Compared with the previous models, the correlation coefficients (R2) of Chl-a concentrations retrieved by the new model and in situ measurements were greatly improved, proving that the new model shows a better performance in retrieving coastal Chl-a concentration. On this basis, the spatiotemporal variations of Chl-a in Qingdao coastal waters were analyzed, showing that the spatial variation is mainly related to the TSM concentration, wind waves, and aquaculture, and the temporal variation is mainly influenced by the sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), and human activities.


1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1198-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Lohman ◽  
John R. Jones ◽  
Bruce D. Perkins

Ambient nutrient concentrations (TN and TP) and periphyton biomass (Chl a) were measured every 2 wk during March–November in 1985 and 1986 at 22 sites on 12 streams in the northern Ozarks, Missouri. Benthic Chl a was positively correlated in both years with log TN (R2 = 0.58, 0.60) and with log TP (R2 = 0.47, 0.60). When sites were grouped by the degree of enrichment and plotted over time, benthic Chl a decreased at all sites after flood events, but rebounded more rapidly at highly enriched sites. Differences in recovery following flooding were most obvious in fall 1986, when both high and moderately enriched sites exhibited similar biomass accrual patterns, reaching mean benthic Chl a of 397.4 and 321.1 mg∙m−2, respectively, within 42 d after a catastrophic flood. In contrast, average benthic Chl a at nutrient-poor sites reached a maximum level of 76.8 mg∙m−2 within 28 d after flooding, suggesting that maximum standing crops are influenced by both nutrient supply and the length of the flood-free period.


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