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Title: Couplings of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts

Abstract

Human activities on coastal watersheds provide the major sources of nutrients entering shallow coastal ecosystems. Nutrient loadings from watersheds alter structure and function of receiving aquatic ecosystems. To investigate this coupling of land to marine systems, a series of subwatersheds of Waquoit Bay differing in degree of urbanization and with widely different nutrient loading rates was studied. The subwatersheds differ in septic tanks numbers and forest acreage. Ground water is the major mechanism that transports nutrients to coastal waters. Some attenuation of nutrient concentrations within the aquifer or at the sediment-water interface, but significant increases in the nutrient content of groundwater arriving at the shore's edge are in urbanized areas. The groundwater flows through the sediment-water boundary, and sufficient groundwater-borne nutrients (nitrogen in particular) traverse the sediment-water boundary to cause significant changes in the aquatic ecosystem. These loading-dependent alterations include increased nutrients in water, greater primary production by phytoplankton, and increased macroalgal biomass and growth. The increased macroalgal biomass dominates the bay ecosystem through second- or third-order effects such as alterations of nutrient status of water columns and increasing frequency of anoxic events. The increases in seaweeds have decreased the areas covered by eelgrass habitats. The change in habitat type,more » plus the increased frequency of anoxic events, change the composition of the benthic fauna. The importance of bottom-up control in shallow coastal food webs is evident. The coupling of land to sea by groundwater-borne nutrient transport is mediated by a complex series of steps, making it unlikely to find a one-to-one relation between land use and conditions in the aquatic ecosystem. Appropriate models may provide a way to deal with the complexities of the coupling. 22 refs., 14 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ;  [1]; ;  [2]; ;  [3]; ; ;  [4]
  1. Boston Univ. Marine Program, Woods Hole, MA (United States)
  2. Smith College, Northampton, MA (United States)
  3. Hampshire College, Amherst, MA (United States)
  4. Boston Univ., MA (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
6449376
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Estuaries; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 15:4; Journal ID: ISSN 0160-8347
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; COASTAL WATERS; NUTRIENTS; WATER POLLUTION; BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS; WATERSHEDS; AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; BIOMASS; ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; ENRICHMENT; FORESTS; HABITAT; LAND USE; MASSACHUSETTS; NITROGEN; PHYTOPLANKTON; SEAWEEDS; SEWAGE; AQUATIC ORGANISMS; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; ECOSYSTEMS; ELEMENTS; ENERGY SOURCES; NONMETALS; NORTH AMERICA; PLANKTON; PLANTS; POLLUTION; RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES; SURFACE WATERS; USA; WASTES; 540320* - Environment, Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-); 560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology

Citation Formats

Valiela, I, Foreman, K, LaMontagne, M, Hersh, D, Costa, J, Peckol, P, DeMeo-Anderson, B, D'Avanzo, C, Babione, M, Sham, Chiho, Brawley, J, and Lajtha, K. Couplings of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. United States: N. p., 1992. Web. doi:10.2307/1352389.
Valiela, I, Foreman, K, LaMontagne, M, Hersh, D, Costa, J, Peckol, P, DeMeo-Anderson, B, D'Avanzo, C, Babione, M, Sham, Chiho, Brawley, J, & Lajtha, K. Couplings of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. United States. https://doi.org/10.2307/1352389
Valiela, I, Foreman, K, LaMontagne, M, Hersh, D, Costa, J, Peckol, P, DeMeo-Anderson, B, D'Avanzo, C, Babione, M, Sham, Chiho, Brawley, J, and Lajtha, K. 1992. "Couplings of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts". United States. https://doi.org/10.2307/1352389.
@article{osti_6449376,
title = {Couplings of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts},
author = {Valiela, I and Foreman, K and LaMontagne, M and Hersh, D and Costa, J and Peckol, P and DeMeo-Anderson, B and D'Avanzo, C and Babione, M and Sham, Chiho and Brawley, J and Lajtha, K},
abstractNote = {Human activities on coastal watersheds provide the major sources of nutrients entering shallow coastal ecosystems. Nutrient loadings from watersheds alter structure and function of receiving aquatic ecosystems. To investigate this coupling of land to marine systems, a series of subwatersheds of Waquoit Bay differing in degree of urbanization and with widely different nutrient loading rates was studied. The subwatersheds differ in septic tanks numbers and forest acreage. Ground water is the major mechanism that transports nutrients to coastal waters. Some attenuation of nutrient concentrations within the aquifer or at the sediment-water interface, but significant increases in the nutrient content of groundwater arriving at the shore's edge are in urbanized areas. The groundwater flows through the sediment-water boundary, and sufficient groundwater-borne nutrients (nitrogen in particular) traverse the sediment-water boundary to cause significant changes in the aquatic ecosystem. These loading-dependent alterations include increased nutrients in water, greater primary production by phytoplankton, and increased macroalgal biomass and growth. The increased macroalgal biomass dominates the bay ecosystem through second- or third-order effects such as alterations of nutrient status of water columns and increasing frequency of anoxic events. The increases in seaweeds have decreased the areas covered by eelgrass habitats. The change in habitat type, plus the increased frequency of anoxic events, change the composition of the benthic fauna. The importance of bottom-up control in shallow coastal food webs is evident. The coupling of land to sea by groundwater-borne nutrient transport is mediated by a complex series of steps, making it unlikely to find a one-to-one relation between land use and conditions in the aquatic ecosystem. Appropriate models may provide a way to deal with the complexities of the coupling. 22 refs., 14 figs., 5 tabs.},
doi = {10.2307/1352389},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6449376}, journal = {Estuaries; (United States)},
issn = {0160-8347},
number = ,
volume = 15:4,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}