Is the destabilisation of lake Peipsi ecosystem caused by increased phosphorus loading or decreased nitrogen loading?

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 267-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Nõges ◽  
R. Laugaste ◽  
E. Loigu ◽  
I. Nedogarko ◽  
B. Skakalski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catchment Area ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Fish Kills ◽  
Lake Peipsi ◽  
Temporary Reduction ◽  
Loading Ratio

Lake Peipsi (3,555 km2, mean depth 7.1 m) located on the border of Estonia and Russia is the largest transboundary lake in Europe. L. Peipsi consists of three parts. The shared largest northern part L. Peipsi s.s. (2,611 km2, 8.3 m) and the southern L. Pihkva (708 km2, 3.8 m) which belongs mainly to Russia are connected by the river-shaped L. Lämmijärv (236 km2, 2.5 m). The catchment area (44,245 km2 without lake area) is shared between Estonia (33.3%), Russia (58.6%) and Latvia (8%). Intensive eutrophication of L. Peipsi started in the 1970s. The biomass of N2-fixing cyanobacteria was low at heavy nutrient loading in the1980s. After the collapse of soviet-type agriculture in the early 1990s, the loading of nitrogen sharply decreased. A certain improvement of L. Peipsi s.s. was noticed at the beginning of the 1990s together with the temporary reduction of phosphorus loading from Estonian catchment while in recent years a destabilisation of the ecosystem has been observed. This deterioration has been expressed mainly as intensive blue-green blooms and fish-kills in summer. Reappearance of blooms has been explained by the decrease in N/P loading ratio due to reduced N discharge while in some periods increased phosphorus loading could have supported this trend.

Diffuse nutrient losses in Denmark

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 81-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kronvang ◽  
P. Græsbøll ◽  
S. E. Larsen ◽  
L. M Svendsen ◽  
H. E. Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Total N ◽  
Diffuse Sources ◽  
Agricultural Catchments ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
Total P

Since 1989, nutrient loading of the Danish aquatic environment has been monitored in 270 Danish streams draining catchment areas differing in climate, physico-geographic and land usage. Diffuse nutrient loading from non-point sources (mainly agricultural) is now the main cause of eutrophication of the Danish aquatic environment; thus in 1993, diffuse sources accounted for 94% of riverine nitrogen loading and 52% of riverine phosphorus loading. Annual riverine total nitrogen (total-N) loading from diffuse sources during the period 1989-93 was on average 10 times greater in 66 small agricultural catchments (median 23.4 kg N ha−1) than in 9 natural catchments (median 2.2 kg N ha−1). Correspondingly, annual riverine total phosphorus (total-P) loading from diffuse sources was on average 3.5 times greater in the agricultural catchments (0.29 kg P ha−1) than in the natural catchments (0.07 kg P ha−1). The annual total-N and total-P load was found to increase with the proportion of agricultural land in the catchments. In 1993, intensive measurements of phosphorus load in 8 agricultural catchments showed that normal point sampling (fortnightly) underestimates annual total-P loading by a median of 37% as compared to that estimated by frequent sampling. Moreover, estimates of monthly total-P loading are even more biased, especially in late summer and early autumn (−50% to −65%).

Loading rates of nutrients discharging from a golf course and a neighboring forested basin

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 99-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takao Kunimatsu ◽  
Miki Sudo ◽  
Takeshi Kawachi
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Chamaecyparis Obtusa ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Golf Course ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Golf Courses ◽  
Japanese Cypress ◽  
Arithmetic Average ◽  
Loading Rates ◽  
Runoff Rate

In the last ten years, the number of golf courses has been increasing in some countries as the game gains popularity. This indicates, a need to estimate the nutrient loading from golf courses in order to prevent the eutrophication of water bodies. Nutrient concentrations and flow rates of a brook were measured once a week from 1989 to 1990 at two sites: Site A of a brook flowing out from D-golf course (53 ha) and Site B of the same brook discharging into the golf course from an upper forested basin (23 ha) covered mainly with planted Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa SIEB. et ZUCC). The bedrock of the area was granite. The annual values of precipitation and mean temperature were 1947 mm and 13.5°C in 1989, respectively. The arithmetic average values of discharge from the forested basin and the golf course were 0.392 and 1.26 mg/l total nitrogen (TN), 0.0072 and 0.145 mg/l total phosphorus (TP), 0.82 and 3.53 mg/l potassium ion (K+, 5.92 and 8.24 mg/l sodium ion (Na+), 2.1 and 9.9 mg/l suspending solid (0.001–2.0 mm, SS), 0.087 and 0.147 mS/cm electric conductivity (EC), and 0.031 and 0.037 m3/km2•s specific discharge, respectively. The loading rates of the forested basin and the golf course were 5.42 and 13.5 TN, 0.133 and 3.04 TP, 8.84 and 33.9 K+, 55.0 and 73.0 Na+, and 54.3 and 118 SS in kg/ha•y. The leaching and runoff rate of nitrogen in the chemical fertilizers applied on the golf course was calculated as 32%. These results indicated the importance of controlling the phosphorus loading for the management of golf courses.

scholarly journals Nitrogen fixation estimates for the Baltic Sea indicate high rates for the previously overlooked Bothnian Sea

AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Olofsson ◽  
Isabell Klawonn ◽  
Bengt Karlson
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
External Input ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
External Loading ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Bothnian Sea

AbstractDense blooms of diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria are formed every summer in the Baltic Sea. We estimated their contribution to nitrogen fixation by combining two decades of cyanobacterial biovolume monitoring data with recently measured genera-specific nitrogen fixation rates. In the Bothnian Sea, estimated nitrogen fixation rates were 80 kt N year−1, which has doubled during recent decades and now exceeds external loading from rivers and atmospheric deposition of 69 kt year−1. The estimated contribution to the Baltic Proper was 399 kt N year−1, which agrees well with previous estimates using other approaches and is greater than the external input of 374 kt N year−1. Our approach can potentially be applied to continuously estimate nitrogen loads via nitrogen fixation. Those estimates are crucial for ecosystem adaptive management since internal nitrogen loading may counteract the positive effects of decreased external nutrient loading.

scholarly journals Long-Term (2001–2020) Nutrient Transport from a Small Boreal Agricultural Watershed: Hydrological Control and Potential of Retention Ponds

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2731
Author(s):  
Sari Uusheimo ◽  
Tiina Tulonen ◽  
Jussi Huotari ◽  
Lauri Arvola
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Total Phosphorus ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
Agricultural Watershed ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Pond System ◽  
Daily Weather Data

Agriculture contributes significantly to phosphorus and nitrogen loading in southern Finland. Climate change with higher winter air temperatures and precipitation may also promote loading increase further. We analyzed long-term nutrient trends (2001–2020) based on year-round weekly water sampling and daily weather data from a boreal small agricultural watershed. In addition, nutrient retention was studied in a constructed sedimentation pond system for two years. We did not find any statistically significant trends in weather conditions (temperature, precipitation, discharge, snow depth) except for an increase in discharge in March. Increasing trends in annual concentrations were found for nitrate, phosphate, and total phosphorus and total nitrogen. In fact, phosphate concentration increased in every season and nitrate concentration in other seasons except in autumn. Total phosphorus and total nitrogen concentrations increased in winter as well and total phosphorus also in summer. Increasing annual loading trend was found for total phosphorus, phosphate, and nitrate. Increasing winter loading was found for nitrate and total nitrogen, but phosphate loading increased in winter, spring, and summer. In the pond system, annual retention of total nitrogen was 1.9–4.8% and that of phosphorus 4.3–6.9%. In addition, 25–40% of suspended solids was sedimented in the ponds. Our results suggest that even small ponds can be utilized to decrease nutrient and material transport, but their retention efficiency varies between years. We conclude that nutrient loading from small boreal agricultural catchments, especially in wintertime, has already increased and is likely to increase even further in the future due to climate change. Thus, the need for new management tools to reduce loading from boreal agricultural lands becomes even more acute.

scholarly journals Sedimentary nitrogen fractions and source assignment from different inflows to a receiving lake

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1950-1964
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Li ◽  
Yanping Zhao ◽  
Guoxiang Wang ◽  
Ruiming Han ◽  
Xinyi Dang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Quantitative Estimation ◽  
Lake Taihu ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Pca Method

Abstract The spatial distribution of the sediment nitrogen in ten typical estuaries of Lake Taihu was determined. A simple quantitative estimation model and principal component analysis (PCA) method were applied to find the source and major factors of estuarine sediment nitrogen loading. The average concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), organic nitrogen (Org-N), ammonium nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen in the sediments of the ten estuaries were 1315.5, 1220.1, 82.53 and 6.45 mg/kg, with the organic fraction dominating. Results showed a significant difference for the TN concentration in sediments of different estuaries, which was mainly caused by geographical location, land use type and vegetation restoration measures. An important result was that sediment nitrogen in 80% of the estuaries was mainly originated from autochthonous algae and presettled organic matter, although there has been continuous pollution input from inflow rivers. The source estimation results found that the autochthonous aquaculture excretion, algae and hydrophyte debris and buried biodetritus accounted for 58.9% of the total nitrogen loading, which dominated the nitrogen sources compared with the pollution input. In addition, the PCA method was used to find that phosphorus loading and redox conditions were the major limiting factors affecting the distribution of inorganic and , respectively.

The impact of changes in nutrient loading on cyanobacterial dominance in Lake Peipsi (Estonia/ Russia)

2004 ◽  
Vol 160 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Nõges ◽  
I. Tõnno ◽  
R. Laugaste ◽  
E. Loigu ◽  
B. Skakalski
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Lake Peipsi ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cyanobacterial Dominance

scholarly journals Remediation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Nursery Runoff during the Spring via Free Water Surface Constructed Wetlands

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. White ◽  
Milton D. Taylor ◽  
Stewart L. Chandler ◽  
Ted Whitwell ◽  
Stephen J. Klaine
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Surface ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Free Water Surface ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Agricultural operations face increasing pressure to remediate runoff to reduce deterioration of surface water quality. Some nursery operations use free water surface constructed wetland systems (CWSs) to remediate nutrient-rich runoff. Our objectives were twofold, first to examine the impact of two hydraulic retention times (HRT, 3.5 and 5.5 day) on CWS performance, and second to determine if increased nutrient loading from internal CWS and nursery sources during the spring contributed to nutrient export in excess of regulatory limits. We quantified nutrient loading and removal efficiency in a free water surface CWS from late winter through late spring over three years and monitored various water quality parameters. Total nitrogen in runoff was reduced from 20.6 ± 2.8 mg·liter−1 (ppm) to 4.1 ± 1.3 mg·liter−1 (ppm) nitrogen after CWS treatment. Phosphorus dynamics in the CWS were more variable and unlike nitrogen dynamics were not consistently influenced by water temperature and hydraulic loading rate. Phosphorus concentrations were reduced from 1.7 ± 0.8 mg·liter−1 (ppm) PO4-P in influent to 1.2 ± 0.6 mg·liter−1 (ppm) PO4-P in CWS effluent, but substantial variability existed among years in both phosphorus loading and removal rates. The CWS was able to efficiently remediate nitrogen even under high spring loading rates.

scholarly journals Denitrication and N₂O production in Canadian Lakes: effects of nutrient ratios acting through primary producer selection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph James Bautista
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Nutrient Ratios ◽  
Green Algal ◽  
Laboratory Bench ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Production ◽  
Mesocosm Experiments ◽  
Primary Producer ◽  
Loading Ratio

Anthropogenic nutrient loading to aquatic systems may increase atmospheric release of nitrous oxide (N₂O) greenhouse gas by enhancing denitrification and/or nitrification. High Si:N loading may favour diatom abundance, whereas low N:P loading may favour cyanobacteria dominance. Systems with diatom or green algal dominance may have greater export of organic matter to sediments, whereas systems dominated by cyanobacteria may have organic matter recycled within the water column due to differences in cell density and sinking. With increased export of organic matter to sediments, denitrification and N₂O production may be stimulated. In laboratory bench-scale microcosms, nitrous oxide production was affected by Si:N loading ratios as predicted, although N:P loading did not affect N₂O production in the manner predicted. However, the predicted effects of nutrient loading ratio on microphyte community composition were not supported by microscopy. Field mesocosm experiments indicated no significant relationship between N₂O production and nutrient loading ratios.

Biology and Management of Inland Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass

2013 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Striped Bass ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Habitat Temperature

<em>Abstract</em>.—A CE-QUAL-W2 water quality model was used to characterize the availability of striped bass <em>Morone saxatilis</em> habitat in Lake Greenwood, South Carolina, during 2004 and 2005. Although the lake has a productive fishery, water quality and aquatic habitat are affected by nutrient loading, algal blooms, and extensive oxygen depletion in the bottom waters. The main objectives were to characterize habitat availability and predict the implications of a change in phosphorus loading from the Saluda and Reedy rivers. The baseline scenario of the model showed that habitat was most critical during July and August, when as little of 5% of the reservoir contained tolerable habitat (temperature <28°C and dissolved oxygen >2 mg/L). Favorable habitat (temperature <25°C and dissolved oxygen >2 mg/L) was usually absent for most of July and August. Pulses of higher inflow or freshets produced short-term increases in tolerable habitat, especially in the upper end of the reservoir. Phosphorus-loading scenarios predicted that large reductions (50% or more) would be required to improve habitat substantially during midsummer. For the manager of a striped bass fishery, water quality models can be useful tools for evaluating habitat, especially under marginal conditions, and for predicting the impact of altered water management practices.

scholarly journals Effects of changes in nutrient loading and composition on hypoxia dynamics and internal nutrient cycling of a stratified coastal lagoon

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 4423-4433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yafei Zhu ◽  
Andrew McCowan ◽  
Perran L. M. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Total Phosphorus ◽  
Coastal Lagoon ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Nitrogen Loads ◽  
Sediment Carbon

Abstract. The effects of changes in catchment nutrient loading and composition on the phytoplankton dynamics, development of hypoxia and internal nutrient dynamics in a stratified coastal lagoon system (the Gippsland Lakes) were investigated using a 3-D coupled hydrodynamic biogeochemical water quality model. The study showed that primary production was equally sensitive to changed dissolved inorganic and particulate organic nitrogen loads, highlighting the need for a better understanding of particulate organic matter bioavailability. Stratification and sediment carbon enrichment were the main drivers for the hypoxia and subsequent sediment phosphorus release in Lake King. High primary production stimulated by large nitrogen loading brought on by a winter flood contributed almost all the sediment carbon deposition (as opposed to catchment loads), which was ultimately responsible for summer bottom-water hypoxia. Interestingly, internal recycling of phosphorus was more sensitive to changed nitrogen loads than total phosphorus loads, highlighting the potential importance of nitrogen loads exerting a control over systems that become phosphorus limited (such as during summer nitrogen-fixing blooms of cyanobacteria). Therefore, the current study highlighted the need to reduce both total nitrogen and total phosphorus for water quality improvement in estuarine systems.

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