Eutrophication

Definition of Eutrophication: (1) An increase in the supply of organic matter. (2) A condition in an aquatic ecosystem where high nutrient concentrations stimulate growth of algae which leads to imbalanced functioning of the system. (3) The enrichment of water by nutrients, especially nitrogen and/or phosphorus and organic matter, causing an increased growth of algae and higher forms of plant life to produce an adverse deviation in structure, function and stability of organisms present in the water and to the quality of water concerned, compared to reference conditions. This is the common definition for Eutrophication, other definitions can be discussed in the article

Notes

High primary production boosted by eutrophication usually leads to oxygen depletion caused by decay of organic matter.

Articles on eutrophication

Eutrophication processes

• Eutrophication in coastal environments
• What causes eutrophication?
• Nutrient conversion in the marine environment
• Which resource limits coastal phytoplankton growth/ abundance: underwater light or nutrients?
• Marine microorganisms

Eutrophication impacts

• Threats to the coastal zone
• Coastal pollution and impacts
• Possible consequences of eutrophication
• Algal bloom
• Algal bloom dynamics
• Case studies eutrophication

Eutrophication monitoring

• In situ monitoring of eutrophication
• Plankton remote sensing
• Plankton remote sensing North Sea
• Real-time algae monitoring
• Optical measurements in coastal waters
• Nutrient analysers
• Differentiation of major algal groups by optical absorption signatures
• Sampling tools for the marine environment
• FerryBox - Continuous and automatic water quality observations along transects
• Detecting the unknown - novelty detection of exceptional water reflectance spectra
• Estimation of spatial distribution of phytoplankton in the North Sea
• The Baltic Algae Watch System - a remote sensing application for monitoring cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea

Eutrophication modelling

• Coupled hydrodynamic - water quality - ecological modelling
• Nutrient loading of coastal waters

Eutrophication policy

• OSPAR and eutrophication
• OSPAR eutrophication assessment
• European policy on eutrophication: introduction
• European Context of Nutrient Dynamics
• Eutrophication related monitoring tasks and WFD for coastal waters in Greece