Reducing Nutrient Inputs to Coastal Ecosystems
Speaker: Charles Kovach, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
My name is Charles Kovach, and I work for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Tampa. I also work as part of the Nutrient Reduction Priority Issue Team with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. I began working with the Alliance in 2006 and I have studied the impacts of excess nutrients - nitrogen and phosphorus - in coastal waters for 20 years.
Before human industrialization, the rate of supply of nitrogen on Earth was limited by the rate of natural nitrogen fixation, but human activity now has roughly doubled the rate of creation of biologically available nitrogen on the Earth. Regional variation is great, and some regions have seen little change, while in other areas nitrogen movement through the atmosphere and through rivers has increased by 10-15 times or more. Much of this increase has occurred over the past few decades.
Increased use of man-made nitrogen fertilizer and increased meat production have led the change globally and in many regions, and agricultural sources are the largest source of nitrogen pollution to many of the planet's coastal marine ecosystems. Atmospheric nitrogen from fuel combustion also contributes to global nitrogen and is the largest single source of nitrogen pollution in some regions.
Another major focus is on Gulf Hypoxia. Hypoxia, low oxygen, and even anoxia, no oxygen, have existed historically, but their occurrence has increased in frequency along shallow coastlines. The largest zone of oxygen-depleted coastal waters in the United States is in the northern Gulf of Mexico, near the mouth of the Mississippi River. This hypoxic zone has been monitored since 1985. In 2002 the Hypoxic zone was at its largest - about the size of New Jersey.
To address these situations and better protect the nation's waters, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required States to develop criteria for nutrients and other water quality indicators in coastal waters. By taking steps to reduce the amount of nutrients that enter coastal waters, we will contribute to the health of the Gulf of Mexico and Florida's coastal waters and estuaries.
As part of our work, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance has developed the Nutrients Criteria Research Framework. This study will increase our understanding of how nutrients move through coastal waters and how they affect different animals, plants, and the functions of different ecosystems. Our research will also help us find out what happens to those nutrients in the long term - where do they end up? Ultimately, this information will be used to establish protective coastal nutrient criteria.
Technical solutions for reducing nitrogen pollution at reasonable cost exist. By working together as the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, we benefit by sharing our knowledge and skills. This collaboration between the Gulf States and 13 federal agencies has been a positive experience - and it provides a great opportunity to manage a very important shared resource.
