US EPA

92202 

Journal Article 

Coastal marine eutrophication: A definition, social causes, and future concerns 

Nixon, SW 

1995 

Yes 

Ophelia
ISSN: 0078-5326 

41 

199-219 

English 

10.1080/00785236.1995.10422044 

WOS:A1995QQ83600010 

There is a need in the marine research and management communities for a clear operational definition of the term, eutrophication. I propose the following:

eutrophication (noun) - an increase in the rate of

supply of organic matter to an ecosystem.

This definition is consistent with historical usage and emphasizes that eutrophication is a process, not a trophic state. A simple trophic classification for marine systems is also proposed:

[GRAPHICS]

Various factors may increase the supply of organic matter to coastal systems, but the most common is clearly nutrient enrichment. The major causes of nutrient enrichment in coastal areas are associated directly or indirectly with meeting the requirements and desires of human nutrition and diet. The deposition of reactive nitrogen emitted to the atmosphere as a consequence of fossil fuel combustion is also an important anthropogenic factor.

The intensity of nitrogen emission from fertilizer, livestock waste, and fossil fuel combustion varies widely among the countries of the world. It is strongest in Europe, the northeastern United States, India/Pakistan, Japan/Korea, and the Caribbean. This geographical distribution corresponds with many areas where coastal marine eutrophication has become a recent concern. Demographic and social trends suggest that past practices leading to coastal nutrient enrichment are likely to be repeated in the coming decades in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. 

10.1080/00785236.1995.10422044 

Helsingor, Denmark 

October 13-16, 1993