Coastal Eutrophication as a Component of Global Change |
Research: Coastal Eutrophication
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Once again, we find ourselves in need of the macroscopic view when evaluating the research challenges. Effective management requires that we integrate policies across sectors within and beyond the domains of the coastal ecosystems and that we move away from oversimplified views on the controls of eutrophication to consider the operation of factors beyond nutrient inputs, including overfishing, the occurrence of invasive species and climate change, among others. Most important, a look through the global macro scope readily reveals that coastal eutrophication is not a process affecting individual ecosystems, but is a global phenomenon both in its global spread and in the relative synchrony of this spread. The forces that shape coastal eutrophication include human population growth, changes in land use, massive production of N in fertilizers through the Haber reaction, increased anthropogenic emissions of reactive nitrogen species to the atmosphere, increased atmospheric CO2, climate change and overfishing (Duarte et al., 2009; Nixon, 2009), all recognized as forces affecting global change.
Moreover, it may be argued that coastal eutrophication may have the potential to impact the function of the Earth System at the regional and, possibly, global level through changes affecting the trophic dynamics and biogeochemical cycling of the coastal ocean. For example, the increase in hypoxia is clearly a global phenomenon affected by global warming, but also by widespread eutrophication of coastal ecosystems (Diaz & Rosenberg, 2008; Vaquer-Sunyer & Duarte, 2008; Conley et al., 2009). Hence, eutrophication should be considered as a component of global change, in addressing both its causes and its consequences (Duarte et al., 2009), and as such incorporated into major international collaborative programs to address global change. Seeing eutrophication in the macroscopic view of global change is important to better understand and manage the phenomenon (Duarte et al., 2009; Nixon, 2009).
Moreover, it may be argued that coastal eutrophication may have the potential to impact the function of the Earth System at the regional and, possibly, global level through changes affecting the trophic dynamics and biogeochemical cycling of the coastal ocean. For example, the increase in hypoxia is clearly a global phenomenon affected by global warming, but also by widespread eutrophication of coastal ecosystems (Diaz & Rosenberg, 2008; Vaquer-Sunyer & Duarte, 2008; Conley et al., 2009). Hence, eutrophication should be considered as a component of global change, in addressing both its causes and its consequences (Duarte et al., 2009), and as such incorporated into major international collaborative programs to address global change. Seeing eutrophication in the macroscopic view of global change is important to better understand and manage the phenomenon (Duarte et al., 2009; Nixon, 2009).