Eutrophication
How Nitrogen is Polluting the Barnegat Bay Watershed
What is Eutrophication?
A Big Word for a Big Problem
In 2006, a National Research Council report called nutrient over-enrichment one of the most significant environmental troubles facing America’s coastal waters. This problem has been linked to such disasters as fish kills, shellfish poisoning, coral reef decline, and deadly red tide outbreaks.
Defining Eutrophication
In the most basic terms, eutrophication is nutrient pollution. When a water-body receives too much of a particular nutrient – phosphorous for most freshwater systems and nitrogen for saltwater – the delicate ecological balance is disrupted. These nutrients fuel primary productivity, otherwise called plant growth, and tiny algae thrive. Algae grow incredibly fast and some species live less than a day. In mass, these plants shade the sunlight from reaching sea grasses rooted to the bottom thus limiting their ability to photosynthesize and threaten their survival. Sea grasses are a vital estuary habitat, serving as home to countless species of fish and shellfish, as well as providing food for birds and other creatures. When these algae live out their days and fall to the bottom of the water-body, a new cycle begins: decomposition.
Decomposition
Detritus, a fancy term for dead matter, arrives on the bottom of a water-body, spawning the growth of bacteria. These little critters are vital to an ecosystem, playing the crucial role of removing all this dead stuff from the bottom quickly, before it festers and pollutes the water. But when their populations skyrocket thanks to the over abundance of food from too much algae, trouble can occur. These bacteria are oxygen intense, using too much of the water’s dissolved oxygen. Just like you and I, sea life needs a particular amount of oxygen to thrive. When oxygen levels become too low, the organisms that can leave do so, swimming, crawling, or floating to richer waters and more oxygen. The organisms that can’t escape, die.
What's Happening to the Bay?
The balance of Barnegat Bay’s ecosystem is severely off kilter because of too much nitrogen. This nitrogen is fueling eutrophication, which in turn fuels hypoxia, which ends in sea life desertion and death. Sensitive species like clams, scallops, blowfish, and gar give way to more tolerant species like sea nettles and snapper (juvenile blue fish). This is the problem facing many costal estuaries, especially Barnegat Bay.
Algal Shading
When algae populations grow too fast they clog the water column turning what was once clear water in to a murky mess. As turbidity (the scientific term for cloudy water) increases, the normal vegetation that grows in the Bay can’t get enough light to photosynthesize. Imagine it this way. Think of taking flowers out of your garden and moving them into your home. The ones closest to the window might have a chance, but the ones in a far corner will suffer, because they are not getting enough light. If you wait too long before moving them closer to the window, they will die. This in effect is what is happening to the Bay. Algae block the light and once healthy marine vegetation dies.
The Algae Blanket
As the algae dies it settles to the bottom of the Bay, blanketing the sea life with a coating of detritus. Imagine covering a flower garden with a blanket. Its no good, plants can’t grow. When the blanket of algae gets too thick the normal marine vegetation can’t survive and die, eliminating a home vital for many aquatic species.
The Solution
There is light on the other side of this gloomy tunnel. That light is that humans are the main contributor to the problem of nutrient pollution in Barnegat Bay. We are adding too much nitrogen to the system via our cars, power plants, and fertilizers. Since we cause the problem, let’s cause the solution. Nutrient pollution is curable; it just takes us tweaking our lifestyles slightly. Not big changes, but small ones. Check out some of the low-nitrogen and bay-friendly options throughout www.nitrogenfree.com and choose to be part of the solution. Together, we can save Barnegat Bay.
A Big Word for a Big Problem
In 2006, a National Research Council report called nutrient over-enrichment one of the most significant environmental troubles facing America’s coastal waters. This problem has been linked to such disasters as fish kills, shellfish poisoning, coral reef decline, and deadly red tide outbreaks.
Defining Eutrophication
In the most basic terms, eutrophication is nutrient pollution. When a water-body receives too much of a particular nutrient – phosphorous for most freshwater systems and nitrogen for saltwater – the delicate ecological balance is disrupted. These nutrients fuel primary productivity, otherwise called plant growth, and tiny algae thrive. Algae grow incredibly fast and some species live less than a day. In mass, these plants shade the sunlight from reaching sea grasses rooted to the bottom thus limiting their ability to photosynthesize and threaten their survival. Sea grasses are a vital estuary habitat, serving as home to countless species of fish and shellfish, as well as providing food for birds and other creatures. When these algae live out their days and fall to the bottom of the water-body, a new cycle begins: decomposition.
Decomposition
Detritus, a fancy term for dead matter, arrives on the bottom of a water-body, spawning the growth of bacteria. These little critters are vital to an ecosystem, playing the crucial role of removing all this dead stuff from the bottom quickly, before it festers and pollutes the water. But when their populations skyrocket thanks to the over abundance of food from too much algae, trouble can occur. These bacteria are oxygen intense, using too much of the water’s dissolved oxygen. Just like you and I, sea life needs a particular amount of oxygen to thrive. When oxygen levels become too low, the organisms that can leave do so, swimming, crawling, or floating to richer waters and more oxygen. The organisms that can’t escape, die.
What's Happening to the Bay?
The balance of Barnegat Bay’s ecosystem is severely off kilter because of too much nitrogen. This nitrogen is fueling eutrophication, which in turn fuels hypoxia, which ends in sea life desertion and death. Sensitive species like clams, scallops, blowfish, and gar give way to more tolerant species like sea nettles and snapper (juvenile blue fish). This is the problem facing many costal estuaries, especially Barnegat Bay.
Algal Shading
When algae populations grow too fast they clog the water column turning what was once clear water in to a murky mess. As turbidity (the scientific term for cloudy water) increases, the normal vegetation that grows in the Bay can’t get enough light to photosynthesize. Imagine it this way. Think of taking flowers out of your garden and moving them into your home. The ones closest to the window might have a chance, but the ones in a far corner will suffer, because they are not getting enough light. If you wait too long before moving them closer to the window, they will die. This in effect is what is happening to the Bay. Algae block the light and once healthy marine vegetation dies.
The Algae Blanket
As the algae dies it settles to the bottom of the Bay, blanketing the sea life with a coating of detritus. Imagine covering a flower garden with a blanket. Its no good, plants can’t grow. When the blanket of algae gets too thick the normal marine vegetation can’t survive and die, eliminating a home vital for many aquatic species.
The Solution
There is light on the other side of this gloomy tunnel. That light is that humans are the main contributor to the problem of nutrient pollution in Barnegat Bay. We are adding too much nitrogen to the system via our cars, power plants, and fertilizers. Since we cause the problem, let’s cause the solution. Nutrient pollution is curable; it just takes us tweaking our lifestyles slightly. Not big changes, but small ones. Check out some of the low-nitrogen and bay-friendly options throughout www.nitrogenfree.com and choose to be part of the solution. Together, we can save Barnegat Bay.