Climate change impacts on the marine environments: Marine eutrophication. CLAMER Fact sheet
ESF Marine Board (2011). Climate change impacts on the marine environments: Marine eutrophication. CLAMER Fact sheet. European Science Foundation, Marine Board: Oostende. 2 pp.
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Abstract |
Coastal eutrophication (excessive plant growth resulting from nutrient enrichment by human activity) has become a wide-spread phenomenon in recent decades. It can have significant negative environmental and economic impacts at local and even trans-national level.In larger river basins and coastal sea areas of Europe, 50-80% of total nitrogen pollution is caused by run-off from agricultural land. Furthermore, households and industry still tend to be the most significant source of phosphorus pollution. Discharges from households have decreased significantly during the past 30 years whereas the loss from agriculture has remained static. Recently, several attempts have been made to restrict nutrient inputs, which have, in some cases, resulted in reduced eutrophication and recovery of marine environments. |
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