Nonpoint Pollution of Surface Waters with Phosphorus and Nitrogen
Abstract
Agriculture and urban activities are major sources of phosphorus and nitrogen to aquatic ecosystems. Atmospheric deposition further contributes as a source of N. These nonpoint inputs of nutrients are difficult to measure and regulate because they derive from activities dispersed over wide areas of land and are variable in time due to effects of weather. In aquatic ecosystems, these nutrients cause diverse problems such as toxic algal blooms, loss of oxygen, fish kills, loss of biodiversity (including species important for commerce and recreation), loss of aquatic plant beds and coral reefs, and other problems. Nutrient enrichment seriously degrades aquatic ecosystems and impairs the use of water for drinking, industry, agriculture, recreation, and other purposes. Based on our review of the scientific literature, we are certain that (1) eutrophication is a widespread problem in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal oceans, caused by overenrichment with P and N; (2) nonpoint pollution, a major source of P and N to surface waters of the United States, results primarily from agriculture and urban activity, including industry; (3) inputs of P and N to agriculture in the form of fertilizers exceed outputs in produce in the United States and many other nations; (4) nutrient flows to aquatic ecosystems are directly related to animal stocking densities, and under high livestock densities, manure production exceeds the needs of crops to which the manure is applied; (5) excess fertiliz…
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Elevated levels of nutrients, such as phosphorus, and phosphate can cause water-quality and ecological problems in aquatic systems, including fish kills, toxic algal blooms, depleted oxygen, and loss of biodiversity of species important for commerce and recreation.
“Elevated levels of nutrients, such as P, and PO43− can cause water-quality and ecological problems in aquatic systems including fish kills, toxic algal blooms, depleted oxygen, and loss of biodiversity of species important for commerce and recreation.102”
From Urban Stormwater: An Overlooked Pathway of Extensive Mixed Contaminants to Surface and Groundwaters in the United States (2019) · cites this paper as [102]
Agriculture is a large contributor of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution.
“Agriculture is a large contributor of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution (Carpenter et al. 1998;Bernot et al. 2006).”
From Phase II MS4 challenges: moving toward effective stormwater management for small municipalities (2022) · cites this paper as Carpenter et al. 1998
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- Authors
- Carpenter, S. R., Caraco, N. F., Correll, D. L., Howarth, R. W., Sharpley, A. N., & Smith, V. H.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (US)
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Agricultural Research Service (US)
- University of Kansas (US)
- Venue
- Ecological Applications
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1998-08
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 559-568
- ISSN
- 1051-0761 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2138436021
- Cited by
- 6,099
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 208 · 2025: 244 · 2024: 211 · 2023: 251 · 2022: 264 · 2021: 290 · 2020: 351 · 2019: 329 · 2018: 366 · 2017: 338 · 2016: 294 · 2015: 284 · 2014: 306 · 2013: 300 · 2012: 267
- FWCI
- 53.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Ecological Applications (publishedVersion)
- eCommons (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- KU ScholarWorks (University of Kansas) (submittedVersion)
- Smithsonian Digital Repository (Smithsonian Institution) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Keywords
- non-point source pollution, phosphorus, nitrogen, eutrophication, surface water, agricultural runoff, urban runoff, manure management, livestock density, nutrient leaching, atmospheric deposition, algal blooms, water quality, conservation practices, nutrient management, eutrophication recovery, soil phosphorus accumulation, nitrogen volatilization, water quality standards
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