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Chlorophyll a as a Briocriterion in Developing Nutrient Criteria for Estuaries
Citation:
DETTMANN, E. H. Chlorophyll a as a Briocriterion in Developing Nutrient Criteria for Estuaries. Presented at New England Estuarine Research Sociey Spring 2009 Meeting, Salem, MA, April 02 - 04, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this research is to develop numerical values for concentrations of chlorophyll a in estuaries that are appropriate for use in development of estuarine nutrient criteria for a range of designated uses.
Description:
The purpose of nutrient criteria for aquatic systems is to protect their designated uses. Nutrients do not directly affect designated uses of estuarine and near-coastal waters, but can affect primary producers, which may in turn affect designated uses either directly or indirectly. Therefore, nutrient criteria need to be related to biocriteria - threshold values of biotic responses beyond which designated uses of the ecosystem are affected. The concentration of phytoplankton chlorophyll a is a potential candidate for a biocriterion. This biocriterion may then be used to develop nutrient criteria using established and developing relationships between concentrations of chlorophyll a and nutrients. Some states and other governmental agencies have adopted or proposed thresholds of chlorophyll a for use in assessment of water quality and ecological impairment and in development of nutrient criteria or standards for estuaries and near-coastal waters. Chlorophyll thresholds are also used to calculate some eutrophication indices. This poster describes ongoing work to summarize these thresholds and methods used to derive them.