Coastal Nutrient Dynamics and Ecosystem Health
Summary
Coastal nutrient dynamics encompass the transport, transformation and retention of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon as they flow from terrestrial and atmospheric sources through rivers, estuaries and continental shelves. Biogeochemical processes such as denitrification, sediment burial and primary production by phytoplankton and benthic microalgae act as a natural 'coastal filter' that regulates nutrient delivery to the open ocean. However, anthropogenic inputs from agriculture, wastewater and urban runoff have altered nutrient stoichiometry, driving eutrophication, harmful algal blooms and seasonal hypoxia. Climate‐driven changes in temperature, stratification and precipitation further modulate nutrient availability and biological responses. The health of coastal ecosystems depends on the balance between nutrient supply and removal processes, which must be quantified by combining long‐term monitoring, modelling and experimental studies. Improved understanding informs management practices to restore water quality, sustain fisheries and enhance carbon sequestration in coastal sediments.
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Coastal Nutrient Dynamics and Ecosystem Health publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in coastal nutrient dynamics and ecosystem health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Eutrophication: Excessive nutrient enrichment that stimulates algal overgrowth and can lead to oxygen depletion.
Denitrification: Microbial pathway converting nitrate to nitrogen gas, permanently removing nitrogen from aquatic systems.
Coastal filter: Suite of physical, chemical and biological processes in coastal zones that transform and retain nutrients.
Primary production: Generation of organic matter by photosynthetic organisms, principally phytoplankton, using inorganic nutrients.
Hypoxia: Low dissolved oxygen condition (<2 mg L⁻¹) in bottom waters, often caused by microbial decomposition of organic matter.
References
- Long-term declines in chlorophyll a and variable phenology revealed by a 60-year estuarine plankton time series. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2024).
- Large-scale nutrient and carbon dynamics along the river-estuary-ocean continuum. The Science of The Total Environment (2023).
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