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Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified), Open
Journal article
Indicators of nutrient pollution in Long Island, New York, estuarine environments
Marine environmental research, v 134, pp 109-120
Mar 2018
PMCID: PMC5937021
PMID: 29373137
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Roughly eight million people live on Long Island, including Brooklyn and Queens, and despite improvements in wastewater treatment, nearly all its coastal waterbodies are impaired by excessive nitrogen. We used nutrient stoichiometry and stable isotope ratios in estuarine biota and soils to identify water pollution hot spots and compare among potential indicators. We found strong gradients in δ15N values, which were correlated with watershed land cover, population density, and wastewater discharges. Weaker correlations were found for δ13C values and nutrient stoichiometric ratios. Structural equation modeling identified contrasts between western Long Island, where δ15N values depended on watershed population density, and eastern Long Island where δ15N values reflected agriculture and sewage discharges. These results illustrate the use of stable isotopes as water quality indicators, and establish a baseline against which the efficacy of strategies to reduce nutrients can be measured.
•We investigated water quality indicators for Long Island estuaries.•Stable nitrogen isotopes reflected nutrient pollution.•Structural equation modeling identified geographic contrasts in N sources.
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Details
- Title
- Indicators of nutrient pollution in Long Island, New York, estuarine environments
- Creators
- Elizabeth Burke Watson - Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel UniversityElisabeth Powell - Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel UniversityNicole P. Maher - The Nature ConservancyAutumn J. Oczkowski - Environmental Protection AgencyBhanu Paudel - Drexel UniversityAdam Starke - The Nature ConservancyKatelyn Szura - University of Rhode IslandCathleen Wigand - Environmental Protection Agency
- Publication Details
- Marine environmental research, v 134, pp 109-120
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000426027100011
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85040592586
- Other Identifier
- 991019169693704721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- Toxicology