ABSTRACT
Southern New England Waters ......................................................... 163 7.4 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 168 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 168 References .............................................................................................................. 169
Nationally, increased population and development have contributed signifi cantly to environmental pressures along many areas of the U.S. coastal zone. These pressures have resulted in substantial physical changes to beaches, loss of coastal wetlands, declines in ambient water and sediment quality, and the addition of higher volumes of nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) from urban, nonpoint source runoff. Some nutrient inputs to coastal waters are necessary for a healthy functioning coastal ecosystem. However, when nutrient concentrations from sources such as stream and river discharges, wastewater sewage facilities, and agricultural runoff are increased beyond the natural background levels of estuaries and other coastal receiving waters, algal growth is stimulated. These excess nutrients and the associated increased algal growth can also lead to a series of events that can decrease water clarity, cause benthic degradation, and result in low concentrations of dissolved oxygen.
