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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access published online on July 25, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn121
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© 2008 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Development and application of seasonal indices of coastal-zone eutrophication

Scott A. Ryan1, John C. Roff2 and Philip A. Yeats3

1 K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6
2 Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6
3 Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ecosystem Research Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 4A2

Correspondence to S. A. Ryan: tel: +1 902 5851687; fax: +1 902 5851034; e-mail: 038004r{at}acadiau.ca

Ryan, S. A., Roff, J. C., and Yeats, P. A. 2008. Development and application of seasonal indices of coastal-zone eutrophication. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65.

Indices of coastal-zone eutrophication were developed based on combined values of nitrogen, phosphorus, and phytoplankton biomass (measured as Chl a). Measurements of nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, Chl a, and total phosphorous were taken at a series of inlets (bays and estuaries) along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia and the north shore of Prince Edward Island in summer 2006. Reference data from offshore sites and measured data are displayed on a N (nitrogen):P (phosphorus) nutrient–space diagram, which clearly indicates thresholds between impacted and unimpacted inlets. The problem of seasonal variability in nutrient levels and phytoplankton concentrations is accounted for by using an amalgamation of the Redfield nutrient ratios and the coastal carbon–Chl a ratio and allowing for sedimentary losses. This amalgamated ratio allows for the inverse seasonal relationship between labile nutrient levels and Chl a, permitting the collection, comparison, and interpretation of seasonally variable data. Measured concentrations of phosphate were adjusted from measured Chl a and were compared with measured levels of total phosphorous for the Nova Scotian sites to assess the accuracy of conversions. Given regional calibration, these indices should be applicable to all coastal waters.

Keywords: chlorophyll, coastal inlets, eutrophication, indicators, Nova Scotia, nutrients, Prince Edward Island, water quality

Received 23 November 2007; accepted 6 May 2008.


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