Nutrients and Eutrophication

Abstract Excess nutrientsfrom fertiliser application, pollution discharge and water regulations outflow through rivers from lands to oceans, seriously impact coastal ecosystems. Terrestrial runoff of waters polluted with nutrients (primarily nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P] compounds) from point source/s, such as sewage treatment plant (STP) discharges, and diffuse sourcesvia river discharges, such as fertiliser losses, are having devastating adverse effects in coastal and marine ecosystems globally (Carpenter et al., Ecol Appl 8:559–568, 1998; Halpern et al., Science 319:948–952, 2008; Crain et al., Ecol Lett 11:1304–1315, 2008; Smith and Schindler, Trends Ecol Evol 24:201–207, 2009). The nutrients can be dissolved such as dissolved nitrate and Phosphate typically discharged from STPs or agricultural runoff or in a particulate form, often associated with soil erosion.