The large-scale flux of nutrients from land to water and the eutrophication of lakes and marine waters

Abstract

The large-scale flux of nitrogen and phosphorus in modern society is coupled to the exponentially growing world population. During the last three decades there has been a several-fold growth in use of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), for example, for agriculture production, in chemical products such as in detergents, and as food additives. Feeding a growing population means increased human nutrient excretion. The mobility of N differs from that of P. For the easily mobile nitrate ion, river exports are positively correlated to the size of local human populations. P on the other hand is fixed in different systems, at least temporarily. Modern agro-ecosystems accumulate about 60% of the annual input of P. The Stockholm region representing an urban ecosystem served by dephosphatation in sewage, accumulated about 80% of imported P during 1990. With increasing accumulation there is an apparent risk for increasing non-point source pollution. In some shallow recipient lakes the sediments have been saturated with P. Even after the reduction of external loading these lakes are exporting more P than they are importing. Lakes normally are traps for P. In order to prevent damage to natural resources and to stop the large-scale flux of nutrients from land to water, the world population growth rate must be decreased and a number of measures taken: agricultural structures must be changed including new concepts for the use of fertilizers; new municipal sewage treatment processes must be developed permitting high-degree recycling of nutrients; unnecessary use of nutrients must be stopped, for example, in detergents and by reducing nutrient additives in food and drinks. Cola drinks, for example, contain 180 mg P l −1, a concentration about 350 times higher than that of the effluent (0.5 mg P l −1) from modern sewage treatment plants operating with dephosphatation. Financial resources and effort are required to stop large-scale eutrophication of marine waters.