Phytoplankton as indicators for eutrophication in Europe's regional seas ...

• Main Author: McQuatters-Gollop, Abigail
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Plymouth 2008
• Subjects: North East Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.24382/4302; https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/522

Eutrophication of marine and coastal waters is a growing concern throughout Europe's regional seas and an historical problem in the Black Sea and regions of the North-East Atlantic, particularly the North Sea. As the base of the marine pelagic food web, phytoplankton are sensitive indicators of environmental change and therefore may be used as indicators of eutrophication for the monitoring, management and mitigation of the effects of nutrient loading on coastal and marine ecosystems. However, due to the interactive effects of climate and eutrophication, it can be difficult to separate the climate-driven response of phytoplankton from changes induced by excess nutrients. Therefore, the aim of this work is to separate these two signals in order to explore eutrophication effects. Without historical knowledge of 'pristine' or unimpacted ecosystem states it is difficult to identify and assess the severity and magnitude of change. Even where spatially and temporally comprehensive ecological datasets are ...