Abstract
European coastal ecosystems because the nutrient load has greatly increased in recent years through human activity. Phosphorus has a critical role in the eutrophication of water bodies, the adverse effects of which are most apparent during algal blooms. Algal outbreaks of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) carry significant risks to human and animal health, as well as a major economic cost. Ecosystems are particularly badly affected, to the extent that toxic algal blooms occur annually, accompanied by fish kills and significant loss of recreational and conservation value. High priority is given to minimization of phosphorus inputs to rivers and waterways. Despite these measures, algal blooms may continue to occur on a seasonal basis years after phosphorus inputs have ceased, and it is thought that this is due to periodic remobilization of phosphorus bound in the sediments. This remobilization may occur as a result of changes in redox condition, pH, ionic strength or bioturbation, but as yet, the factors controlling this complex biogeochemical process are only poorly understood. Because to date most coastal water eutrophication research has focussed on the water column, the objective of the proposed research is to increase our understanding of the role of coastal sediments in the seasonal storage and recycling of Phosphorus (and Nitrogen). This project will provide new data, which are essential for enhanced environmental monitoring and decision support systems, and will contribute to realistic diagenesis modeling. It will aid our capacity to predict environmental change and allow us to develop better strategies for prevention, mitigation and adaptation in the management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems in the European Union.
Europe