Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences and Control Abid A. Ansari · Sarvajeet Singh Gill · Guy R. Lanza · Walter Rast Editors Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences and Control 123 Editors Abid A. Ansari Sarvajeet Singh Gill Aligarh Muslim University International Centre for Genetic Department of Botany Engineering & Biotechnology 202002 Aligarh Plant Molecular Biology Group India Aruna Asaf Ali Marg 110 067 New Delhi Guy R. Lanza India University of Massachusetts [email protected] Department of Natural Resources Conserva and 326 Holdworth Hall Centre for Biotechnology 01003-9285 Amherst MD University USA Rohtak [email protected] Walter Rast Texas State University Department of Biology University Drive 601 78666 San Marcos Texas USA ISBN 978-90-481-9624-1 e-ISBN 978-90-481-9625-8 DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9625-8 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2010937026 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Cover image: The cover photo is: “The Mekong River near Ban Dan Thailand” Photo by Guy R. Lanza, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword The book “Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences and Control” is an ambitious and laudable attempt to summarize different aspects of eutrophication, highlighting both the extent and severity of the phenomenon in different parts of the world as well as efforts to control or mitigate its biological effects. The 19 chapters of the book also underscore fundamental differences in the way that different aquatic ecosystems respond to over-enrichment and stoichiometric imbalances of nutrients, an observa- tion that has been amply reinforced in documented studies of Lake Washington in the USA, the classic experimental lake program studies in Canada, and studies of the Chesapeake and Delaware bays in the USA. Different chapters are built upon different objectives and offer a variety of spa- tial and temporal scales; some of them offer inter-disciplinary approaches, newer methods to study the problem, and linkages/interactions with other stressors, such as climate change, drought or arid climates, dam projects, waterborne disease vectors, and heavy metal contaminants. Still the primary messages from the book chapters may be summarized as follows: • Environmental concerns associated with nutrient-enhanced eutrophication are quite varied and potentially severe; they include low or nearly non-existent dis- solved oxygen in the water column, changes in aquatic food webs, biomass and diversity, alteration of sediment geochemistry, contributions to smog and greenhouse effects, and loss of amenities and ecosystem services. • Economic factors have played a big role as both a cause and a consequence of nutrient over-enrichment and consequent eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems; however, economic analyses have not factored into many eutrophication-related analyses. In well-studied eutrophic waterbodies, it has been possible to estimate maximum allowable amounts of nutrients to attain water quality objectives, such as concentra- tions of nutrients close to natural levels, clean and clearer waters, natural levels of algal blooms and dissolved oxygen, and natural distributions and abundance of plants and animals. For example, a recently adopted Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007) calls for limiting the total input of nitrogen to 600,000 t of nitrogen and 21,000 t of phos- phorus. These values represent substantial reductions when compared with long-term average input of nitrogen (737,000 t) and phosphorus (36,000 t) into the sea. The signatories to the plan will be expected to develop measures and implement activi- ties that would attain their designated targets, including management of agricultural runoff, improved sewage treatment, and reduction of phosphorus in detergents. v vi Foreword In summary, the book offers a glimpse of eutrophication research and management approaches in the developed and developing countries and recognition of its impacts on renewable resources and amenities. There is clearly a need to sponsor and sup- port research on eutrophication and related factors that take into consideration the hydrology, atmospheric flows, and climate conditions typical of the study regions, preferably within an integrative framework and explicitly linking the study outputs to the desired management outcomes. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Jawed Hameedi Silver Spring, MD, USA Preface Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803–1882 Degradation of water quality, loss of biodiversity, increased waterborne disease trans- mission, excess sedimentation, and major trophic cascades from altered biological food webs are of major concern at a time when global water supply is facing rapidly increasing demand. A recent report indicates that an enormous amount of our global water supply, approximately 10,800 km3, has been impounded in the world’s artificial reservoirs alone. Many of the new reservoirs have resulted from hydroelectric dam projects. Much of the total water impounded is located in sub-tropical and tropical regions with a very high probability for accelerated eutrophication and water quality degradation. Eutrophication is the natural process driving the ecological succession of fresh- water, estuarine, and marine ecosystems. Although eutrophication involves the integration of complex biological and geological processes that are often studied as individual entities, many useful studies have involved larger scale studies of the land use changes, aquatic biota, and biogeochemical cycles that regulate the structure, function, and gross productivity of human-impacted aquatic ecosystems. The natural eutrophication process is extremely variable and subject to major site- specific characteristics such as nutrient stoichiometry, biodiversity, climate-related factors, and geomorphology. Human or cultural influences have profound ecolog- ical effects on the natural functions and rates of many of the major processes in the aquatic processes influencing eutrophication and often result in accelerated rates of eutrophication that produce significant changes in the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. The result of human activities that have increased the rate of eutrophication in different aquatic ecosystems around the world is the main topic of this book. We hope it will be useful to aquatic ecologists, engineers, and water quality scientists and managers faced with both the traditional challenges of accelerated eutrophica- tion and new challenges catalysed by global climate change. This book provides case histories of eutrophication events in sub-tropical, tropical, and temperate zone fresh- water, estuarine and marine ecosytems along with studies on the biomanipulation, phytoremediation, restoration, and control of impacted ecosystems. The editors and contributing authors hope that the results of publishing this book will include a practical update on our knowledge of eutrophication on a global vii viii Preface scale and lead to new discussions and efforts to deal with the threat of accelerated eutrophication during the process of global climate change. Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh Abid A. Ansari ICGEB, New Delhi Sarvajeet S. Gill Amherst, MA Guy R. Lanza San Marcos, TX Walter Rast Contents Foreword .................................... v Preface ..................................... vii 1 Eutrophication and Climate Change: Present Situation and Future Scenarios .......................... 1 Martin T. Dokulil and Katrin Teubner 2 Controlling Eutrophication in the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat ... 17 Lars Håkanson and Andreas C. Bryhn 3 Eutrophication Processes in Arid Climates .............. 69 Elias Salameh and Sura Harahsheh 4 Eutrophication and Restoration of Shallow Lakes from a Cold Temperate to a Warm Mediterranean and a (Sub)Tropical Climate ...................... 91 Meryem Beklioglu, Mariana Meerfhoff, Martin Søndergaard, and Erik Jeppesen 5 Trophic State and Water Quality in the Danube Floodplain Lake (Kopackiˇ Rit Nature Park, Croatia) in Relation to Hydrological Connectivity ...................... 109 Vesna Peršic,´ Dubravka Cerba,ˇ Irella Bogut, and Janja Horvatic´ 6 Mediterranean Climate and Eutrophication of Reservoirs: Limnological Skills to Improve Management ............. 131 Luigi Naselli-Flores 7 Eutrophication: Threat to Aquatic Ecosystems ............ 143 Abid A. Ansari, Sarvajeet S. Gill, and Fareed A. Khan 8 Eutrophication Problem in Egypt ................... 171 Mohamed M. Dorgham 9 Freshwater Wetland Eutrophication .................. 195 S. Sánchez-Carrillo, D.G. Angeler, M. Álvarez-Cobelas, and R. Sánchez-Andrés 10 Effects of Contamination by Heavy Metals and Eutrophication on Zooplankton, and Their Possible Effects on the Trophic Webs of Freshwater Aquatic Ecosystems ...... 211 Ana María Gagneten ix x Contents 11 Impact of Eutrophication on the Seagrass Assemblages of the Mondego Estuary (Portugal) .................. 225 Marina Dolbeth, Patrícia Cardoso and Miguel Ângelo Pardal 12 Aquatic Plant Diversity in Eutrophic