Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health
Nearshore and open waters provide drinking water for municipalities and habitat for numerous species of birds, fish, and other aquatic life. This is the area in which most residents and visitors experience the Great Lakes through swimming, boating, and other forms of recreation. Nearshore water quality has become degraded, as evidenced by eutrophication—the process by which a water body is enriched by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, resulting in excessive growth of algae, depletion of the dissolved oxygen that aquatic species need to survive, beach closings, and other impacts. GLRI is supporting efforts to promote nearshore health. As part of this effort, USGS is evaluating best management practices, monitoring nutrient and sediment loadings and increasing the scientific understanding of the link between nutrients and HABs, to help managers make better informed decisions.