Resuscitating Coastal Dead Zones Starts Far From Shore Grace S.
Brush, the foremost ecological historian of Chesapeake Bay,
America’s largest estuary, examines the historical connections
between land use, nitrogen and coastal dead zones. Today,
chemically synthesized nitrogen is recognized as a major cause
of aquatic eutrophication ( a state where excess nutrients spur
excessive plant growth) and anoxia (the absence of oxygen, which
results in “dead zones”) in many coastal regions of the world. A
large effort is directed toward preventing nitrogen from getting
into aquatic systems to restore coastal shellfish populations
and the coastal fishery — important food sources for much of
humanity. Current monitoring indicates that most of the nitrogen
responsible for coastal deterioration originates as runoff from
fertilized agricultural fields, with secondary sources being
animal, municipal and industrial waste as well as atmospheric
contributions from cars and industry. Hence, numerous attempts
to decrease nitroge