USGS releases nutrient tracking tools

摘要

Identifying the sources and amounts of nutrients in waterways proves valuable for water resource managers. A new interactive, online decision support tool includes maps and data tables identifying major nutrient sources as well as areas within watersheds contributing the most nutrients. A new reporting feature within the tool provides information on the amount and source of nutrients from upstream states or major hydrologic regions, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) technical announcement. The tool offers information for 115 estuaries along the Atlantic coast as well as 160 watersheds draining into the Great Lakes. Water resource managers can use the tool to estimate how changes in nutrient inputs affect nutrient loads downstream. For example, the tool shows the amount of nitrogen contributed from each of 31 states to the Mississippi River Basin.