Reducing Nutrient Loads, Especially Nitrate-Nitrogen, to Surface Water, Ground211 Water, and the Gulf of Mexico. Topic 5 Report for the Integrated Assessment on 211 Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico

摘要

The goal of this report to identify and evaluate approaches for solving the211u001eproblem of the hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. This zone of low dissolved oxygen, 211u001ewhich covers an area from 13,000 to 20,000 sq km off the shore of Louisiana, has 211u001ebeen shown to be due to excess nutrients, particularly nitrate-nitrogen, being 211u001etransported to the Gulf from the Mississippi River Basin. To accomplish thier 211u001egoal, the authors (1) reviewed appropriate literature on methods for controlling 211u001enutrients, particularly nitrate-nitrogen, from entering waterways; (2) evaluated 211u001ethese methods to reduce the amount of nitrogen released to streams and rivers; 211u001e(3) put the methods in the context of the entire Mississippi River Basin and the 211u001esignificance of the sources; and (4) presented recommendations for the most 211u001ereasonable combination of approaches that would be necessary to solve the 211u001eproblem.