Lake chlorophyll-a linked to upstream nutrients across the CONUS.

ABSTRACT: Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) is a commonly used proxy for algal biomass within surface waters, which can be indicative of harmful algal blooms. Excess nutrients, such as nitrogen or phosphorus, promote Chl-a production, often leading to eutrophication. However, little research exists on river nutrients-to-downstream lake Chl-a linkages at large watershed scales and across disparate climatic and physiographic regions. We found a significant positive relationship between measured total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) concentrations in upstream rivers and Chl-a concentrations in downstream lakes at the watershed scale (average area = 99.8 km² [35.8-628.6 km²], n = 254 watersheds) throughout the conterminous United States (CONUS). Additionally, through spatial logistic

SUBMITTER: Dietrich M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12180932 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature