What is it about?
Nutrient pollution is a problem of global concern because it degrades water quality by increasing phytoplankton biomass. We asked how phytoplankton biomass has changed since 2000, using chlorophyll a trends measured in 191 lakes and 159 estuarine-coastal sites. Our results show that phytoplankton biomass has decreased in most lakes (water quality has improved), but unexpectedly increased in most coastal sites.
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Why is it important?
Nutrient pollution is a challenging environmental problem, and our study shows that it might be particularly challenging for ecosystems situated at the land-ocean interface.
Perspectives
Science is filled with surprises, and this study gave perhaps the biggest surprise we have had in our nearly 50-year collaboration.
James Cloern
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Chlorophyll trends are negative for lakes but positive for estuarine–coastal waters, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2502289122.
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