Eutrophication and hypoxia create dangerous problems for water bodies like lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. Within the past 50 years, eutrophication — the over-enrichment of water by nutrients such as nitrogen phosphorus — has emerged as one of the leading causes of water quality impairment. The two most acute symptoms of eutrophication are hypoxia (or oxygen depletion) and harmful algal blooms, which can destroy aquatic life in affected areas.

  • Eutrophicationhappens when there is an abundance of nutrients in water bodies, which can result in harmful algal blooms, dead zones and fish kills. This is frequently caused by runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
  • Hypoxia, or low oxygen levels, happens when a water body has dissolved oxygen concentrations of less than 2-3 mg/L. This can be caused by excess nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) and waterbody stratification (or layering) due to saline or temperature gradients. These conditions can lead to algal blooms and eutrophication.

WRI’s research has found that lack of public awareness of these issues is one of the main reasons they are not addressed. WRI, in partnership with the弗吉尼亚海洋科学学院（VIMS），在淡水和沿海生态系统经历富营养化和缺氧及其驱动因素和影响的程度上开发了资源。通过提供有关全球富营养化的原因，效果和位置的准确，可靠和全面的信息，WRI和VIMS的目的是：

  • Raise awareness and support among policymakers, the media and the public on issues surrounding eutrophication and nutrient pollution;
  • Provide information and resources on the subject of eutrophication and hypoxia;
  • Increase dialogue and information exchange on these issues; and
  • Identify data gaps that exist for identifying areas impacted by eutrophication.

This project was supported through a generous grant from theDavid and Lucille Packard Foundation.