Pollution
Over the past 30 years, the U.S. has substantially reduced industrial and chemical pollution from point sources (i.e., a clearly identifiable source, such as a discharge pipe or conduit).
Tackling the more pervasive nonpoint sources - runoff from major urban areas and agricultural fields - has proven more difficult, and much still needs to be done. Potentially harmful chemical pollution and excess nutrient runoff remain top concerns for environmental and land managers in coastal areas.
Nutrient pollution is a known problem in freshwater systems, but in recent years, scientists have become more concerned about such pollution in estuarine systems. Nutrient pollution now represents the largest pollution problem facing U.S. coastal waters. It is linked to many problems along the nation's coastlines, including:
- eutrophication (over-enrichment of mineral and organic nutrients that encourage excessive plant life, especially algae, which reduces oxygen content and kills organisms);
- harmful algal blooms;
- "dead zones" (hypoxic and anoxic areas);
- fish kills and loss of seagrass and kelp beds;
- shellfish poisonings;
- coral reef destruction; and
- marine mammal and seabird deaths.
NCCOS scientists are seeking ways to better understand links between eutrophication and their impacts on human health and estuaries.
In addition to nutrient pollution, land-based discharges from industrial, urban, and agricultural commerce also generate real concerns. Land-based discharges include chemical contaminants like trace metals, pesticides, and pharmaceutical agents, as well as biological contaminants like bacteria, viruses, and protozoans. These contaminants can degrade surface waters, sediments, and other components of coastal habitats, and can pose risks to human health and natural resources.
Through its National Status and Trends Program and regional contaminant surveys, NCCOS has compiled historical data on contaminant levels in many U.S. estuaries. Using sophisticated geographic information systems (GIS), NCCOS scientists apply the results of historical and current contaminant studies to determine relationships between land use and contaminant levels in estuaries.
Working with states and universities, NCCOS scientists are also developing ways to better identify pollution sources in coastal areas. The research teams are developing methods to track molecular, biochemical, and chemical fecal sources to better understand how fecal coliform bacteria contaminates estuaries. This will help states meet federal water quality requirements.
For more information on NCCOS projects involving Climate Change and Long-Term Use, open the NCCOS Project Explorer (opens in a new window).
Feature Articles
- Does Everglades Restoration Mean More Florida Bay Mercury?
- NCCOS South Carolina Golf Course Research Addresses Growing Coastal/Population Pressures
- Endocrine Disruption in Fish: An Assessment of Recent Research and Results
Related Links
- NCCOS Human Dimensions Research
- NOAAWatch Oil Spill information page
- Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Factsheet (PDF)
- CSCOR's Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Project page
- Marine Ecotoxicology at the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research in Charleston, SC
- Pollution Research at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, SC:
