Contact: Eliot Hurwitz              FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                    12/4/96

NEW STUDY PROVIDES FIRST COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF COASTAL WATER QUALITY

A newly released study by more than 100 academic and government researchers from across the nation gives the first comprehensive view of how nutrient inputs affect water quality in a U.S. coastal region -- a key step toward developing a scientific basis for a national response to deteriorating coastal water quality.

The study, released by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, focuses on indicators of eutrophication in estuarine waters. Eutrophication is a process -- often related to nutrient inputs -- in which an estuary may lose much of its natural capacity to support a rich spectrum of vegetation and wildlife. A eutrophication symptom seen in coastal waters is the occurrence of toxic algal blooms that may kill fish and cause illness and sometimes death in humans. Another is loss of fish habitat and subsequent loss of commercial fisheries caused by low dissolved oxygen and die-offs of the seagrass beds used as nursery grounds by young fish.

NOAA's Estuarine Eutrophication Survey: South Atlantic Region reviews 16 key indicators of healthy coastal waters related to the input of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrient inputs come from various sources such as agricultural runoff and wastewater treatment plant effluent. The results of the survey show present day conditions of the water quality indicators and how conditions have changed over the past 20-25 years in the region's 21 estuaries from Albemarle Sound, N.C., to Biscayne Bay, Fla. The report presents a synthesis of data, much of it previously unpublished. It also contains extensive maps, diagrams and tables detailing the extent of the problem throughout the area.

"This study is a significant milestone in our efforts to get a handle on what effect nutrient discharges have had on our nation's coastal water quality," said Suzanne Bricker, one of the study's principal authors. Up to now, we have had a great deal of scattered evidence of degraded coastal environments and many dedicated researchers working on small pieces of this puzzle, but this is the first effort to see the overall patterns."

The report will be used to identify important gaps in our understanding and to help direct limited research and management resources.

The study covers the South Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Florida, and is the first in a series to cover the entire United States. A second report in the series, covering the Mid-Atlantic region, will be available in early 1997; reports on the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic and Pacific estuaries will follow. For more information contact Dr. Suzanne Bricker, Project Manager; N/ORCA1, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; SBricker@seamail.nos.noaa.gov).

Related information is available on the World Wide Web at:http://www-orca.nos.noaa.gov

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