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Dissolved phosphorus concentrations are increasing in streams across the Great Lakes Basin

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Phosphorus from intensive agriculture contributes to increased algal blooms, threatening ecosystems and drinking water sources. We found increasing dissolved phosphorus concentrations in more than 170 Great Lakes Basin streams, despite stable or decreasing total phosphorus levels. Higher latitudes experienced greater relative increases, potentially due to warmer winters and altered flow pathways.

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Fig. 1: Decadal changes in phosphorus concentrations (2003–2019) across the Great Lakes Basin.

References

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This is a summary of: Singh, N. K. et al. Widespread increases in soluble phosphorus concentrations in streams across the transboundary Great Lakes Basin. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01257-5 (2023).

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Dissolved phosphorus concentrations are increasing in streams across the Great Lakes Basin. Nat. Geosci. 16, 841–842 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01270-8

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