Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quantifying Annual Nitrogen Loads to Virginia’s Coastal Lagoons: Sources and Water Quality Response

  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Coastal lagoons of the Delmarva Peninsula receive varying annual nitrogen loads because of differing land uses. Extensive development and agriculture contribute to elevated nutrient loads in Maryland and Delaware. Agriculture and forests dominate Virginia’s landscape, suggesting these systems receive lower loads. We used a watershed model to achieve three objectives: (1) quantify loads to Virginia lagoons; (2) determine the sources of the loads; and (3) project changes in annual loads under different development scenarios. Model simulations indicated that some Virginia lagoons receive relatively high annual nutrient loads (kg N year−1) due to intensive agriculture and a high watershed/lagoon areal ratio. Model projections also suggested that increased agricultural and residential development in Virginia could lead to annual loads (kg N year−1) typical of impacted Maryland systems. A comparison of Maryland and Virginia water quality responses to nutrient loading suggested that Virginia’s lagoons exhibit a different response to nutrient loading, though the exact mechanism for this difference is unclear.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Accomack County Planning Commission 2008. Accomack County Comprehensive Plan. Planning Department Accomack County, VA. Available at: http://www.co.accomack.va.us/Planning/2008_comprehensive_plan_update.html. Accessed June 2, 2010.

  • Anderson, I.C., K.J. McGlathery, and A.C. Tyler. 2003. Microbial mediation of ‘reactive’ nitrogen in a temperate coastal lagoons. Marine Ecology Progress Series 246: 73–84.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, I.C., J.W. Stanhope, A.K. Hardison, and K.J. McGlathery. 2010. Sources and rates of nitrogen in Virginia coastal bays. In Coastal Lagoons: critical habitats of environmental change, ed. M. Kennish and H. Pearl. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boynton, W.R., L. Murray, J.D. Hagy, C. Stokes, and W.M. Kemp. 1996. A comparative analysis of eutrophication patterns in a temperate coastal lagoon. Estuaries 19: 408–421.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bratsch, A.D., T.P. Kuhar, S.B. Phillips, S.B. Sterrett, C.M. Waldenmaier, H.P. Wilson, and J. Speese III 2005. Commercial Vegetable Production Guide, Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication #456-420. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Virginia State University.

  • Bricker, S.B., C.G. Clement, D.E. Pirhalla, S.P. Orlando, and D.R.G. Farrow. 1999. National estuarine eutrophication assessment: Effects of nutrient enrichment in the nation’s estuaries. NOAA, National Ocean Service, Special Projects Office and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Silver Spring, MD. pp. 71

  • Bricker, S.B., B. Longstaff, W. Dennison, A. Jones, K. Boicourt, C. Wicks, and J. Woerner. 2008. Effects of nutrient enrichment in the nation’s estuaries: a decade of change. Harmful Algae 8: 21–32.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J.E. 2001. Our evolving conceptual model of the coastal eutrophication problem. Marine Ecology Progress Series 210: 223–253.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J.E., C. Grenz, and L. Vidergar-Lucas. 1995. An empirical model of the phytoplankton chlorophyll:carbon ratio—the conversion factor between productivity and growth rate. Limnol Oceanogr 40(7): 1313–1321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, L. 2005. Nitrogen loading to Chincoteague Bay (MD, VA): A reassessment. University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island. M.S. thesis. pp. 91

  • Dolbeth, M., M.A. Pardal, A.I. Lillebo, U. Azeiteiro, and J.C. Marques. 2003. Short- and long-term effects of eutrophication on the secondary production of an intertidal macrobenthic community. Marine Biology 143: 1229–1238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duarte, C.M. 1995. Submerged aquatic vegetation in relation to different nutrient regimes. Ophelia 41: 87–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Environmental Protection Agency. 1997. Sole source aquifer designation for the Columbia and Yorktown-Eastover multi-aquifer system (Notice). Federal Register 62: 17187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C.S., J.P. Jacobson, A. Rosenbaum, and P.V. Hyer. 1977. Intensive hydrographical and water quality survey of the Chincoteague/Sinepuxent/Assawoman Bays. II. Data report: Intensive hydrographical and water quality. Special Scientific Report No. 82. Gloucester Point, Virginia: Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fong, P., J.B. Zedler, and R.M. Donohoe. 1993. Nitrogen vs. phosphorus limitation of algal biomass in shallow coastal lagoons. Limnology and Oceanography 38(5): 906–923.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, J.C.P. 2009. Nutrient loading and system response in the coastal lagoons of the Delmarva Peninsula. College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA. M.S. thesis. pp. 165

  • Heberlig, L., I. Valiela, B.J. Roberts, and L.A. Soucy. 1997. Field verification of predictions of the Waquoit Bay Nitrogen Loading Model. Biological Bulletin 193: 294–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heisig, P.M. 2000. Effects of residential and agricultural land uses on the chemical quality of baseflow of small streams in the Croton watershed, southeastern New York. United States Geological Survey, Report # 99-4173.

  • Howarth, R.W. 1988. Nutrient limitation of net primary production in marine ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 19: 89–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howarth, R.W., and R. Marino. 2006. Nitrogen as the limiting nutrient for eutrophication in coastal marine ecosystems: Evolving views over three decades. Limnology and Oceanography 51(1 part 2): 354–376.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howarth, R.W., A. Sharpley, and D. Walker. 2002. Sources of nutrient pollution to coastal waters in the United States: Implications for achieving coastal water quality goals. Estuaries 25(4b): 656–676.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McGlathery, K.J., I.C. Anderson, and A.C. Tyler. 2001. Magnitude and variability of benthic and pelagic metabolism in a temperate coastal lagoon. Marine Ecology Progress Series 216: 1–15.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McGlathery, K.J., K. Sundback, and I.C. Anderson. 2007. Eutrophication in shallow coastal bays and lagoons: The role of plants in the coastal filter. Marine Ecology Progress Series 248: 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, T., J. Sickles, R. Dennis, K. Russell, J. Galloway, and T. Church. 2001. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition to coastal estuaries and their watersheds. In Nitrogen loading in coastal water bodies: An atmospheric perspective, ed. R.A. Valigura, R.B. Alexander, M.S. Castro, T.P. Meyers, H.W. Paerl, P.E. Stacey, and R.E. Turner, 53–76. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union.

    Google Scholar 

  • NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service). 2003–2004. Quick Stats U.S. and All States County Data-Crops database. United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Available at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/QuickStats/Create_County_All.jsp. Accessed August 29, 2006.

  • NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service). 2004–2005. Quick Stats U.S. and All States County Data-Crops database. United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Available at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/QuickStats/Create_County_All.jsp. Accessed August 29, 2006.

  • Nixon, S.B. 1995. Coastal Marine Eutrophication: A definition, social causes, and future concerns. Ophelia 41: 199–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, S., B. Buckley, S. Granger, and J. Bintz. 2001. Response of very shallow marine ecosystems to nutrient enrichment. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 7: 1457–1481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reay, W.G., D.L. Gallagher, and G.M. Simmons Jr. 1992. Groundwater discharge and its impacts on surface water quality in a Chesapeake Bay inlet. Water Resources Bulletin 28: 1121–1134.

    Google Scholar 

  • RESAC. 2000. 2000 land use/land cover GIS dataset. Mid-Atlantic Regional Earth Science Applications Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. Available at: http://www.geog.umd.edu/resac/baylandcover.htm. Accessed September 6, 2006.

  • Smith, V.H. 2006. Response of estuarine and coastal marine phytoplankton to nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment. Limnology and Oceanography 51(1, part 2): 377–384.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spokes, L.J., and T.D. Jickells. 2005. Is the atmosphere really an important source of reactive nitrogen to coastal waters? Continental Shelf Research 25: 2022–2035.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanhope, J.W. 2003. Relationships between watershed characteristics and base flow nutrient discharges to eastern shore coastal lagoons, Virginia. College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA. M.S. thesis. pp. 158

  • Stanhope, J.W., I.C. Anderson, and W.G. Reay. 2009. Base flow nutrient discharges from lower Delmarva Peninsula watersheds of Virginia. Journal of Environmental Quality 38: 2070–2083.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, D., S. Nixon, S. Granger, and B. Buckley. 1995. Nutrient limitation and the eutrophication of coastal lagoons. Marine Ecology Progress Series 127: 235–244.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • TIGER. 2000. TIGER line census of population and housing. Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system, United States Census Bureau, Washington, DC, USA. Available at: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html. Accessed August 31, 2006.

  • United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2007. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center. Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Available at: http://plants.usda.gov/npk/main. Accessed September 14, 2010.

  • VA DEQ (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality). 2002. Virginia poultry waste transfer report. Richmond: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

    Google Scholar 

  • VA DEQ (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality). 2003. Virginia poultry waste transfer report. Richmond: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

    Google Scholar 

  • VA DEQ (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality). 2004. Virginia poultry waste transfer report. Richmond: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Available at: http://www.deq.state.va.us/vpa/poultry.html. Accessed August 4, 2006.

  • Valiela, W., K. Foreman, M. LaMontagne, D. Hersh, J. Costa, P. Peckol, B. DeMeo-Andreson, C. D’Avanzo, M. Babione, C.H. Sham, J. Brawley, and K. Lajtha. 1992. Couplings of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Estuaries 15(4): 443–457.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., J. McClelland, J. Hauxwell, P.J. Behr, D. Hersh, and K. Foreman. 1997a. Macroalgal blooms in shallow estuaries: Controls and ecophysiological and ecosystem consequences. Limnology and Oceanography 45(5 part 2): 1105–1118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., G. Collins, J. Kremer, K. Lajtha, M. Geist, B. Seely, J. Brawly, and C. Sham. 1997b. Nitrogen loading from coastal watersheds to receiving estuaries: New method and application. Ecological Applications 7: 358–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., M. Geist, J. McClelland, and G. Tomasky. 2000. Nitrogen loading from watersheds to estuaries: Verification of the Waquoit Bay Nitrogen Loading Model. Biogeochemistry 49: 277–293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • VBMP (Virginia Base Mapping Program). 2002. 2002 orthorectified digital aerial photographs. Virginia Geographic Network Division, Department of Technology Planning, Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond, VA. Available at: http://www.vgin.virginia.gov/VBMP/VBMP.html.

  • VCE (Virginia Cooperative Extension). 2000. Agronomy Handbook. Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication #424-100. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Virginia State University.

  • Wazniak, C.E. and M.R. Hall [Ed]. 2005. Maryland's Coastal Bays: Ecosystem Health Assessment 2004. DNR-12-1202-0009. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment, Annapolis, MD.

  • Wazniak, C.E., M.R. Hall, T.J.B. Carruthers, B. Sturgis, W.C. Dennison, and R.J. Orth. 2007. Linking water quality to living resources in a mid-Atlantic lagoon system, USA. Ecological Applications 17(5): S64–S78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Jennifer Stanhope for her contribution of GIS data and extensive assistance and advice on the modeling/watershed component of this project, and Beth Condon, Benjamin Lawson, Heather Wiseman, Sean Fate, and Hunter Walker for their assistance in the field and lab. We also thank Karen McGlathery and Carl Friedrichs for their guidance and contribution throughout this project. Partial support for this research was provided by National Science Foundation (DEB Ecosystems 0542645) and through the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER project (DEB 0080381 and DEB 0621014), a VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory student research grant, and a Marlatt Foundation student research grant. This publication represents contribution number 3115 of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA, 23062, USA

    Juliette Christina Poleto Giordano, Mark J. Brush & Iris C. Anderson

Authors
  1. Juliette Christina Poleto Giordano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark J. Brush
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Iris C. Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juliette Christina Poleto Giordano.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Giordano, J.C.P., Brush, M.J. & Anderson, I.C. Quantifying Annual Nitrogen Loads to Virginia’s Coastal Lagoons: Sources and Water Quality Response. Estuaries and Coasts 34, 297–309 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9345-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9345-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation