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Sustainability Science pp 329–349Cite as

Sustainability Trajectories for Urban Waters

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Abstract

Improving sustainability trajectories related to the biological health of urban waters requires enhancing the effectiveness of US nitrogen control programs for watersheds, cities, and ocean waters. A trajectory consists of identification of sustainability values, use of science to identify alternative solutions, selection of means for change, and assessment of results. Nitrogen, a limiting nutrient in most marine waters, contributes to algal blooms, declining levels of dissolved oxygen, and changes in biodiversity when it is present in bioavailable and excess amounts. Left unchecked nitrogen enrichment results in a regional trajectory trending away from biological sustainability. Its impacts have been observed on local, national, and global scales. The sustainability trajectory framework provides a novel way to view success or failure by clarifying values promoted and the means to reach them. Sequences of decisions related to nitrogen enrichment of New York Bight, Narragansett Bay, and Chesapeake Bay show that positive ecological trajectories rely upon the linkage of sustainability targets to authoritative governance techniques.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA

    Richard Burroughs

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  1. Richard Burroughs
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Correspondence to Richard Burroughs .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studie, Montclair State University, Montclair, 70803, New Jersey, USA

    Michael P. Weinstein

  2. Louisiana State University, Nicholson Extension, Baton Rouge, 70803, Louisiana, USA

    R. Eugene Turner

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Burroughs, R. (2012). Sustainability Trajectories for Urban Waters. In: Weinstein, M., Turner, R. (eds) Sustainability Science. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3188-6_16

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